It was a moment that made the surf world collectively stop, a near drowning at one of the world’s heaviest waves.
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The Billabong Pipe Masters had just wrapped up, 11-time world champion Kelly Slater on the stage accepting his Triple Crown of Surfing award at the North Shore beach in Hawaii.
Slater and everyone else on the beach paused as the rescue unfolded: rescuers pulling a lifeless teen, 14-year-old Hayden Rodgers, out of the water.
The tangle with the reef at the heavy barrel left Rodgers — already a national surf champion at his young age with big surf sponsors — with a concussion and brain injury, a wipeout classified as a “non-fatal drowning.”
The life-changing injury left him with a lot of work to do to get back on his path to living his dream as a pro surfer.
On Friday, Sept. 11, Rodgers, now 20, officially made it onto the big stage, the elite World Tour, as the Lexus Trestles Pro kicked off just south of San Clemente. And while his journey was cut short Friday after earning a score just 0.07 shy of his opponent in the first-day heat, Hawaiian surfer Eli Hanneman, Rodgers was soaking in the moment and walked away with a smile.
“I was just really stoked to get that experience, to see what it’s like to do a (Championship Tour) event,” said Rodgers, who earned his spot during the San Clemente Board Riders trials a day earlier. “It’s all a plus for me, nothing to lose, something to gain. I’m just fired up and grateful for the whole experience.”
Rodgers talked about the hard work it’s taken through the years to continue the goal of becoming one of the world’s best surfers.
“I ended up getting crazy pains in my knee and back for years,” he said. “I’ve just been working hard to get my body healthy and get back, learning the whole (competition) strategy. It’s been a super fun journey, just learning and getting better.”
Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. He’s made it to the Challenger Series, the feeder system into the World Tour, and is coming off of a third-place finish at the US Open of Surfing, a massive result.
“I’m just psyched for all the experience I’ve been getting and building up that momentum — the confidence from the US Open of Surfing result and starting to feel like I belong,” he said.
Hanneman, who posted a total score of 9.73 over Rodgers’ 9.67 two-wave score, said he knew it wasn’t going to be an easy heat.
“Hayden has always been very talented. He’s really grown into a good competitor and a great surfer,” Hanneman said. “He has tons of tricks in the bag, I knew it was going to be a challenge to beat him.”
Conditions were challenging for the opening day, prompting organizers to put the event on hold after their heat, the second of the morning. While a swell brought 4-to-6 foot waves to Lower Trestles, the wind whipped up, making for junky conditions.
“I was trying to be positive. You get to surf an event at Lowers, there’s all this excitement and hype and it doesn’t look like true Lowers,” Hanneman said. “It’s always a challenge to get expectations out of your mind and if they say we are going, there’s nothing you can do about it. So it’s just important to stay positive and keep the excitement, no matter what the conditions.”
And, he said, “It always feels good to get that first heat over with.”
Fans watch the action during the first-round of surfing at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans watch the action during the first-round of surfing at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fans watch the action during the first-round of surfing at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Eli Hanneman won his first-round heat at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Matthew McGillivray lost his first-round heat against Luke Thompson at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A surfer comes out of the water at Lower Trestles as the morning haze lifts south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Hayden Rodgers lost to Eli Hanneman by 0.06 points in their first-round matchup at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Luke Thompson won his first-round heat at the Trestles Pro south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A surfer comes out of the water at Lower Trestles as the morning haze lifts south of San Clemente on Friday, September 11, 2026. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Surf fan Joshua Ortega, who flew in from Florida for the event, didn’t seem to mind the delay, finding a spot on the sand to soak in the sights.
“That’s OK, it happens,” he said. “It doesn’t matter, I’m here for the atmosphere, and it’s just fun.”
He regularly makes a vacation out of the World Tour stops, going to Hawaii and following the tour to Portugal in past years. He hopes, he said, to get a front-row seat to watch Brazilian Gabriel Medina and local favorite Griffin Colapinto in the coming days.
When the event returns, San Clemente competitor Taj Lindblad, a wildcard entry, will take to the water against Brazil’s Mateus Herdy.
When the women take to the water, eight-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore faces Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy.
San Clemente’s Bella Kenworthy goes up against fellow San Clemente resident Caroline Marks.
The Trestles Pro has a competition window through Sept. 20, with the World Surf League organizers making the call each day on whether the conditions are right.
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