There’s no place like Pipe to feel the power of the ocean from the sand. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Jamie O’Brien is not what you’d call a wave snob. If you can surf it, he’s going to give it a shot, whether it’s huge and perfect or small and junky. If it’s the latter, of course, he might have a little special sauce he adds to the recipe to make it taste a little sweeter. Who doesn’t like some sugar every now and again? That being said, there’s one wave on this little blue marble that Jamie O’Brien loves more than all the rest: Pipeline.
It’s the beginning of Pipe season, so Jamie’s always on the lookout for a potential swell. After a few hours at the Waimea River, Jamie headed to Pipeline to see what was happening… and, as Jamie likes to say, it was “time to start that music.”
It was quite a bit bigger than O’Brien expected. According to him, it’s the first XL Pipeline of the season, and if anyone’s in a position to call it XL, it’s him. As is always the case at the world’s most famous wave, Jamie wasn’t alone. Among the bobbing, often-helmeted heads were Lucas Godfrey, Eli Olson, Koa Rothman, and a bunch more. With any luck, it’s just the first of many big Pipeline swells on tap for the coming winter.
“We’re back,” Jamie said from the beach as the sun began to set. “It’s basically winter. It’s November and I’m so psyched to be back… It was a good day. The psych counter is through the roof!”
