The Billabong Pipeline Masters, held at Ehukai Beach on the North Shore of Oahu, is the final event in the men's World Championship Tour and the biggest event in world surfing. Fittingly, it all takes place on the world's most famous and revered waves at the Banzai Pipeline.The Banzai Pipeline is a formidable tubed surfing break formed by the huge winter swells of the open ocean and driven south by the storm winds of the Aleutian Islands. It gained its name in the 1950s when famed surf cinematographer Bruce Brown screamed "Banzai" on witnessing a surfer commence his descent of a vicious wave.

Competitive surfing is organised by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) along a two-tier system. The highest level is the World Championship Tour (WCT), where the top men and women compete for the crown of World Champion throughout the year. Each leg has a prize pot of US$320,000.