Photo Essay: Behind the Scenes at the 2023 Vans Pipe Masters

One of the most unique perks of being a magazine editor is having the opportunity to attend culture-defining events as a relative outsider. Think, “the Super Bowl of X,” with X being some activity or niche interest that most have only the slightest knowledge of, yet the ones that do know dream of and live for it. I’ve traveled to the Isle of Mann to cover the first ever electric motorcycle race on the world famous and deadly TT course. I’ve swapped bibs and attempted a US championship cyclocross race (it did not go well). I’ve sat front row at Iceland’s Fashion Week. And as of this month, went behind the scenes at the Vans Pipe Masters, where 60 of the world’s best surfers paddled out at the world’s deadliest wave for a piece of $500,000 in cash prizes—and eternal glory.

The common thread across these moments and so many more is a welcoming community of diehard enthusiasts—and a major sponsoring brand looking to shine a brighter light on their flagship event. Armed with some thorough research, just enough lingo to talk the talk, and enough cameras to let everyone know I’m there for a reason, I make my way around the event area (be it paddock, convention center, or beach) searching for familiar faces, the perfect portrait, the overheard quote to put it all in perspective.

Except this time around, I’m not totally an outsider—I do surf, sort of. And this wasn’t my first time attending this specific event, sort of. Last year I traveled to the North Shore of Oahu for the 2022 Vans Pipe Masters only for Mother Nature (and/or Poseidon, depending on who you ask) to not cooperate. Zero swell. No waves. Along with a handful of other media I spent a full eight days on the island waiting for the contest to run—and it only did the day after I left. In a way, it offered the perfect backdrop for the 2023 competition—which delivered huge, heavy, heaving waves one after the other from the moment I touched down from New York.

Source: https://fieldmag.herokuapp.com/articles/2023-vans-pipe-masters-bts-photography