Australian surfer Molly Picklum has become the first woman to get a perfect 10 at the famous Pipeline break, but fell to American Caity Simmers in the final of the Pipe Pro in Hawaii.

The 21-year-old nailed the first perfect score of her career in a semifinal win over local Bettylou Sakura Johnson, which was widely rated as one of the best-ever women's heats on the Championship Tour.

"I feel like for me personally, there's no more fitting place than Pipe to give me my first 10," the NSW surfer said.

"I'm just so, so happy — 10 points, it's hard to come by.

"With the wave I was just like, 'I need a score and I know she's capable of a 10', so I just took off and I just thought it's got some draw to it and I may as well roll the dice and try.

"But 10 points, I love it, I want more."

West Australian surfer Flick Palmateer said it was a jaw-dropping ride.

"This was absolutely insane. Wow," Palmateer said in commentary.

"That was so, so, so technical and so hard to do; it was just so beautiful to watch."

Picklum was unable to back up her perfect performance in the decider, with 18-year-old Simmers continuing her dominance over the NSW surfer, with their head-to-head record now 4-0 in the Californian's favour.

Picklum, who will represent Australia at this year's Olympics, posted the top score in the final, opening with a 9.27 and only needed 3.39 to regain the lead with plenty of time left on the clock.

But after dialling up barrels all competition, Picklum, who won the Pipe Masters Invitational in 2022, could not find the winning wave, with her tally of 10.64 short of Simmers's 12.66.

With Johnson also only 18 years old and with the likes of eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and Hawaiian great Carissa Moore taking the year off, it marked a shift to the new generation.