VIDEO: Jamie O’Brien Replaces Kelly Slater at Perfect Pipeline Surf Contest

The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout isn’t your typical surf contest.

It’s a team event, as opposed to the usual every-surfer-for-themselves format; it’s put on by Hawaiians for Hawaiians; and it only runs during the best conditions at Pipeline, maximizing entertainment for viewers, and permitting no crowds for competitors.

For the surfers, it's an honor to compete in this event. Plus, they get to surf perfect Pipe without the everyday throngs of people in the water.

For this year’s event, which is still underway, North Shore native Jamie O’Brien got the call to replace Kelly Slater on Team “A New Earth Project.” He joined Carissa Moore, Koa Smith, Shayden Pacarro, and Matahi Drollet.

To nobody’s surprise, JOB was a good addition. But of course, the YouTube megastar had to make a video about surfing in the event, which you can watch above.

And below, check out one of JOB’s waves, which pays homage to Slater:

“I actually took off no hands,” JOB said. “I was kind of remembering that one Kelly had. It was probably a little smaller, but uh, sorry Kelly. Thanks for your spot I appreciate you. I just went no hands all the way through. Psyched I came out of it. I was like, ‘is this a bad idea to let go of the whole thing?’ Two epic waves. Psyched to be in the event.”

There’s still one round of competition left in this year’s Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, and the competition window runs through January 16th; stay tuned.

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