JJ Goes 4 in 5

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Super technical 6-8ft waves at Backdoor Pipeline created a challenged platform for the competitors.

South Africa’s Dale Staples (St Francis Bay) finished equal 25th in the 112 man field in his first competitive appearance of 2015 in the World Surf League (WSL) Qualification Series (QS) 3000 rated event. Staples won his opening heat and then advanced to the last 32 in second place behind Slater before being eliminated, pocketing US $1 000 and 555 ranking points

Florence, 22, had the 35-minute Final in the bag within the first seven minutes, posting excellent scores of 9.2 and 8.43 (each out 10) for the highest heat tally of the entire event - 17.63 out of 20. Florence and 11-time world champion Slater, 42, the only surfer to have interrupted Florence's streak by winning here last year, had been the pair to beat here from the outset, pushing each other round after round and exchanging the highest wave and heat scores along the way.

A strong side-offshore wind presented major challenges in the form of wave face chop in the Final and Ho posted the first score with a beautiful barrel ride for 8.6 points. But Florence, who lives right on the beach in front of Pipeline, read the conditions and rising swell lines with ease, tapping into his lifetime of local knowledge to leave his challengers chasing him.

By the end of the heat, Slater found himself in a rare combination situation, needing to replace both the scores he was carrying to catch Florence. Zietz met a similar end. Ho found one last tube but, needing a 9.04 for victory, he fell short with a 7.3.

"This morning it was really fun, the wind was pretty clean and just really long, little barrels," said Florence. "Then the wind picked up and started putting this chop in it and it made it really, really difficult out there. But it was so fun. It was just whoever was in the spot for the good double ups.

"Getting two scores in the beginning of a heat that's 35 minutes long, you sit for so long... like, oh my God, I've got 20 minutes here to just think about it (laughs)!

"Going into this year, it's going to be a fun one. I come in with a lot of confidence out of last year, knowing I can make the heats and do really good. I'm just going to go into this year thinking the same kind of thing and hopefully it comes down to the end of the year out here at Pipe. It would be awesome. That's my dream - to win a world title out here at Pipe. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Slater posted the only perfect 10 point ride of the event in this morning's Quarterfinal for a super long, deep and weaving barrel ride. It earned him the "Electric Perfect 10" Award of the competition. He also won the inaugural Todd Chesser Hard Charger Sportsmanship Award, in honour of a much-loved North Shore big wave rider who passed away charging big waves on Feb. 13, 1997.

As members of the World Surf League's (WSL) elite Top 34 ranked surfers, Florence, Slater and Zietz now turn their attention to the start of the 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour that gets underway in Australia on February 28. The World Title will be decided in December at the Pipe Masters.

The action on the WSL Qualification Series moves to Australia for back-to-back WSL QS6000 events: the Hurley Australian Open (Sydney, 9-15 Feb) and the Burton Automotive Pro (Newcastle, 16-22 Feb)

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Final:
1st - John John Florence (HAW) 17.63 (9.2, 8.43) - $16,000 - 3000 QS rankings points
2nd - Mason Ho (HAW) 15.9 (8.6, 7.3) - $10,000 - 2250 pts
3rd - Kelly Slater (Florida, USA) 0.0 (6.7, 2.3) - $4,750 - 1680 pts
4th - Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 8.47 (7.0, 1.47) - $4,250 - 1580 pts

Semi Finals:
H1: JJ Florence (HAW) 13.4; S Zietz (HAW) 13.33; E Lau (HAW) 12.8; I Walsh (HAW) 7.63
H2: K Slater (USA) 8.76; M Ho (HAW); K Andino (USA) 2.6; M Ohno (JPN) 1.9

Quarter Finals:
H1: S Zietz (HAW) 12.1; E Lau (HAW) 10.9; A Aranburu (ESP) 7.9; I Gouveia (BRA)
H2: JJ Florence (HAW) 14.83; I Walsh (HAW) 13.2; K David (HAW) 4.47; M Bruneau (HAW) 4.1
H3: K Slater (USA) 17.33; K Andino (USA) 15.1; H Gaskell (HAW) 6.07; B Toth (PRI) 2.7
H4: M Ho (HAW) 8.6; M Ohno (JPN) 6.4; CJ Hobgood (USA) 5.97; K Jaquias (HAW) 5.73

Round 4:
H1: E Lau (HAW) 13.77; K David (HAW) 6.57; S Murakami (JPN) 3.67; G Gillette (HAW) 3.56
H2: S Zietz (HAW) 12.26; I Walsh (HAW) 12.1; H Bettero (BRA) 2.83; N Florence (HAW) 1.96
H3: M Bruneau (HAW) 12.57; A Aranburu (ESP) 6.5; J O'Brien (Haw) 6.2; S Moniz (HAW) 4.37
H4: JJ Florence (HAW); I Gouveia (BRA) 10.86; NM McGonagle (CRI) 10.43; D Payne (HAW) 3.36
H5: K Slater (USA) 15.6; K Jaquias (HAW); J Mendes (BRA) 5.54; B Kemper (HAW) 4.44
H6: H Gaskell (HAW) 9.0; M Ho (HAW) 5.74; W Dantas (BRA) 4.56; D Staples (ZAF) 3.84
H7: M Ohno (JPN) 8.83; B Toth (PRI) 8.27; B Stack (USA) 8.13; M Padaca (HAW) 7.67
H8: CJ Hobgood (USA) 11.1; K Andino (USA) 10.33; C Ward (USA) 8.0; L Silveira (BRA) 5.8