8 Best Tube Riders of all Time
Cover image: ©Yosef Ariel on Unsplash
Tube riding, aka getting barreled is every surfer's dream. As one of the most technical maneuvers of the sport, it requires the combination of incredible skill and the proper wave. Only those with lots of experience are able to master this epic move time and time again. Those who possess the talent of tucking into the deepest, most hollow tubes earn world recognition. Here are some of the best tube riders of all time.
Gerry Lopez
Gerry Lopez, also known as Mr. Pipeline, was born in Honolulu, Oahu in 1948 and grew up surfing the reef breaks of Aina Haina and Eastern Honolulu. An avid and talented surfer, he won the title of Hawaii State Champ at age 14. On the North Shore in the 1970s, he pioneered surfboard designs (the classic Gerry Lopez lightning bolt) that brought a new way to ride the crazy left-breaking barrels at Banzai Pipeline. Today, the surf legend resides in Bend, Oregon, and surfing the snowy peaks of Mt. Bachelor.
Mark Richards
Mark Richards is a surfing legend known for his style, surfboard shapes, and being part of the group that made surfing a Pro Sport. Finding fame in the late 1970s on the North Shore of Oahu, he quickly became one of the most recognizable talents of the sport, riding incredible waves and tubes at Back Door. His radical approach to surfing changed the industry forever.
Laird Hamilton
As a pioneer in the sport of Tow Surfing and named the best big wave surfer of all time, Laird Hamilton is an iconic figure in surfing history. His most famous tube is a massive 20 ft monster at Teahupo'o, deemed the millennium wave.
Andy Irons
Winner of three world titles and the only surfer to win a title at every event on the ASP Calander, Andy Irons was one of the sport's most accomplished, and legendary surfers. Growing up, he and his brother, Bruce, surfed in Kaui and Oahu, and both found themselves on the world tour. To this day, Andy's style and talent are looked up upon by surfers around the world.
Kelly Slater
You don't win 11 World Championships without incredible tube riding abilities. Kelly Slater is the most famous surfer in the world and is deemed by many as the best surfer of all time. His long and successful career has seen countless competitions, TV acting, his famous wave pool, and clothing brand focused on sustainability.
Layne Beachley
One of surfing's most influential and breakthrough woman surfers, Australian-born Layne Beachley has won the World Championship 7 times, is the only male or female to win 6 consecutive world titles. and is an accomplished Big Wave Surfer. She has been inducted into both the Australian and US surfing halls of fame for her incredible career and big wave surfing accomplishments and paved the way for professional female surfers today.
Derek Ho
Derek Ho was the first Native Hawaiian surfer to win a World Championship, beating out all-time champion surfer Kelly Slater and prior world champ Martin “Pottz” Potter. Derek Ho was brother to Michael Ho, cousin of entertainer Don Ho, and uncle to Pro Surfers Mason Ho and Coco Ho. His skill and talent showed in his superb tube-riding abilities often seen at Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore. He was a regular in the line-up, charging some of the winter's heaviest swells until his passing in July of 2020.
Jamie O'Brien
If you aren’t familiar with the king of Pipeline, Mr. JOB himself, then you are probably on the wrong site. Just in case, Jamie O’Brien is a pipeline legend who grew up on the North Shore of Oahu. With some of the world's most famous waves in his backyard, he mastered the art of tube riding and has pushed a soft-top board to limits no one thought was possible. His incredible talents and videos bring psych to everyone that watches.
Want to learn more about tube riding? For advice from the best surf coach of tube riding, check out the Jamie O’Brien Surf App here.
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