His first name is pronounced like bead.

As in the kind of jewels you might find in a crown.

And now, Bede Durbidge will have his name forever etched on the elite lists of Triple Crown and Pipeline Masters winners.

"People still get my name wrong all the time," he said.

Durbidge was the name to remember yesterday, when he won the Billabong Pipeline Masters men's surfing contest, and clinched the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing championship in the process.

He is the first Australian in 10 years to win the Triple Crown title, and first in nine years to win the Pipeline Masters.

"The best win of my career, for sure," said Durbidge, who is 24 and from Currumbin, Australia. "The world title would be awesome, but this is the greatest moment of my life for competitive surfing."

But it wasn't the greatest day in the 37-year history of the Pipeline Masters.

The final day of the contest was run in small wave-face heights of 2 to 6 feet. Most of the heats were held at a spot called "Off The Wall" because the waves were so inconsistent at the famous Banzai Pipeline break. The Off The Wall break is about 100 yards away from Pipeline.

"It wasn't what everybody thought we'd be surfing — not 8-foot barrels," Durbidge said. "But that's what happens when Mother Nature doesn't deliver. We have to surf in all conditions and adapt to whatever the waves bring."

Despite the small waves, Durbidge put up big scores. He won the four-man final with a two-wave score of 16.67.

He clinched the victory early the 35-minute final when he received a near-perfect 9.5 (out of 10) for completing a series of textbook carving maneuvers.

The other three finalists all paddled for that same wave, but Durbidge sat away from them and wound up getting it.

Sunset Beach's Pancho Sullivan, who ended up in third place, said of that wave: "We hassled each other out of it and luckily Bede wasn't hassling anyone. He just sat a little wider and ended up getting a good wave."

Two other Australians made the final — Dean Morrison placed second, and Joel Parkinson was fourth.

The contest was run yesterday because it is predicted to be even smaller through Thursday. The final had to be completed by Thursday.

"With the limited amount of time in the waiting period and nothing else in the forecast, we had to go," Sullivan said. "It was OK. The level of surfing was still really high."

Sullivan was the only Hawai'i surfer to reach the quarterfinals.

Among the Hawai'i surfers eliminated earlier in the day were two-time defending Pipeline Masters champion Andy Irons, his brother Bruce Irons and Fred Patacchia Jr.

The top finisher among the 16 invited "Pipeline Specialists" was Maui's Ian Walsh, who tied for ninth.

"You don't want to take the accolade away from anybody who's earned it," he said. "But it definitely wasn't a Pipeline Masters."

In any case, Durbidge proved he could surf in big waves earlier in the Triple Crown series.

He placed second in the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach, and ninth in the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. Both of those contests were run in treacherous surf.

The Triple Crown championship is awarded to the best overall performer in the three contests. The last Australian to win it was Michael Rommelse in 1997.

Durbidge's victories capped a solid year for the Australians. Mick Fanning won the men's world title, and Stephanie Gilmore took the women's world title.

"Aussies got everything," said Durbidge, who finished the year No. 5 in the world.

Durbidge also received a nice payoff — $30,000 for winning the Pipeline Masters, and a new Chevy Truck and a Nixon watch valued at $10,000 for winning the Triple Crown.

It also came at a perfect time. He is scheduled to get married in February.

On another note, Hawai'i surfers Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Sullivan and Patacchia all requalified for the 2008 World Championship Tour.

BILLABONG PIPELINE MASTERS

1, Bede Durbidge (Australia), $30,000. 2, Dean Morrison (Australia), $18,000. 3, Pancho Sullivan (Hawai'i), $13,000. 4, Joel Parkinson (Australia), $11,000. 5 (tie), C.J. Hobgood (Florida), Adrian Buchan (Australia), Chris Ward (California) and Taj Burrow (Australia), $9,000 each. 9 (tie), T.J. Barron (Hawai'i), Luke Stedman (Australia), Ian Walsh (Hawai'i), Jeremy Flores (France), Dayyan Neve (Australia), Kelly Slater (Florida), Neco Padaratz (Brazil) and Fred Patacchia Jr. (Hawai'i), $6,000 each.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR

2007 FINAL STANDINGS

1, Mick Fanning (Australia). 2, Taj Burrow (Australia). 3, Kelly Slater (Florida). 4, Joel Parkinson (Australia). 5, Bede Durbidge (Australia). 6, Andy Irons (Hawai'i). 7, Pancho Sullivan (Hawai'i). 8, Jeremy Flores (France). 9, Dean Morrison (Australia). 10, Bobby Martinez (California). Also: 23, Fred Patacchia Jr. (Hawai'i. 24, Bruce Irons (Hawai'i).

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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