Getty Image / Brian Bielmann / AFP
Welp, they did it. They finally found the perfect angle to film the world’s best surfing Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore and after decades of filming the surfers head-on someone flew a drone and filmed a panoramic view that’s perpendicular to the waves and follows the surfers as they charge.
This video starts off with John John Florence, the 3-time and reigning WSL world champion charging Pipeline but it also includes waves from Riku Matsumoto, Kala Grace, Eli Olson, John John Florence (again), Koa Rothman, Lucas Godfrey, and others. It’s incredible to see how packed the lineup is at Pipeline but how, at the same time, the world’s best are able to maneuver themselves into perfect position to catch waves.
It is extremely rare to see a surfing video that is truly innovative but this angle from the drones is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. They also didn’t ruin the video by blasting music over the footage. We simply get to see the life cycle of the wave as it approaches, hits the reef, and surfers charge. It’s incredible.
If you’re not already following Off Da Lip, the YouTube channel that filmed/shared this surfing footage from Pipeline, this should be an instant smash of the ‘subscribe’ button for everyone that enjoyed this. But… If that video wasn’t enough to convince you that this is your new favorite Surfing channel on YouTube maybe this next video will.
In this clip, the entire lineup gets wiped out by a monster wave at Pipeline. Someone in the comments joked that the ocean said “okay, everyone out of the water for a 15 minute break” and clobbered them. Watch as everyone has to scramble:
The surfing conditions in Hawaii have been incredible the past few weeks. Landon McNamara recently won ‘The Eddie’ and had a perfect 50-point wave during the competition. It marked just the 11th time in the past 40 years that conditions were perfect enough to hold The Eddie.