The times are changing in pro surfing, and Soli Baley proved he might be the next big thing on the competitive scene.
The Indigenous Australian secured the most important title of his career after beating the 2015 World Surf League champion, Adriano de Souza, the talented Californian Griffin Colapinto, and the Pipeline expert Bruce Irons.
However, the 21-year-old surfer from Byron Bay didn't have an easy job. At a certain stage, Bailey was caught inside, broke his leash, and was forced to swap boards. But Pipeline had a gift for the young gun.
With nine minutes on the clock, Soli sees a solid opportunity, drops in, and rides the highest single-wave score of the final - a precious 7.33 - that would award him the Volcom Pipe Pro trophy. Bailey is the first Australian to ever win the event.
"This is definitely the biggest win of my career. There have been a few tough losses last year and what not, and I think I've just learned from them and to come here and stay cool, calm and collected right through the final then take it out is just," expressed Soli Bailey.
"It's a dream come true and one step closer to where I want to be. It's pretty surreal right now. All I know is something amazing just happened, and there were some great waves ridden, and I'm just super, super stoked right now. It's a dream come true and one step closer to where I want to be."
One last for the organization of the event: there was a clear lack of coordination between World Surf League (WSL), Volcom, and Red Bull. There were no media alerts, and it was obvious that a third-party broadcast by Red Bull caused discomfort in the WSL camp.
2017 Volcom Pipe Pro | Final
1. Soli Bailey (AUS) 13.26
2. Adriano De Souza (BRA) 8.43
3. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 3.90
4. Bruce Irons (HAW) 3.66