The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout is one of surfing’s best contests. It’s a little different than most, and any contest held at Pipeline when it’s firing is going to be a good watch. The Shootout, however, is interesting not just because it’s held at firing Pipeline, but because it’s a team event. Eight teams of surfers battle each other in a non-elimination event, and it’s not just standard surfboards. There are men’s and women’s divisions in longboarding, SUP (in which Kai Lenny had a helmet-breaking close call that put him in the hospital), and bodysurfing.
The holding period runs through January 16th, and if the first day was anything to judge by, we’re in for a show. It started out a little slow, but as the day progressed, things quickly ramped up.
“By noon the waves were in the 6-8 ft range and perfect winds,” Surfers of Hawaii wrote. “In this contest, surfers team up to score the most points possible.”
All the usual suspects were there, including Jamie O’Brien, John John Florence, Koa Smith, Nathan Florence, Moana Jones Wong, and more.
