Pipeline champion Barron Mamiya on what it takes to conquer giant barrels like Pipe and Teahupo'o
Hawaii native Barron Mamiya grew up watching the world’s best surfers take on Pipeline from his classroom window. Years later he not only joined them in the line-up, but scored a perfect 10 against his childhood hero John John Florence. There is, however, one wave Mamiya considers even more magical than his home surf – Teahupo’o.
Surfing
Sitting through class can be tough. More so if you’re a surfer and your classroom windows face out to Hawaii’s iconic Banzai Pipeline.
The mecca of surfing is where USA’s Barron Mamiya grew up, honed his craft, and tamed his fear of big waves.
With a list of WSL Championship Tour victories that include Sunset and Pipeline Pro, as well as a third-place finish in Tahiti, Mamiya has proved his status as a barrelling expert. And among all the waves he has conquered, the fearless 24-year-old has a clear favourite.
“A perfect wave is just a big perfect barrel that goes for 10 seconds and it's just absolutely perfect,” Mamiya told Olympics.com. “Chopes (Teahupo’o) would be an absolute perfect wave. A perfect wave in Tahiti at Chopes would be ideal.”
Olympics.com spoke to the star surfer about the magic of big waves, overcoming fear and watching John John Florence and Kelly Slater in action through a classroom window.
Barron Mamiya’s childhood by Pipeline: “If you don’t surf it, you’re not that cool”
Bruises, scars and scratches – these are some of the “badges of honour” you can claim as a child.
For the kids growing up on the North Shore, the ultimate badge of honour is surfing Pipeline, one of the world’s most ferocious waves.
“Growing up on the North Shore, it's kind of like you have to surf pipe. If you don't surf pipe, it's kind of weird,” Mamiya said. “But when I was really young, I thought it was crazy. I would go out and sit in the channel and just watch and it was just a crazy thing to see right in front of you.”
A surf break located in Oahu, Banzai Pipeline is at its best in the winter months when the waves average 3 metres (10 feet) and can reach as high as 7.6 metres (25 feet).
Surfers from around the world travel hundreds of kilometres to reach the famous wave. That includes annual visits from Championship Tour pros.
Mamiya only had to look out of the school window to see why.
“Everything comes to around Pipeline at a certain time of year and that's the place to be,” Mamiya said. “I went to school across the street from Pipe and every day when the contest was on, I could hear it from my classroom and I always just wanted nothing more than to get down there and watch. So, after school, me and all my friends would go down there and check it out and watch the comps. It was just super fun.”
As a child, Mamiya would get mesmerised watching surfing great Kelly Slater, who was a regular finalist at Pipeline. He later also came to admire John John Florence and Andy Irons, and dreamed of following in their footsteps.
To do so, he knew he had to begin by surfing the terrifying home wave itself.
“If you don't surf it, it's kind of like, ‘Oh, you're not that cool’,” Mamiya said. “When I was a kid, if you surf Pipeline, it was like, ‘OK, you have a chance to do something in surf’. But if you didn't, I feel like people really didn't care in a way. That's what I thought in my head.”
And so, Mamiya picked up his surfboard and headed out to conquer Pipeline.
It was not a success.
“I think I was 8 or 9. I paddled out and it was pretty good size. It was like six feet,” he recalled. “But I sat in the channel and I was really scared and I was way in the channel like super scared little kid and I didn't catch a wave. I basically sat there and just watched.”
A couple of months later, Mamiya tried again.
“I paddled out when it was really small and I caught a couple little waves, got really pounded, but I got one fun wave and I got a little barrel and ever since then, I've been hooked,” he said. “And now it's totally different. I feel like I can go on the waves that I thought, when I was a kid, they weren't surfable.
“I'm still scared to this day. Anytime paddling out to Pipe is scary. It's the most deadly wave in the world. It's killed more people than any other wave, so there's always that fear factor. But getting a good wave out there is definitely the pinnacle.”
The perfect score on the home wave: Barron Mamiya’s 10 at Pipeline
Mamiya was not simply hooked on Pipeline after riding his first barrel. He was also good.
In his wildcard Championship Tour appearance on the home wave in 2022, the then 22-year-old finished in the Top 10, ultimately losing to his childhood hero Kelly Slater. A few days later he beat Slater in the opening round of Sunset Pro and went on to win the competition by taking down Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi in the final.
The 2023 season saw him finish third at Tahiti Pro, losing to three-time world champion Gabriel Medina.
In 2024, Mamiya opened the season with a win at Pipeline where he scored a perfect 10 in a final against John John Florence.
“I didn't think I was going to make it,” he recalled. “The whole barrel was just white, and I was about to jump. But then I was like, I'll just stay on, and it just kept letting me go, kept letting me go. And then it spit, and the last spit just pushed me through. And I came out and I just didn't believe it because I couldn't see the exit. I thought I was way too deep the whole time. So, I came out and I was like, OK, that should probably be a 10.”
Florence, who put up a formidable 15.33 total, was one of the first to congratulate the young Hawaiian star.
“That meant a lot for sure,” Mamiya said. “It's been like a dream of mine to win that contest and then to do it with John, who's arguably one of the best surfers ever out there and to get a 10, it was a crazy moment. I don't think I could have dreamed of a better situation.”
Teahupo’o: Barron Mamiya’s perfect wave
Mamiya’s 10-point ride at Pipeline was the perfect wave. But the young surfer has surfed another that he says is even better – Teahupo’o, the site of the next Olympic surfing competition.
The Hawaiian surfer has a close friend who lives in Tahiti and has made multiple visits there since he was 15.
“It's just an absolute perfect wave. It's like what you dream of in your dreams of a perfect wave, that's what it is. And you kind of go there and you're like, I don't even know how this wave exists,” Barron Mamiya to Olympics.com
Mamiya calls Teahupo'o his “second home” and a magical place to surf. He also admits that it is not for the faint of heart.
“It's definitely a very terrifying wave. The reef is so alive and it's super shallow,” he said. “It's just really scary and for people who aren't ready for it, it can be very, very terrifying.”
While Mamiya does not have a provisional quota for Paris 2024, he is set to compete at Teahupo’o during the Tahiti Pro stop of the Championship Tour from 22 to 31 May. His success on Hawaiian barrels has transitioned well to Teahupo’o, making him one of the top contenders.
As for those who are still figuring out how to tackle a powerful wave like Teahupo'o, Mamiya has a piece of advice.
“Any wave in the world, you just have to put your time in. The more time you put, the more familiar you'll get with it and the more comfortable you'll be,” Mamiya said. “You have to get over the fear factor and be like, OK, whatever happens is going to happen. Just go for it.”
Barron Mamiya prepares for his heat at Bells Beach Pro in March 2024.