“My Worst Wipeout at Pipeline” - Eala Stewart

Eala Stewart is a household name on the North Shore of Oahu. The 28-year-old native Hawaiian's exploits at Pipe and beyond have earned him a reputation as a legit underground charger. When a bomb swings his way, the pecking order knows Eala is going to go.
Case in point: January 22nd saw the tail end of a very big, very west swell at Pipeline. It was still solid, some cappers on Second Reef, many more detonating on the First Reef, with no shortage of locals and hopeful visitors, all angling for glory.
Stewart paddled out clean, found his spot in the lineup and waited. "A lot of cat and mouse," he said. "Where a wash-through set comes through and you gotta come back to the inside to catch a double up."
The wave above was Stewart's first attempt that morning. "It looked like a really good, a-frame double-up as it was coming in," he said. "I stood up and did everything I always do, and I was connected -- and then I was in the air going,'this is gonna be a gnarly wipeout -- or let's try to stick this.' I stayed on top of my board thinking I was gonna make the barrel afterwards. Because you never know -- sometimes the ones you don't think you're gonna make are a butter landing and then you come flying out of the barrel."
Clearly, this did not happen. He landed in the flats, his fin box got blown off, he got sucked back up and over, hit the reef, glad to have decided to wear a helmet at Pipe for the first time. "Definitely my worst wipeout at Pipe," he said.
Filmed by Ryan Moss, Tucker Wooding, and Jake Tellkamp.
Thumbnail image by Tucker Wooding
Edited by Michael Weybret
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