When Pipeline goes off, there are a handful of surfers who will be there, come hell or high water. Mason Ho is one of them. And in recent weeks, Pipeline has been going off. It hasn’t exactly been a safe winter — injuries in the last few months have been a little more common than usual — but those who surf Pipe on a regular basis are aware of the dangers and are willing to pay to play.
Among those nursing injuries are Koa Rothman, Eimeo Czermak, and Kai Lenny, all of whom had a taste of that fabled reef this season. Mason’s no stranger to the dangers of surfing Pipeline (or any wave on the North Shore, for that matter) but he’s been surfing the place since he was a grom, and he knows every inch of what’s underneath a Pipe barrel.
When he awoke on the morning of January 23, Mason likely knew that it was going to be a good day. Everyone else did, too, so, as is often the case when Pipeline is working, the lineup was packed. But Mason’s part of an elite group of surfers who have the skill, knowledge, and clout to catch pretty much any wave they want, so when he puts his head down and goes for one, it’s almost a sure bet that he’s going to do something incredible on it.
No matter who you are, though, you’re not making every single wave. The first few minutes of the video above is full of surfers who fully commit to the send and have their bodies tested by Mother Nature. But they always come back for more, no matter how hard the beat down.
Mason’s comfort level on waves that most people would absolutely not be comfortable on is pretty incredible to witness, isn’t it?
