Triple Crown of Surfing: Andy Irons won four titles | Photo: ASP/Cestari

The Triple Crown of Surfing is surfing's most prestigious specialty event series and the most important title in professional surfing after the Championship Tour (CT) title.

The competition is held every year during the Hawaiian midwinter season on the North Shore of Oahu, often crowning world champions and deciding next year's elite surfing club.

The Hawaiian contest series was created in 1983 when the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) management removed the North Shore events from the World Tour calendar after a rupture with the local organizers.

In response to the decision, Fred Hemmings decided to create a competition featuring three local events - the World Cup of Surfing, the Duke Kahanamoku Classic (later changed to Hawaiian Pro), and the Pipeline Masters.

The ASP didn't like the move and prohibited their surfers from competing in the Hawaiian surfing series.

Some of the top local athletes ignored the ASP and entered the inaugural Triple Crown of Surfing.

Since then, the contest has grown exponentially and become an acclaimed phenomenon in the surfing world.

Joel Parkinson: in 2008, he scored a Perfect 20 heat at the Pipeline Masters | Photo: WSL

Today, the contest gets underway in three reputable venues - Haleiwa, Sunset Beach, and Banzai.

They are perhaps the most famous surf breaks of the so-called Seven Mile Miracle.

Let's take a look at some curious facts about the Triple Crown of Surfing:

1. The Triple Crown of Surfing was run for the first time in 1983. The goal of the competition is to test surfers' abilities in three challenging, world-class waves;

2. Fred Hemmings, the co-founder of the Hawaiian competition, stepped away from the management team to pursue a career in politics;

3. In 2015, Randy Rarick, the other co-founder of the Triple Crown of Surfing, also announced his full retirement from professional surfing activities;

4. The three-event series is held from November 12 through December 20;

5. The Triple Crown of Surfing also incorporates a local qualifying event - the HIC Pro - that awards nine local surfers a ticket into the main event;

Triple Crown of Surfing: the most prestigious specialty event series in surfing | Photo: WSL

6. The opening day of the Triple Crown of Surfing begins with a traditional Hawaiian ceremony;

7. Generally, the winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing is the most well-rounded performer of all three contests;

8. The Triple Crown of Surfing closes the pro surfing season for both the Qualifying Series (QS) and Championship Tour (CT);

9. Michael Ho, representing Hawaii, won the inaugural edition of the Triple Crown of Surfing. He won the World Cup of Surfing and placed high on the leaderboard at Pipeline and Sunset Beach;

10. In 1997, a women's division was added to the Hawaiian surfing competition, but the lack of sponsorship would later prevent female surfers from showcasing their skills in waves of consequence;

11. Michael Rommelse competed on the ASP World Tour for a decade. He had never won an elite event, but on the year of his retirement - 1997 - Rommelse clinched the World Cup of Surfing and took the overall title;

12. The first-ever "Clash of the Legends" was held during the 2010 Reef Hawaiian Pro and featured Tom Curren, Mark "Occy" Occhilupo, Sunny Garcia, and Tom Carroll;

13. In 2011, John became the youngest surfer ever to win the Triple Crown of Surfing;

Sunny Garcia: he has six Triple Crown of Surfing titles under his belt | Photo: Masurel/WSL

14. In 2014, the ASP acquired the Triple Crown of Surfing via ZoSea. Today, the event is part of the World Surf League (WSL);

15. Do you plan to watch the Triple Crown of Surfing on-site? Remember that smoking on the beach is not well-seen, and umbrellas are not welcome, either.

16. If you stop on Kamehameha Highway to watch the World Cup of Surfing, you will be towed, fined, or both;

17. The Triple Crown of Surfing reaches over 200 million homes worldwide;

18. Only surfers flying the flags of Hawaii, the United States, Brazil, and Australia have won the Triple Crown of Surfing;

19. Kaipo Jaquias was the first surfer from a neighboring island to conquer the Triple Crown of Surfing;

20. Sunny Garcia is the only surfer to have won six Triple Crown of Surfing titles;

21. Garcia (1992, 1993, 1994) and Joel Parkinson (2008, 2009, 2010) are the only surfers ever to win three consecutive Triple Crown of Surfing titles;

22. In 2008, Parkinson became the first surfer to surf a perfect heat - 20 points out of 20 total points possible - in the Pipeline Masters;

23. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization ran the Digital Triple Crown of Surfing. John John Florence and Carissa Moore claimed the video competition;

Triple Crown of Surfing: the Hawaiian event series takes place in the Seven Mile Miracle | Photo: Heff/WSL

Triple Crown of Surfing | The Champions

  • Sunny Garcia (1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2004)
  • Andy Irons (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
  • John John Florence (2011, 2013, 2016, 2020/2021)
  • Joel Parkinson (2008, 2009, 2010)
  • Derek Ho (1984, 1986, 1988, 1990)
  • Kelly Slater (1995, 1998, 2019)
  • Gary Elkerton (1987, 1989)
  • Michael Ho (1983, 1985)
  • Jesse Mendes (2018)
  • Griffin Colapinto (2017)
  • Gabriel Medina (2015)
  • Julian Wilson (2014)
  • Sebastian Zietz (2012)
  • Bede Durbidge (2007)
  • Myles Padaca (2001)
  • Mike Rommelse (1997)
  • Kaipo Jaquias (1996)
  • Tom Carroll (1991)
  • Carissa Moore (2020/2021, 2023)
  • Finnegan McGill (2023)

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