Ross Williams called Mamiya a “Pipe Master.” It showed. Photo by Tony Heff//World Surf League
With the east winds creating stellar conditions for the finals, Hawaiian Barron Mamiya defeated Leo Fioravanti, while Tyler Wright beat Caity Simmers to win Pipe Pro titles.
For Barron, it was back-to-back wins at ‘Ehukai Beach Park, the first time that had happened since Andy Irons in 2005-2006. And it wasn’t an easy road. The Haleiwa native defeated John John Florence and Italo Ferreira on his way to the title.
And he beat Leo Fioravanti in an absolute classic heat. Barron got two insane waves right away, opening up a nearly 17-point combo situation on the Italian. From the booth, Ross Williams kept urging Fioravanti to stay calm and it seemed like he heard it. In about 90-seconds, Fioravanti turned the heat with an 8.87, where he kept speed after the kickout to win the paddle battle and priority, and then got a 9.1 where he stood up, stuck his arm in the wave to slow down, and threaded the longest tube of the day. Unfortunately, the judges weren’t thrilled with the arm stall, awarding Mamiya’s best wave with a higher score, most likely for his critical takeoff. Leo was not pleased. The two finished tied at 17.97 but Mamiya won on the tiebreaker: his top wave was scored higher than Fioravanti’s.
Despite the young talent, Wright can still win on tour. Photo: Brent Bielmann//World Surf League
“I made some mistakes letting Leo go on those waves with priority,” Mamiya said. “But it worked out. It was a crazy heat.”
Simmers was also trying to go back to back at the Banzai. But Wright had other ideas. The Australian basically won the heat under priority, getting her best waves while Simmers waited. Simmers, for her part, was a joy to watch the entire event. She’s as comfortable as anyone in the world at Pipe. Every wave she took off on was a clinic in relaxed surfing, from her casual stalls to her grab rail carves. Wright, still a title threat, nabbed her first event win since 2023 at Bells Beach.
“I’m getting the joy back,” Wright said. “It’s incredible. It means so much. Up against the kids doing backdoor shootout all day.”
While Wright and Mamiya took home titles, we learned a lot from Pipe (as it usually shows us the way). The WSL actually made the right call by waiting until the very end of its swell window, putting the contest on hold for a week. The waves showed up, especially on Friday, when some competitors got “the waves of their lives.”
And when those types of waves show up, Kelly Slater can still surf them. Well. He won his 100th heat at Pipe, beat Australia’s best world title hope (Ethan Ewing), and nabbed a wave that might’ve been a 10 before bowing out to Ian Gouveia in the quarterfinals.
Cleland put on a show. Photo: WSL
While the women are still the most interesting side of each event, given the wave of incredible talent, there was a glimpse of possible star power on the men’s side, especially with the considerable hole left in the post-Slater era, and the absence of John John Florence and Gabriel Medina. Alan Cleland is a formidable force. His double barrel section in the Round of 32 should have been a 10. His likable personality and go-for-broke style will definitely resonate with surf fans. Not to go too far down the hyperbole hole, but it’s tough to think of a Mexican professional athlete that has created this much excitement since Canelo Alvarez (who might be approaching the end of his run, depending on who you ask). And don’t sleep on Barron Mamiya making a title run after his second stellar event at Pipe in as many years.
Some vets still got it, too. With all that young talent on the women’s side, it’s easy to forget who got ya here. Lakey Peterson reminded everyone she can still surf. After basically taking half the year off last season after missing the cut (she got a season wildcard from the WSL), Peterson refocused, continued to work at her craft, both in the gym and in the water, and made a semifinal run at Pipe before losing to Wright – a two-time champ who remains one of the best competitive surfers in the world. Both are 30 years old – which seems ancient in this field – but both can still win heats.
Next up? It’s a quick turnaround with the new Abu Dhabi Pro coming up February 14-16.
