Pipe Pro Forecast: Big Swell on Tap for Pro Surfing’s 2024 Kickoff

Dashel Pierson
·1 min read

For a week straight, it’s been nonstop waves on the North Shore of Oahu.

And for surfers, many of whom have made the annual winter pilgrimage to Hawaii to 1) make a name for themselves in the surf world’s proverbial “proving grounds,” or 2) compete on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, that’s a very good thing.

Plenty of practice time at the world’s heaviest waves, particularly Pipeline.

And so, with the WSL season kicking off on January 29th with the Lexus Pipe Pro, fans and athletes alike will be pleased to know that the swell train is still chugging with more swell on the way. Read: it’ll be a proper tube fest; not an airs or turns event.

Per Surfline, and their official forecast, they note:

  • Tons of swell to kick off the event window, but conditions an issue

  • Close eye on Wednesday the 31st (mainly the AM) to offer decent opportunity

  • High confidence for plenty of swell in longer range, while local wind may improve

In a nutshell: we’re expecting plenty of swell for the Lexus Pipe Pro waiting period, but local conditions will be tricky. At this point, we may see a moment or two within the first half of the event window with decent conditions, then possibly shifting to a more favorable wind regime in the second half. Swell-wise, we have high confidence for the North Pacific to deliver plenty of sizable pulses throughout — so we should be OK in that department.

This is a welcome relief, since last year, many stops on the 2023 CT schedule were blessed by sizable swell before the event, then plagued with mediocrity once the contest window opened. But this year, judging by the forecast, things could be different.

Curse broken?

Don't slaughter that sacrificial lamb just yet.

The Lexus Pipe Pro window runs from January 29th through February 10th.

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