Hawaii Pipe Masters "Can't Keep up-Don't Step Up!"

Image Source and Courtesy ASP World Tour Facebook.

Coming up December 8 to 20 ASP Athletes will take to the Billabong Pipe Masters -classic competition to be hosted in Oahu, Hawaii, US.

This year Hawaii event is becoming the most High Risk-High Reward Pipe Master with surreal tones and promises of ocean extremes....in simple words...."if you can’t keep up, don’t step up!".

Every paradise is from time to time shaken up by natural disasters. Recent volcanic activity has put the island on alert as lava advances into settled areas -issue which rarely occurs despite the area being home to the most active volcanoes of the world. ASP has not released any official communication related to how the Pipe Masters 2014 will be affected by the events. From their site all is green to go.

“Hawaiians are proud of the Pipe Masters and the results are in their favor,” ASP says on the Ride of the North Shore adding that the island has the greatest number of contest winners a total of 17.

The Association of Surfing Professionals ASP released its guide event for Hawaii Pipe Masters on November 5^th signaled to new 2015 Qualification Structures and spoke about issues which are influencing the waves.

"Surfers from hundreds of countries make pilgrimages here to test their mettle in the cavernous barrels. With a packed winter lineup, the crowded takeoff spots makes for some volatile situations," ASP says.

"Surfers with the expertise to paddle out here come prepared to do battle -- with both the sea and fellow chargers," ASP warns.

ASP moves from Brazil to Hawaii. On November 8^th Filipe Toledo from Brazil took over first on the rankings displacing Matt Banting from Australia.

Surfing in his home country Toledo took the lead for the new Qualification Series once the O’Neill SP Prime concluded. Over twenty thousand crowded the final day of the event at Brazil,

"Filipe Toledo (BRA) took top honors over Matt Banting (AUS) by a score of 19.04 to 15.40 at Praia de Maresias, Brazil. With his victory, Toledo won US$40,000 in prize money and 6,500 points, which places him at the top the ASP Qualification Series (QS) rankings. Break down his performances, wave by wave, with the ASP Heat Analyzer," ASP reported after the podium event in Brazil.

Toledo however seemed to be plugged in and focused on other things aside price and points

"I’ll be going to Hawaii much more relaxed and hope to keep this rhythm up for the events there as well. Thank you to everyone and to Brazil," Toledo stated.

Toledo -as all athletes in Hawaii upcoming Pipe Masters will have to face a wave which ASP describes as a "gut for glory" with exploding tubes over shallow lava reef and sand. For decades Pipe has been considered the “most dangerous wave on the planet".

Hawaii Pipe Masters will also be the final event before the 2015 Qualification Series restructuration . Surf language seems to have a life of its own and ASP intends to keep things simple for “consumers, media, marketing and athletes” perspective. Stars will take shapes of numbers Regional tours of Africa, Australia, Europe, Hawaii, Japan, North America and South America are highlighted in this new move for professional surfing athletes.

“The history of the place combined with the sheer ferocity of the wave makes winning the Pipe Masters a meaningful achievement for many pros. Careers are made there, as much as boards are broken,” ASP calls athletes to Hawaii.

ASP is expecting the global surf industry to descend on the “seven-mile stretch of the North Shore of Hawaii” to bring 2014 to a glorious end. For ASP it is no time to break down, it is time to ride out the Pipe Masters Hawaii.

Ocean Life News in Brief

Ocean Level Increase Dropping Oceans Floor: International Press reported on December 5 on the findings of new research which assures that due to ocean level increase the ocean floor is sinking. The study published online in Geophysical Research Levels used mathematical equations to accurately measure the Ocean's floor impact driven by the increased of water volume weight. Using data from 1993 to 2014 researchers found that ocean level increase is causing the Ocean floor to drop globally by the milimeters. Ocean Dead Zones Up By Four: On January 8 New York Daily reported that Ocean Dead Zones have quadrupled.Researchers warned in a new study that oxygen-starved ocean dead zones, where animals and plants are struggling to survive, have increased fourfold and it may not be reversible. The new study was published in the Journal Science. The increase of Dead Zones was linked to climate change. La Niña´s Polar Wave Hitting Hard the US -Freezing Oceans: International Press reported on the Polar Wave hitting hard the US. The event is linked by experts to the influence of La Niña. “For the past couple of weeks, parts of North America have been chilling down to record temperatures, with massive snowfall and icy cold conditions putting life at a standstill for many,” media reported. The US East Coast has been particularly badly hit with the likes of Boston down to Philadelphia reaching bone-chilling lows of near 0°F , with icy winds making it feel closer to around -10°F to -20°F. Officially 18 were dead and 100 million affected. Government of Bali Declares a Garbage Emergency: On January 5 Ocean Conservancy reported on a New Waste Management Emergency in Bali. Massive amounts of ocean debri are affecting the island. The situation has reached its peak as the Government of Bali declared a “Garbage Emergency”. Clean up works have began. “Ivory Coast Village Swallowed by Ocean Increase,” Aljazeera Reports: On January 8 Al Jazeera reported that ocean increase levels are affecting infrastructure in the Ivory Coast. “Rising tides and more frequent, devastating storms are slowly destroying what is left of Lahou-Kpanda, the offshoot of what was once a major colonial town near the mouth of the Bandama River, the longest river in Ivory Coast,” Al Jazeera reported. Arctic Ocean Radioactive Levels on the Rise: IFL Science reported on January 3 on the findings of new report which assures that radioactive levels in the Arctic Ocean are on the rise. “Concentrations of radioactive radium-228 in the Arctic Ocean increased between 2007 and 2015,” the report reads. While levels have not yet reached a mark of concern the trend is worries experts. Lauren Kipp of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution addressed the issue. New World Wide Ocean Turtle Study Says 90% of Plastic Pollution Cases Result in Death: Earth Sky Org reported on January 7 that hundreds of marine turtles die every year after getting tangled in trash in oceans and on beaches. A research published in the journal Endangered Species Research took on a World-Wide Survey covering the major oceans where turtles live. They discovered that 91 % of the entangled turtles were found dead. They also suffered serious wounds from entanglement, leading to maiming, amputation or choking. Double Whirlpools Discovered for First Time: December 4 Press reported that Double Eddies have been registered for the first time in History. Tangled up Double Eddies can travel great distances affecting ecology significantly. Eddies are a natural part of the ocean environment but double whirlpools had only been theorized by mathematicians.