Surfing's World Champion (Plus 7 More CT Surfers) Are Locked Into Pipeline's Challenger Series Contest

Ballito, Huntington Beach, Saquarema, Ericiera, Pipeline and Newcastle (2x). It isn’t hard to spot the odd one out. In a tour that is primarily beachbreaks, this month’s Challenger Series event at the world’s most famous reef should look entirely different from the other seven events on the docket. 

Hopefully, the sand that plagued the 2026 Da Hui Backdoor Shootout moves off the reef in the coming days. The Lexus Pipe Challenger’s waiting period is from January 29 to February 9. The usual field will be in place...