Gallery: Current, Former Championship Tour Surfers Emerge at Pipeline Challenger

Before we get to the Championship Tour guys, let's take a moment to acknowledge the local underdogs. Prior to the event, big wave world champ, Pipe standout and former Backdoor Shootout winner Billy Kemper lobbied the local government and WSL to add more wildcards into the 2026 Lexus Pipe Challenger. 

Of the 20 men who entered the locals-only opening round, only two advanced into the Round of 32: Benji Brand and Joey Johnson. The former, known for being a lead-footed goofy adept at huge lefts, got it done yesterday with turns on the rights. The latter is one of those dudes the North Shore always seems to have: guys who will put their head down on draining cylinders one day, then clock in for a shift on the next. 

Joey picked up on day three where he left off on day 2: getting spat out of solid Backdoor tubes. The conditions were ideal Sunday morning with the swell down a touch and a gentle south wind grooming 6-8 foot peaks. Though the wind flipped around by the afternoon, there was an abundance of highlights from locals, CS and Championship Tour surfers alike.

“These are my ideal conditions," Joey said after his early-morning clinic. "It’s super clean, a couple of rights, and everyone knows I love going right. I’m stoked we’re running today. The waves are firing and I hope everyone stays safe, and gets the waves they want. These guys are my friends and I only get to see them during the wintertime, so anytime I get to talk to them and catch up with them is great. Now I’ll just rest, I’m feeling pretty sore after the last few days, watch, and get ready for the next day."

Out of the six current CT guys who paddled out today, four advanced to the Round of 32: Griffin Colapinto, Barron Mamiya, Cole Houshmand, and Seth Moniz. They all did it in different ways. Barron and Cole got the benefit of the early-morning conditions and found several buttery tubes to begin the day. 

But world runner-up Griffin had the most well-rounded heat, launching airs, slapping sections and somehow finding open barrels in onshore wind. His good friend Seth Moniz stayed in the event by riding out of a huge alley-oop that looked like he had no business landing. 

“It feels great to be starting the year off here, and we’re going to finish the year off here, so it’s a great way to do it,” Griffin said, referencing the 2026 CT’s schedule and format change. “The North Shore is like a second home, and we’ve been coming here since we were 12 years old. Any opportunity to surf Pipe for me, I’m all in. I’ve been really switching off, golfing a lot, which is super fun, and I almost treated it like an injury almost. You hear a lot of people who get injured and they come back stronger. So if I didn’t surf for a long time I’d come back stronger. I’m just so motivated to surf which feels really good.” 

No surprise that Kauli Vaast is comfortable at Pipeline. Currently sitting at No. 4 on the CS rankings, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist got gems at Pipe and Backdoor. His 16.03 heat total was the highest of the day.

“We don’t have too many rights in Tahiti, and I’m stoked to find two rights in my heat," he said. "I’ve been trying, trying, trying the past few days and even the last event to get a right like that finally. To have only four people in the water, it’s still a little stressful just with only thirty minutes with really good surfers, you have to find those good ones. I’m super happy. It’s part of the goal to qualify here, but the main goal is to make the final. I love this place and these waves, but just take it heat by heat, and enjoy my time here as much as I can.”

A guy two spots above Kauli on the rankings did not fare as well. Current CS No. 2 Samuel Pupo is out of the event, despite getting one of the best Backdoor tubes of the morning (how good is that shot below) for an 8.33. However, he was unable to find a backup score, and the French tag team of Jorgann Couzinet and Charly Quivront advanced over him. With Newcastle, Australia, up next, Samuel is basically a lock to win a few heats at the beachbreak and get back on the CT. 

One of the more clutch moments of the day came from Taro Watanabe. He was down bad against current No. 4  Oscar Berry, 2023 World Junior Champion Jett Schilling and former CTer Ian Gentil. But Taro’s middle name is Kelly Slater, so of course he was bound to conjure some last-second magic on this reef. He found it in the form of a heavy Backdoor barrel. That 9.27 put him in the lead until Ian Gentil found an even more ridiculous tube, shrugging the lip off his back and weaving under the right for a 9.47. 

Ian’s barrel was the best score of the event for a limited time, however. The Gold Coast’s Mikey McDonagh tried to replicate the wave but on an even larger peak and barely avoided the liquid axe. The heroics earned him a 9.5, the best ride of the comp thus far. 

After Mikey’s heat was over, however, Pipeline got over it. The wind turned onshore, the tubes got more fleeting, and turns and airs started to win heats. Gold Coaster and former CT surfer Liam O’Brien reminded us that the guy is a threat in every condition. It’s a travesty that a guy of this talent level isn’t on the CT. Now ninth on the CS rankings with several surfers above him already out of the event, he knows this is the time to move. He handily won this heat and advanced with an 11.17. Sadly, Mason Ho could not replicate his performance from the previous round, and he bowed out with a 7.06 heat total.

