The first half of the competition window was hampered with wavering conditions. The Banzai Pipeline break was presenting waves at both ends of the spectrum, from small pulses lacking power to large and unruly reef rattling bombs. With the Pacific Ocean proving uncooperative, the World Surf League (WSL) felt it necessary to put the event on hold for several days. For the athletes and spectators, this wasn’t ideal. But for us, still traveling in Peru, this was all we could have asked for. It meant that our expedition team would arrive on the North Shore, Oahu right in time for the lead up to the day of finals.

Driving an hour from Honolulu to the stretch of coast widely renowned as ‘the seven mile miracle’, we had set foot in a surfer’s paradise, and it wasn’t long before we were surrounded by professional surfers from both past and present. Riding in open back trucks stacked with boards for every occasion, everyone was looking to score the caliber of waves that only Pipe and its neighbouring breaks could offer up. The laid-back vibe was exactly what you’d expect of a place like the North Shore. It was as if you had traveled back in time onto the set of Blue Crush from the early 2000’s. Nothing here seemed to have evolved with the times and it was quite simply awesome.

With only one road in and out, we were driving slowly and taking in all the sites en route to our home for the next week, falling more in love with the place along the way. We were fortunate enough to be staying right on the beachfront of the legendary Sunset surf break. This is where the second championship tour event was to be held, only days after the conclusion of Pipeline – the event we traveled all the way to Hawaii for.

Typically, if you’re coming to report on professional surfing competitions, you’re fixated on showcasing all the highlight and heartbreak moments. There were surfers whose tenacity and willpower got them across the line in a tight heat, and those who fell out of rhythm with the ocean only to fall agonizingly short of progressing through the rounds. But we were here on a different assignment, one that often goes unnoticed in the world of ocean sport. We were on a mission to learn from both competing athletes and community members about how surfing and ocean conservation go hand-in-hand amidst our climate crisis.

You’d think that surfing is synonymous with ocean conservation, right? But in reality, in the 60s, 70s and 80s when the surfing scene first grew in popularity, it was more so about progressions in maneuvers, charging big waves or adding your own personal flair and style to the blank canvas of a wave. And when none of those were an option, it was about partying for all hours of the day and night.