Watch: World Champions Collide, CT Returners Start Redemption Year In Form | POST SHOW Day 1

Opening day of the 2023 CT season saw Gabriel Medina and John John Florence return to surfing’s highest level, Kelly Slater start his event title defense, plus Joao Chianca, Ezekiel Lau, and Ryan Callinan all kicked off their respective seasons back on Tour. As the epicenter of the surf universe and the birthplace of the sport, it’s only right for Pipeline to kick off the Championship Tour. Everyone enters the season with equal hopes of winning it all. The rookie class is thrown into the fire, the contenders return with one thing on their minds, and the surf world begins to follow the road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals. Pipeline sets the tone.