The Banzai Pipeline, or simply "Pipeline" or "Pipe", is a surf reef break located off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea of O`ahu's North Shore. There are at least three reefs here in progressively deeper water further out to sea that activate at various power levels applied by the swell. Download high resolution version (1500x1000, 109 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Surfing outside Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. ... A reef break, in surf slang, is a wave that breaks over a projection from the seabed formed from coral reef or rock shelf. ... Pūpūkea is a census-designated place and community in the Koolauloa District on the Island of Oahu, City & County of Honolulu. ... Oahu (usually Oahu outside Hawaiian and Hawaiian English), the Gathering Place, is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous island in the State of Hawaii. ... The North Shore, in the context of Hawaiian geography, usually refers to the north- to northwest-facing coastline of northern Oahu between Mokuleia town and Kahuku Point. ... A reef surrounding an islet. ...

Pipline is best on a strong West swell, to clear out the sand that closes it out on strong North swells. It is a flat tabletop reef, with several caverns on the inside, creating an unmistakable boil on the face when it jacks up. There are also several jagged lava spires that can cut fallen surfers up fairly badly. There are in actuality four waves associated with Pipe. There's the Left, or First reef known as Pipeline that is the most commonly surfed and photographed. When hit by a North swell, the peak becomes a true A-frame, with Pipe closing out a bit and peeling off left, and the just-as-famous Backdoor going right. As the size at Pipe increases, over 12' usually, Second Reef starts cracking, with longer walls, and more size, and at an extreme size Third Reef starts to bomb out.

The extreme challenge posed by Pipeline at size to even the best watermen cannot be overstated. Numerous surfers and photographers have been killed at Pipe, including Jon Mozo and Tahitian superstar Malik Joyeux, who was famous for his heavy charging at Teahupo'o. Pipeline is often called the world's deadliest wave, since more people have died there, or have been seriously injured, than at any other surf spot. Malik Joyeux (31 March 1980 – 2 December 2005) was a professional surfer famous for riding large waves. ... Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-poo) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of Tahiti. ...

Among the many famous surfers to earn a reputation surfing the Pipeline are Butch Van Artsdalen, Gerry Lopez, Rory Russell, Shaun Tomson,Kane Quinn, Mark Richards, Michael Ho, Simon Anderson, Dane Kealoha, Tom Carroll, Gary Elkerton, Sunny Garcia, Kelly Slater and bodyboarder Mike Stewart. Butch Van Artsdalen (1942–1979) was a talented surfer from La Jolla, California who pioneered the art of tube riding on longboards in the early 1960s. ... Gerry Lopez (born November 7, 1948, Honolulu, Hawaii) is a world-renowned surfer and occasional film actor. ... Shaun Tomson was born on August 21, 1955 in Durban, South Africa. ... Mark Richards is a surfer from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. ... Simon Anderson is one of the most important, and underated, figures in surfing. ... Tom Carroll, Australian surfer. ... Sunny Garcia is a famous surfer with several computer games using his name. ... Kelly Slater (born Robert Kelly Slater on February 11, 1972) from Cocoa Beach, Florida is the most successful professional surfer in the history of the sport. ... Mike Stewart (1963 - ) A nine time World Champion bodyboarder, one of the early pioneers of the bodyboarding sport, and a pioneer of big-wave tow-in surfing and a champion bodysurfer. ...

The top Surfing competitions at this spot are the Pipeline Masters (Board Surfing), the IBA Pipeline Pro (Bodyboarding) and the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic. The Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic competition has evolved and perpetuated to foster the art and sport of bodysurfing in Hawaii and the contest venue occurs annually on the North shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. ...