Unforgiving yet irresistible, Pipeline remains surfing's ultimate challenge.
In surfing lore, Pipeline is an all-time wave. The stretch of water along ʻEhukai Beach Park on Oʻahu's North Shore has long been part of Native Hawaiian wave-riding traditions and remains essential to the sport. Hawaiian surfers had been navigating it for generations, but Pipeline captivated the global surfing community when Phil Edwards rode it into modern surfing history in December 1961.
"Pipeline means an awful, awful lot to me," said legendary bodysurfer Mark Cunningham, who lived on the North Shore for twenty years and spent a long stint as a lifeguard there. Among surfers of all kinds, Cunningham, who turns 70 this year, is regarded as one of the greatest, in no small part because of how much time he has spent being challenged by this wave.
Sand, rock, and reef
What makes Pipeline special, and especially dangerous, is its unique mix of sand, rocks, and coral reef, which not only creates the waves but forms nooks and crannies a surfer could hit at any time. An average strong winter wave peaks around nine feet, but swells have reached twenty. In summer the waves are much calmer and still dangerous.
Former professional surfer turned lifeguard Dave Wassel, 51, came in as a first responder after Cunningham retired. "When I come to work, I have a thousand people I'm looking after, so the responsibility level goes through the roof," he said.
"A lot of people will tell you that the most dangerous thing at Pipeline is the reef, but it's actually the crowd of surfers as you're jockeying for position."
There can be as many as 80 surfers at a time waiting their turn, which means each one must track not just the wave but 79 other people as potential obstacles, on top of everything nature has already laid out. It's a lot of hydro-energy packed into a 300-yard stretch.
"There are bigger waves in the world, maybe faster waves, but it's Broadway. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."
The photographer in the lineup
Christa Funk, 34, was stationed in Hawaii during her Coast Guard service and looked for a way to combine her love of the water with her second love, photography. After five years of post-academy active duty, the native Coloradan started shooting smaller waves and gradually became part of the regular crew that shoots and films Pipeline. She lives on the North Shore, about a fifteen-minute drive from the beach.
"It can be a very intimidating environment, but with a respectful attitude, you can find your way into the lineup," she said.
Her photography illustrates Pipeline's different personalities. At times the wave is sharp, crisp, and cascading. Other times it's less uniform. Both underscore the danger, even when the barrel is breathtaking in a still frame. Funk has only bodysurfed Pipeline and thinks she'll never surf it traditionally.
"That's not on my radar," she said.
Backdoor, Off the Wall, 2nd Reef
Several supporting features contribute to Pipeline's famous waves. A portion to the right is known as Backdoor, breaking over a very shallow and sharp point that leaves almost no room for error on exit. Off the Wall breaks to the west in front of the only manmade retaining wall on that stretch of beach, no longer used after it was proven to cause erosion. 2nd Reef refers to the second reef formation, which typically produces big, picturesque breaks on winter days.
The winter rush is a stark contrast to summer, when the waves mellow and bodysurfers like Cunningham enjoy Pipeline's calmer side. "Most surfers are thinking about those perfect waves, but there are plenty of days when they're one to two feet," he said. "It is predominantly a shortboard, high-performance wave."
A podunk beach park
For all the folklore, Cunningham likes to remind people that ʻEhukai is "kind of a podunk beach park" sitting across from an elementary school. Pipeline got its name from the late surfboard shaper Mike Diffenderfer, who stood with Phil Edwards after Edwards' groundbreaking 1961 ride and pointed at a construction sign reading "pipeline," put up as the area was getting new water service.
It's an unassuming destination planted in the middle of a neighborhood, and one of the most thrilling and treacherous surf spots on Earth. There's a common thread among the people who ride it: everyone knows someone who has died or been seriously hurt there.
"It is an attraction, but it's also people's backyards. Tread lightly."
Adapted from "Where Legends Ride" by Geoff Nudelman in Beach Happy Magazine, Spring 2025, Issue 20. All photographs and original captions by Christa Funk.
