Banzai Pipeline

The location's compound name combines the name of the surf break (Pipeline) with the name of the beach fronting it (Banzai Beach). It got its name in December 1961, when surfing movie producer Bruce Brown was driving up north with Californians Phil Edwards and Mike Diffenderfer. Brown stopped at the site to film Edwards catching several waves. At the time, there was a construction project on an underground pipeline by the adjacent Kamehameha Highway, and Diffenderfer made the suggestion to name the break Pipeline. The name was first used in Bruce Brown's movie Surfing Hollow Days. It also lent its name to the 1963 hit song "Pipeline" by surf music rockers The Chantays.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=The origin of the name Pipeline|url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-origin-of-the-name-pipeline|access-date=2021-06-16|website=Surfertoday|language=en-us}}

The reef at Pipe is a flat tabletop reef, with several caverns on the inside, creating a giant air bubble that pops on the front of the wave when the wave lurches upwards just before breaking.{{Cite web|last=|first=|title=What does the reef at Pipeline look like?|url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/what-does-the-reef-at-pipeline-look-like|access-date=2021-06-16|website=Surfertoday|language=en-us}} There are also several jagged, underwater lava spires that can injure fallen surfers. When sand accumulates on the reef at Pipeline, the waves can become unpredictable and violently "close out," (break all at once instead of peeling in a way that allows a surfer to ride the wave). A strong swell (a formation of long-wavelength surface waves) from the west clears out the sand in the reef, and after that, a strong north swell can give rise to the best waves.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-10|title=Could Pipeline's Sand Help Decide the World Title?|url=https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/pipelines-sand-help-decide-world-title/72080|access-date=2021-06-16|website=Surfline |first1=Jonathan |last1=Warren }}

There are four waves associated with Pipeline. The left (which means the wave breaks from left to right from the perspective of a watcher on shore) known as Pipeline (a.k.a. First Reef) is the most commonly surfed and photographed. When the reef is hit by a north swell, the peak (the highest tipping-point of the wave where it begins to curl) becomes an A-frame shaped wave, with Pipe closing out a bit and peeling off left, and the equally famous Backdoor Pipeline peeling away to the right at the same time. As the size at Pipe increases, over 12 feet usually, Second Reef on the outside (further out into the deeper ocean waters) starts breaking, with longer walls (the unbroken face of the wave that the surfer slides across), and more size. At an extreme size, an area called Third Reef even further outside starts to break with giant waves.{{Cite web|url=https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/mechanics-how-pipeline-breaks-oahu-surf/40481|title=Mechanics of Pipeline and Backdoor|date=2018-12-07|website=Surfline |first1=Jonathan |last1=Warren |access-date=2020-01-22}}

Numerous surfers and photographers have been killed at Pipeline, including Jon Mozo and Tahitian Malik Joyeux, who was famous for his heavy charging (gutsy surfing) at Teahupo'o.{{Cite web|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/content/20090223_A_brotherhood_afloat|title=A brotherhood afloat|date=February 23, 2009|website=Hawaii Archives - Honolulu Star-Bulletin Archives |access-date=2018-06-22}} Pipeline has been called one of the world's deadliest waves.{{Cite news|url=https://www.adventuresportsnetwork.com/sport/surf/top-ten-deadly-waves-of-the-world/|title=The Top 10 Deadliest Waves {{!}} Adventure Sports Network|date=2008-09-10|work=Adventure Sports Network|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en-US}} Its average wave is 9 feet (3 m), but it can be as tall as 20 feet.{{Cite news|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/detail/american-experience/banzai-pipeline-the-worlds-deadliest-wave/|title=Banzai Pipeline the world's deadliest wave.|last=Aspesberro|first=Francois|work=Smithsonian|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en|archive-date=2018-06-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622140207/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/detail/american-experience/banzai-pipeline-the-worlds-deadliest-wave/|url-status=dead}} Especially perilous are sections of shallow reef known as "Off the Wall" and "Backdoor".{{Cite news|url=http://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/233746/just-another-day-at-backdoor-pipeline|title=Just Another Day at Backdoor Pipeline|work=World Surf League|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en}}

