The reigning king and queen of Hawaii men’s and women’s professional surfing — John John Florence and Carissa Moore — got some help with digital cameras to capture the 2020 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing competition.
Carissa Moore, shacked at Backdoor Pipe during the 2021 season’s opening championship tour event at Ehukai Beach. (Image credit: Cestari, WSL).
In past years since 1983, the men’s champion was the surfer who performed the best in the three season-ending World Surf League contests on the North Shore at Haleiwa, Sunset Beach and Pipeline. But this year, due to COVD-19, only the Pipeline Masters among those three events was held. So, the WSL decided this year to get a boost from digital video cameras. More than 100 surfers were invited to submit their best on-camera waves during a four-week period.
“This was one of my favorite formats to surf in competition,” Florence told the WSL after the announcement came in that he was the winner. “It allowed for so much more freedom, and you’re really going for broke on every single wave. The digital format pushed the level of surfing a lot, and to see all these surfers pushing at that kind of level at Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipe—it was really fun.”
Florence also won the Triple Crown titles in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
Moore, the reigning world champion, made history by becoming the first Triple Crown winner in the newly created female division.
The WSL named the champs at each break as well as the overall series winners. Florence wound up taking the title at all three sports. Moore was tops among women at Haleiwa, with Australia’s Bronte Macauley taking the top spot at Sunset and the North Shore’s Moana Jones Wong winning at Pipeline.
The winners shared in the total purse of $200,000.
Watch the video below for the waves that won the Triple Crowns for Florence and Moore.
Cancellations Mar The WSL’s World Tour
After staring the 2021 world championship tour year with a bang, the WSL canceled its second and third events.
Due to COVID-19 health concerns and a temporary ban on surfing competitions in Hawaii, the WSL canceled the Sunset Pro, which was supposed to happen Jan. 19-28.
In addition, the Santa Cruz Pro, Feb. 2-12, was postponed.
In December, the WSL kicked off the championship tour with the Pipe Masters, which was won by Florence, and the Maui Pro, which was won by Australia’s Tyler Wright.
The next scheduled men’s and women’s championship tour events (after Santa Cruz, if that contest winds up happening) is the Rip Curls Bells Beach in Australia, April 1-11.
Triple Crown of Surfing Champions
>> 2020: John John Florence and Carissa Moore, Hawaii
>> 2019: Kelly Slater, Florida
>> 2018: Jesse Mendes, Brazil
>> 2017: Griffin Colapinto, California
>> 2016: John John Florence, Hawaii
>> 2015: Gabriel Medina, Brazil
>> 2014: Julian Wilson, Australia
>> 2013: John John Florence, Hawaii
>> 2012: Sebastian Zietz, Hawaii
>> 2011: John John Florence, Hawaii
>> 2010: Joel Parkinson, Australia
>> 2009: Joel Parkinson, Australia
>> 2008: Joel Parkinson, Australia
>> 2007: Bede Durbidge, Australia
>> 2006: Andy Irons, Hawaii
>> 2005: Andy Irons, Hawaii
>> 2004: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 2003: Andy Irons, Hawaii
>> 2002: Andy Irons, Hawaii
>> 2001: Myles Padaca, Hawaii
>> 2000: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 1999: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 1998: Kelly Slater, Florida
>> 1997: Michael Rommelse, Australia
>> 1996: Kaipo Jaquias, Hawaii
>> 1995: Kelly Slater, Florida
>> 1994: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 1993: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 1992: Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
>> 1991: Tom Carroll, Australia
>> 1990: Derek Ho, Hawaii
>> 1989: Gary Elkerton, Australia
>> 1988: Derek Ho, Hawaii
>> 1987: Gary Elkerton, Australia
>> 1986: Derek Ho, Hawaii
>> 1985: Michael Ho, Hawaii
>> 1984: Derek Ho, Hawaii
>> 1983: Michael Ho, Hawaii
