Mason Ho, Jamie O’Brien, Moana Jones Wong and More Local Wildcards Enter Pipe Challenger

Whover wins the 2026 Lexus Pipe Challenger will have their work cut out for them. Not only do they have to deal with one of the more intense waves in surfing, they must also contend with current and former Championship Tour surfers, more than a hundred Challenger Series scrappers, and, of course, a heaping of talented local wildcards. Considering the talent pool and the wave in question, this might be the most stacked CS event ever run.

On Oahu's North Shore, there has been so much interest in the Pipe Challenger that the WSL had to create a new men’s round for the men’s wildcards, essentially a mini-locals-only trials. There will be five four-person heats, with the top two from each heat advancing to the main event. The total tally: 20 men and six women have entered the wildcard mix. The six women are already seeded into the Round of 48. 

The men’s list has a staggering amount of talent that includes a former Pipe Master, a former CT surfer, a 2X Shootout winner, a regional QS champ, and some of the most staunch Pipeline tube-riders in today’s lineup. Peruse the heat draw below. 

“It was pretty unexpected,” Josh Moniz said in a statement from the WSL. “I know a few of us were hoping to just get a wildcard, but to get a round for us is really cool. I think this round will be harder than the first one of the actual event. These are some of the best guys out at Pipe and it’s going to be really tough. It’s so special competing at Pipe. This window you’re kind of just wanting to get into any events. Getting time out there. It’s going to be cool to be competing against some of the best guys from around the world. A lot of them don’t have too much experience out here, but the level is so high if you give them one chance to figure it out they’ll learn quickly to just put their heads down and go. I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”

The six women’s wildcards include Moana Jones Wong, Zoe McDougall, Skai Suitt, Zoie Zietz, Malia Lima and Chesney Guinette. Moana, who famously won at the Pipeline CT contest as a wildcard in 2022, sees massive potential in this CS event.

Don’t forget: In addition to the swollen CS tour, there are 13 (!) Championship Tour surfers in this event. The men’s draw has Barron Mamiya, Griffin Colapinto, Seth Moniz, Leonardo Fioravanti, Cole Houshmand, and Kanoa Igarashi. On the women’s side, it’s Molly Picklum, Gabriela Bryan, Caity Simmers, Isabella Nichols, Bettylou Sakura Johnson, Erin Brooks and Luana Silva. Considering the scale of talent plus the built-in consequence of Pipeline, it should be quite the show.

“Being a part of this Challenger Series event at Pipe is so epic, because it's the first ever,” said Moana, who won Hawaii’s QS region this year and will be competing in next season’s Challenger Series. “And the first ones are always historic. For me, I think this is actually the biggest contest ever to happen at Pipeline. It's great to see a wave like this on the Challenger Series. I can't wait to watch all the performances.”