Before the arrival of Europeans, Hawaiian royalty surfed here on 150 pound olo board. Now, the giant winter waves attract surfers to Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach and Haleiwa where the Duke Kahanamoku International Classic and other meets are sometimes held.

Today In the world of pro surfing, there are two titles to strive for: the ultimate is to be crowned world champion, and close behind is the title of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion. Every surfer knows that without having proven one's worth in Hawaii's giant winter waves, success is hollow.

RIP CURL PRO PIPELINE MASTERS

The grand-daddy of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing is the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters, which celebrates 35 years this winter. Inaugurated in 1971, the Pipeline Masters joined company in 1983 with the World Cup at Sunset Beach (now known as the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing) and the Op Pro Hawaii at Haleiwa. Former world champion surfer Fred Hemmings saw the opportunity in '83 to showcase the unsurpassed quality and size of Oahu's North Shore winter waves and through his vision, the 'Triple Crown of Surfing' was born.

O'NEILL WORLD CUP OF SURFING

It was an ingenious concept - bring together the world's best surfers in the world's best and biggest waves and find the surfer who performs the best over all three events. Versatility, strength, skill, and fearlessness would determine the surfer who could perform consistently well over all three events and he would be deemed the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing champion.

"The concept was to focus attention on three of the world's most prominent surfing competitions held in unquestionably the most competitive and awesome surfing venue anywhere," explains Triple Crown of Surfing Founder Fred Hemmings. "Catching an eight-to-ten foot wave at the Pipeline certainly demands different skills than riding a 15-foot wave at Sunset. The Triple Crown represents the ultimate surfer's challenge and is the true measure of a professional."

As a testament to the specialization it takes to perform well over all three events, ten individuals are responsible for the past 20 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing titles. Of those ten, six are Hawaiians, proving that being born and raised among such powerful waves has an international advantage.

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