Aerial Sorcery and Mom’s Power Turns: Eli Hanneman and Carissa Moore Win Florence Pipe Pro

It was a storybook ending for one world champion, and 1.3 points away for another. By the time Carissa Moore and Eli Hanneman were carried up the beach at the Florence Pipe Pro today, the QS 2,000 had run a whopping 18 (!) heats in a single day, which surely must be some sort of record. Saturday’s bout consisted of the men’s round of 32, quarters, semis, final and the women’s semis and final. Let’s get to it.

By the time the women’s semis began, the contest moved north to Gums, which offered cleaner and longer waves than Pipe/Backdoor due to the steep north swell and groomed sandbar. The move clearly favored two Championship Tour women: Carissa and her protege, Gabriela Bryan. They both lit up the rights with frontside hacks and won their respective semis in convincing form. Their matchup in the final must have felt special for both parties. Carissa has mentored Gabriela since she was a grom, and now they’re friends sharing a final at different points in their careers; Carissa regaining her competitive footing as a mother and Gabriela as a rising CT force. 

Ruby Berry, an 18-year-old Australian who got into the event as an alternative, briefly held the lead in the final, but this was the Carissa and Gabriela exhibition. Carissa started the final strong, opening with a decent tube that the judges ate up for an 8.83. But then Gabriela started showing the form that won her three CT events last season. She threw down one of the most critical fins-free snaps of the contest, then followed it up with a series of smooth carves to take the lead from Carissa. But with five minutes left, the five-time world champ and 33-year-old mother nailed a tube-to-roundhouse combo for 7.83 and jumped back to first.

No substantial sets came through after, and Carissa’s storybook return wrapped up in fine form. Just her second event back as a mother (she was runner-up at Haleiwa last month), and she's already top of the podium.

The men's semis were, in a word, frenetic. Barron Mamiya and Shion Crawford seemed to be competing amongst themselves for who could blow the fins out the hardest. Both got the nod for the final. The fireworks came out in the second. John John Florence had an uncharacteristic start as he waited out the back with priority while the action went on the inside. Luke Tema and Ezekiel Lau laced searing turns on the right while Eli Hanneman went ham on the left. The 23-year-old from Maui went into his bag this heat: sticking two no-grab backhand rotations on consecutive waves, the second of which had Nathan and Ivan Florence and Jon Pyzel slack-jawed on the beach. His tail-high reverse landed him in the steep, unforgiving pocket, and he pocketed 9.77 for his troubles, the highest single-wave score of the contest.

John found himself in fourth place and under priority. So of course he muscled through a crumbling barrel that went through the sandbar, then stomped a solid air reverse for good measure. Judges gave John a 9, pushing him to second. Meanwhile, Luke, who’d impressed all event long with clutch rides and sharp turns, left Gums for Backdoor and found a late drop at the end of the heat. It was solid, but the barrel was filled with white-water and chandeliered as he came out the doggy door. A good ride, but not enough to overtake John John. Luke bowed out, but take note of this 19-year-old. He is one to watch on the North Shore and beyond. 

That led to a stacked men’s final: Shion, Eli, Barron and John. Not wanting to repeat the late start from the semis, John struck first with a tube and a layback on a section that looked unkind, at best. Eli, meanwhile, wanted a repeat of his previous heat. So he nailed another huge backside full rotation and followed it up by smacking the end section. An 8.67 and the lead for the young Maui phenom. Having already taken over the lefts, Eli paddled over to the right and greased a lofty alley-oop. Not the biggest ever, but it looked as smooth as can be. 

John put up a fight and nearly stole it at the end. Sitting in fourth and needing 9.27, he found a nice right and threw down an air reverse and a carve. A very well surfed wave aesthetically (and an 8.02), but not enough in this context. Eli, the top surfer on the 2025 Challenger Series and all but a lock to return to the CT in 2026, snatched the win from John, 17.01 to 15.90.  

"It's incredible,” Eli said. “This is my first time winning a Pipe event, and I had probably the gnarliest final you can have in terms of competitors. It doesn't feel real, but I'm stoked. I was just entering this event for some practice and to stay moving, stay consistent in competing with 2026 coming up. And to win was just the ultimate cherry on top."

Perhaps a bittersweet moment for John, who had been the in-form surfer of the event until Eli started going ballistic at Gums. Still, a feel-good moment for him, his family and his brand to support a community showcase at the place that has given them so much.

"I think overall, just sponsoring the event was the highlight for me,” John said. “During the event, it felt cool, but right there, giving awards, it felt more real. It was a mellow crowd with just more of the local crew, and getting an extra day for all the surfers, and having the webcast was really fun too. Then just surfing I felt really relaxed, and unfortunately, it wasn't all-time Pipe, but it was super fun to see Gums firing to end it. We'd love to try and keep this thing going, and just trying to get the extra day so we can get everybody in it."