Moments that change the course of history are rare, and it’s even more rare for such a moment to be captured on film. Luckily for the history of surfing, Bruce Brown was around to document one key pivotal session that has come to define our sport.
Brown filmed the first time anyone successfully surfed the world-famous Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. Phil Edwards was the first brave soul to paddle out at Pipe, and he quickly proved that the fast, hollow waves could in fact be ridden. On a four foot day in December of 1961, Edwards paddled out at an unnamed wave at Banzai Beach. By the next day, the swell has risen to six to eight feet. He returned with Bruce Brown, and proceeded to surf perfect 8-foot Pipe on a classic longboard, leashless with no one else in the lineup. With strong trade winds and a pumping west swell, Pipeline was the vision of dangerous perfection. Although the odds were against him, Edwards caught and completed several rides; all of which Brown captured on film. The footage was included in Brown’s 1963 surf film Surfing Hollow Days.
The session changed surfing forever, for if Phil could ride the Pipeline, then so could everyone else.
Since Phil’s first ride, Pipeline has become the benchmark for modern surfing. It is where pros and locals alike prove themselves, and it is easily the most recognizable wave in the world. Each December, the entire surfing world congregates on the North Shore to watch the Triple Crown culminate at the Pipeline Masters. Champions are crowned at Pipe. Iconic battles like those of Kelly and Andy have taken place at Pipe. Equipment trends meet their match at Pipe, and they either remain staples forever or fade into history. The spot has truly defined the sport of surfing throughout the decades, and we never stop looking to Pipe for the season’s greatest moments.
It’s pretty incredible that we have the footage of such a rich moment in surfing history. So take a couple moments and check out the session that changed surfing forever.
Phil Edwards, First day at Pipeline from ENCYCLOPEDIA of SURFING videos on Vimeo.
