Showdown at Pipeline

The Billabong Pipeline Masters waiting period kicks off tomorrow and it could well be an epic event. The Dream Tour winner will be decided, there's a stack of money at stake for the Vans Tripe Crown winner and then there's the swell that's been forecast, with Tuesday through Thursday this week potentially huge. With Mick and Parko all set to duel it out for the WCT crown, here's what we have to say about Pipeline:

"Probably the squarest barrel on earth ... when it's on. Pipe need trades, and the right swell (W to NW at 4-25ft) to work properly. Take one of these sway and you can have a shapeless, punishing mess. The rule of thumb is; the more west the swell, the heavier and shallower the wave.

Pipeline is a series of 3 reefs working from the inside to the outside as the swell increases. First Reef: At 4ft, you can have the most perfect barrels followed be a short whackable section here. The crowds at the size will frustrate and the dropping in is blatant! The wave is so close to the beach that spectators can get closer to the action than any other surf spot. At 6-8ft, the peak appears close to dry sucking off the reef, and the drop is a free-fall. A mistake could see you jammed into a crack in the lava reef, but successful riders will make the bottom turn, and stand tall in a super-wide almond shaped barrel. Then it's a speed-race out onto the shoulder, which eventually tapers into a sandy channel.

Second Reef: From 10-12ft plus, another crop of lava pushes up bombs another 100 yards out to sea. These can be mountainous jacking peaks which reform on first reef giving 2 rides in 1. Take-offs here are more critical than any wave anywhere. Timing, commitment and a heavy board are essential to manoeuvre into the elusive time-space window between being pushed over the back by the gusty winds funnelling up the face, and too-late drops straight to the bottom. The entire length of the wave is a full power situation, with the lip ready to cut a surfer down at any moment, and even the latter half of the ride can produce truck-sized barrels. There's an occasional 3rd reef too, for monsters up to a much contested 30 feet. Now a tow-in domain, and quite rare to see it perfect.

Paddle-out fast, west of Backdoor. Curretn will sweep you east off the peak into the channel. Crowds to the extreme. Drop-ins are the rule, not the exception. Frustrated caged battery-chicken surfing ... Experts Only."

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