But those events have been the visible tip of a complicated iceberg. Even for the world’s best women,a pro event – when the public are cleared out of the break - is virtually their only chance to score a wave,any wave,at Pipeline.
Women surfers have faced a catch-22 at this wave. A victim of its fame,Pipeline suffers from being both a dangerous break and a global surf magnet. As a result,it is usually packed with dozens of surfers climbing over each other to get into a small,critical takeoff zone. The competitive aggression doesn’t single out women – it militates against anyone who isn’t combative,powerful,skilled and up for the jostle – but this has effectively shut women out.
“It’s annoying,frankly,it’s dangerous,” Wright says.
“I get over it,but when it comes to physically matching them… I don’t want to fight ten guys. It’s obviously a f---ing sausage fest. That’s fine,it is what it is,but at times it’s annoying.”
Because women were not able to get sufficient practice at the break,it was deemed too dangerous for them to compete there. And because they were not visible in Pipeline contests,they were deemed unable to handle the wave. The paddling speed and courage necessary to get into position for vertical takeoffs over a shallow reef were believed to be male attributes,a belief reinforced and policed by male surfers.
“Honestly,we can catch the waves,” says Wright,who has proved her point conclusively in competition. “It’s just that we don’t get the practice competing with 150 guys.”
She estimates on a typical day,of 150 surfers in the lineup,‘two or three’ will be women or girls.
Wright,who grew up surfing her share of large and sometimes dangerous waves on the New South Wales south coast before travelling the world as a professional,concedes that Pipeline “is one of the gnarliest waves in the world for a reason”.
“It’s the most competitive lineup,it’s a gnarly slab,there are lots of different angles. It’s a unique wave,” he says.
Which should mean practice is essential. But Wright has little appetite for “sitting out there for a couple of hours and not catching anything”.
The suggestion that male surfers would recognise a world champion and give her a wave draws an ironic chuckle. The option,for the desperate,is to seek out sketchier and more marginal positions to take off.
“I don’t do that because I’m not willing to risk that,” Wright says.
“The more people out there,you’re not sitting in the spot you want to be in. You can’t sit in the right spot because it’s so competitive you’ll never get a wave. It is dangerous. I respect the people who put in the time here. I’m sure they see every kook in the world come here and try and surf it. There are always people out there who shouldn’t be out there. That’s dangerous,they’re jeopardising our lives.
“That’s why I understand that it’s important to have a heavy and respectful local presence. It’s not us that have to worry about it,it’s the local lifeguards that have to pull those guys out. Some people just shouldn’t go out.”
Of those who shouldn’t,nearly all also are men,taking on a wave beyond their capabilities – because that’s what men do. Pipeline can be a dangerous proposition even for the best,however:in 2015,for example,Wright’s older brother Owen suffered a traumatic brain injury after wiping out at Pipeline. After needing a year out to learn to talk and walk again,Owen returned to his best,winning world tour events in Queensland and Tahiti and a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics.
Has Owen given Tyler any advice about surfing Pipe? With a laugh she replies,“My brother got seriously hurt here. I don’t look for advice from anyone.”
Women’s professional surfing has decades of history behind it,but Wright sees this week’s breakthrough at Pipeline as an investment for the future.
“It’s not so much for us now as for ten years down the track,those 13-year-old girls out there… We’re still in the pioneering stage,but we have equality and equity[of prizemoney] in our sport,and that eventually carries throughout all lineups,” Wright says.
“That’s why it’s so important to have representation in this lineup. Women have been seen as not being good enough to have a clean shot at this wave…. The more we can help each other up from here,the more support we give each other,the more it’s seen,the more it can be embraced for the younger ones in the future.”
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Wright won the 2020 event at Pipe with two right-hand rides,taking the less orthodox ‘backdoor’ section. Between those two waves,there was a long wait,offering time to reflect on the good fortune of having the break with just one other surfer.
It was a ‘privilege’,Wright says.
“I’m completely content to go out there and sit in an empty lineup and take it all in. I’m a competitor so I’ll do my absolute best,but I feel zero pressure. I’ve been around a few years and I’m happy with what I’ve done.”
Including,now,taking women’s sport across its most hostile frontier.