Other CS storylines from Sunday: Benji's win was a big loss for current No. 12 and Lexus US Open of Surfing victor Levi Slawson, who will need a huge result at Newcastle to get into the top 10. Same goes for Ventura standout Dimitri Poulos, now out of the event and just below the qualification line at eleventh.

Meanwhile, Current rankings leader Eli Hanneman advanced with tube-to-air-combos, and Shion Crawford posted a 15.66 total in deteriorating conditions. He's No. 23 on the CS and has a real chance to take this comp out. He's in for a battle in the next matchup with Seth Moniz, George Pittar, and Liam O'Brien. The forecast looks dicey for the next several days with huge swell and Kona winds coming in hot. It could be onshore and huge, and there could be heats. Lock in.

"We're subjected to waking up and seeing how bad these southwest winds will be," Ross Williams said. There are a couple of days later in the middle of the waiting period where it goes slack, and we're going to have to lean hard on those days."

Lexus Pipe Challenger Presented by Billabong Men's Round of 64 Results:

• HEAT 1: Joey Johnston (HAW) 12.84 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 12.83, Lucca Mesinas (PER) 11.17, Deivid Silva (BRA) 3.67
• HEAT 2: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 13.33 DEF. Jackson Bunch (HAW) 10.73, Mateus Herdy (BRA) 7.84, Finn McGill (HAW) 7.80
• HEAT 3: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 16.03 DEF. Carlos Munoz (CRC) 13.63, Kade Matson (USA) 12.43, Makana Pang (HAW) 8.43
• HEAT 4: Lucas Silveira (BRA) 15.50 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 15.30, Lucas Cassity (MEX) 14.47, Bronson Meydi (INA) 8.77
• HEAT 5: Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) 15.10 DEF. Charly Quivront (FRA) 12.33, Samuel Pupo (BRA) 10.83, Franco Radziunas (ARG) 4.90
• HEAT 6: Taro Watanabe (USA) 14.97 DEF. Ian Gentil (HAW) 14.80, Oscar Berry (AUS) 12.77, Jett Schilling (USA) 11.67
• HEAT 7: Winter Vincent (AUS) 8.33 DEF. Ryan Huckabee (USA) 7.90, Dimitri Poulos (USA) 7.17, Jadson Andre (BRA) 6.94
• HEAT 8: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 15.67 DEF. Lucas Vicente (BRA) 9.50, Joh Azuchi (JPN) 6.80, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 2.77
• HEAT 9: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 12.67 DEF. Nolan Rapoza (USA) 12.17, Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 9.83, Luke Swanson (HAW) 7.63
• HEAT 10: Benji Brand (HAW) 7.64 DEF. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 6.67, Edgard Groggia (BRA) 4.57, Levi Slawson (USA) 3.07
• HEAT 11: Eli Hanneman (HAW) 15.27 DEF. Callum Robson (AUS) 13.17, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.66, Keijiro Nishi (JPN) 2.77
• HEAT 12: Jackson Baker (AUS) 9.10 DEF. Luke Thompson (RSA) 6.17, Luke Tema (HAW) 5.37, Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 1.87
• HEAT 13: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) 11.67 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 11.56, Kyuss King (AUS) 8.50, Legend Chandler (HAW) 4.83
• HEAT 14: Riaru Ito (JPN) 11.87 DEF. George Pittar (AUS) 9.60, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 8.73, Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) 7.33
• HEAT 15: Liam O'Brien (AUS) 11.17 DEF. Shohei Kato (JPN) 8.83, Jordan Lawler (AUS) 7.50, Mason Ho (HAW) 7.06
• HEAT 16: Shion Crawford (HAW) 15.66 DEF. Adur Amatriain (EUK) 11.16, Jake Marshall (USA) 7.36, Igor Moraes (BRA) 4.17

Lexus Pipe Challenger Presented by Billabong Men's Round of 32 Matchups:

• HEAT 1: Joey Johnston (HAW) vs. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) vs. Carlos Munoz (CRC) vs. Barron Mamiya (HAW)
• HEAT 2: Cole Houshmand (USA) vs. Jackson Bunch (HAW) vs. Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Lucas Silveira (BRA)
• HEAT 3: Jorgann Couzinet (FRA) vs. Taro Watanabe (USA) vs. Ryan Huckabee (USA) vs. Lucas Vicente (BRA)
• HEAT 4: Charly Quivront (FRA) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS) vs. Griffin Colapinto (USA)
• HEAT 5: Mikey McDonagh (AUS) vs. Benji Brand (HAW) vs. Callum Robson (AUS) vs. Luke Thompson (RSA)
• HEAT 6: Nolan Rapoza (USA) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS) vs. Eli Hanneman (HAW) vs. Jackson Baker (AUS)
• HEAT 7: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Riaru Ito (JPN) vs. Shohei Kato (JPN) vs. Adur Amatriain (EUK)
• HEAT 8: Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. George Pittar (AUS) vs. Liam O'Brien (AUS) vs. Shion Crawford (HAW)