A few of the notable surfers at Pipeline are Phil Edwards (who is credited as the first person to surf it),{{cite web |title=Phil Edwards: the first surfer of Pipeline |url=https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/phil-edwards-the-first-surfer-of-pipeline |website=surfertoday.com |access-date=6 November 2019}} Greg Noll (first to surf Second/Third Reef in 1964), Joyce Hoffman (first woman to surf it), Butch Van Artsdalen, Gerry Lopez, Mike Stewart, Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew, Peter Townend, Michael Ho, Simon Anderson, Tom Carroll, Sunny Garcia, Kelly Slater, Danny Fuller, Jamie O'Brien, Rob Machado, Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira and John John Florence{{Cite news|url=https://www.redbull.com/ca-en/top-5-pipeline-surfers-according-to-jamie-o-brien|title=Jamie O'Brien's top five Pipe surfers|last=Roddy|first=Brian|date=November 4, 2014|work=Red Bull|access-date=2018-06-22|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://stabmag.com/news/mick-fanning-wins-one-of-the-best-pipe-heats-ever-surfed/|title=Mick Fanning Wins The Best Pipe Heat Ever Surfed?|work=Stab Magazine|access-date=2018-12-17|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.worldsurfleague.com/posts/441556/billabong-pipe-masters-mens-championship-tour-final-heat-1?roundId=12949|title=Pipe Masters Mens Championship Tour Final Heat|work=World Surf League|access-date=2019-12-20|language=en}} Moana Jones Wong has earned the nickname "Queen of Pipeline."{{Cite web |last=Parsons |first=Rebecca |date=2022-03-15 |title=Moana Jones Wong Is the New Queen of Pipeline |url=https://www.theinertia.com/surf/meet-moana-jones-wong-the-new-queen-of-pipeline/ |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=The Inertia |language=en-US}} In 1964, John Peck{{Cite web |last=Ahrens |first=Chris |date=2020-01-30 |title=Waterspot: The elusive ‘other’ Mister Pipeline |url=https://thecoastnews.com/waterspot-the-elusive-other-mister-pipeline/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=The Coast News Group |language=en-us}} and Dick Catri{{Cite web |date=2017-05-16 |title=R.I.P. Dick Catri: 1938-2017 |url=https://www.surfer.com/features/rip-dick-catri-1938-2017/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=SURFER Magazine |language=en-US}} were some of the first surfers to appear while inside the Pipeline tube in a published film.{{Citation |last=Browne |first=Bud |title=Locked In! |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018908/ |type=Documentary, Sport |access-date=2023-01-03}}

The top surfing competitions at this spot include the Pipe Masters (board surfing), the Volcom Pipe Pro, the IBA Pipeline Pro (bodyboarding), and the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic.[http://www.bodyboard.org/awbchamps.html AWB World Championship of Women's Bodyboading in Memory of Don & Josie Over] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204014839/http://www.bodyboard.org/awbchamps.html |date=February 4, 2009 }} Surfers can also submit videos to Surfline's Wave of the Winter competition. The competition focuses on beaches on Oahu's north shore, including Pipeline.{{Cite news|url=http://www.surfline.com/wave-of-the-winter/2017-2018/|title=Wave Of The Winter 2017-2018|access-date=2018-06-22}}

• The 1964 documentary Locked In! was filmed at Banzai Pipeline.{{Citation |last=Browne |first=Bud |title=Locked In! |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1018908/ |type=Documentary, Sport |access-date=2022-12-30}}
• The 1974 episode "The Banzai Pipeline" of Hawaii Five-O was filmed at Banzai Pipeline.
• The 2002 sports film Blue Crush was filmed at Banzai Pipeline.
• The 2007 film "Pipeline" featured events at Banzai Pipeline.

{{Portal|Geography|Islands|Oceania}}

• Big wave surfing

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• [https://archive.today/20130102081006/http://bloosee.com/r/i527Uy Pipeline] on BlooSee (satellite view, NOAA chart and surfing spot)

{{coord|21.664|N|158.054|W|type:landmark_region:US-HI|display=title}}

Category:Surfing locations in Hawaii

Category:Geography of Oahu

Category:Tourist attractions in Honolulu County, Hawaii