Surfing: Robbo and Robson flying in an ocean of barrels and butterflies

With the Olympics on the horizons, Jack Robinson beat Kelly Slater in conditions that will match those faced by gold medal hopefuls.

Callum Robson, left, on the same wave as three-time WSL Champion Gabriel Medina Picture: Brent Bielmann/World Surf League

There’s a whiteboard at the back of the judging tower at Banzai Pipeline. Someone always scribbles on it the forecast for the day. This one suggested Pipe would be 10-foot and calm. Not sure about that. Ten-foot Pipe has never seemed especially calm.

Then again, I’m not Jack Robinson. Western Australia’s Olympic gold medal prospect began his World Surf League campaign on Wednesday by nonchalantly knocking off Kelly Slater with neither fuss nor bother at the Pipe Pro, which is akin to knocking off Novak Djokovic with neither fuss nor bother at Rod Laver Arena, which is up there with knocking off the All Blacks with neither fuss nor bother at Eden Park — those were the days! — as a bruising and distinctly not-calm swell hit the North Shore of Oahu.

Robinson is a gentle, sensitive and deep-thinking guy who meditated on the sand, paddled out and went gliding across formidable waves like they were tiddlers in kiddies corner.

His first wave of the season was a doozy. A perfectly steep drop … he ran his fingertips across a glossy, glassy face … he soul-arched into a quick double-overhead barrel … shot up and out of the close-out like he was flying to the moon … as the defending Pipe champion posted 12.27 points to trump Slater (11.67) and Rio Waida (1.7).

Jack Robinson surfs against Kelly Slater Picture: Brent Bielmann/World Surf League

Asked to explain his affinity with Pipe, Robinson said: “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know if there’s a how-to for Pipeline. I was just all fired up for that heat.

“Like, me and Kelly … I had all the butterflies before the heat. I was just trying to let them fly.

“It was the first heat for the year, the first day of the season, a first everything. It’s good to be back. You’ve just got to embrace the butterflies.”

Robinson is in Hawaii with his wife Julia and his toddler son Zen.

The kid is especially relaxed if he’s any more chilled than his old man. Robinson grew up riding the throaty, deadly dangerous waves of Margaret River in WA, which is why he can treat 10-foot Pipe like it’s deliciously calm.

Ditto for the life-threatening reef at Teahupoo in Tahiti, where Robinson, Ethan Ewing, Tyler Wright and Molly Picklum will represent Australia at this year’s Olympics. All of them are gold medal prospects.

“I’ve got my whole family here, my baby, I’ve got to enjoy every moment, right?” Robinson said.

Jack Robinson meditates before his heat against Kelly Slater Picture: World Surf League

“All the little things in life that are good – I’m so happy and enjoying them. So even if I get a bit nervous or anxious in these waves, I’ve still got to enjoy it, because I have everyone here. It’s the best thing in the world. It’s interesting.

It’s just another level of life. I feel like I’ve got an extra purpose. You can’t really tell anyone how it feels. You’ve just got to do it. But I’ve got that feeling right now.”

Ten-foot and calm, eh! Boards were broken, leg ropes snapped, accomplished boardriders were wiped out.

Slater was held under so long you feared that the 11-time world champion had been wiped out for good.

On a full day of men’s heats, NSW’s Callum Robson (13.67) was another standout, knocking off Brazil’s three-time world champion Gabriel Medina (12.33) and Deivid Silva (4.64) with neither fuss nor bother, catching the wave of the day, a nine-pointer that he described in fantastically breathless detail.

“I was fired up,” Robson said. “I went looking for the waves with a bit more girth. I moved a little bit deeper and got one that had a good draw. I needed to get a pump going, so I sort of let go.

But when I let go I thought oh my god, I might be falling. I got back on the foamball and it kind of lifted me up and then it was spat and I was like, please, please, please! It dropped me back down and let me out and I was like, that felt good, that’s going to be a good score!”