Carissa Moore Makes It Three Straight In Australia
Carissa Moore (left) and Stephanie Gilmore hoist their firstand second-place trophies at Bells Beach, Australia. World Surfing League photo.
North Shore Surf News…
Aloha surfers and beach-goers,
Last week flew by, and when it did, we saw our very own Carissa Moore soar into history at Bells Beach in Australia, ringing the famous Trophy Bell April 10 for the third consecutive year.
No one has ever accomplished such a feat. The wave at Bells is super complicated, with a broad playing field very sensitive to tides. It reminds you of Sunset Beach — a spot you never totally wire.
A lot of luck is involved, no matter how good you are. To consistently harness such seemingly uncontrollable forces is rare.
The win places Carissa in the “best ever at Bells” conversation. When you think of the history of the longest-running contest in surfing history (54 years), it really grabs you. This is a huge honor for the young prodigy from Oahu.
Carissa also has won the first two contests on the World Surfing League Tour 2015, putting her in a good position to win her third world title. She won both events by having to beat another prodigy, Stephanie Gilmore. The current world champ, Gilmore has six world titles and three Bells victories, just not consecutively.
Gilmore won her first four world titles in her first four years on tour. That’s a record not even Kelly Slater has (and he has most of them). This makes Carissa’s victory even more special.
The rivalry between Moore and Gilmore is the best on the world tour, and they have been up against each other 21 times now, with Carissa going one up at Bells.
Carissa is not one to miss out on the big picture.
“It’s such an honor,” she said. “I love coming down here, and it’s such a magical place. It’s just been such a beautiful experience, and I feel super blessed. It’s challenging not only to regroup after a win, but you’re also competing against the best in the world, so you really have to be in tip-top shape. I’m just stoked I got to continue my momentum here.”
The world tour is a marathon, not a sprint, and she is very aware of the challenges ahead.
“It’s a long year; there have only been two contests so far, and I know that all of the girls are fired up and they want it really bad. Everyone is going to be surfing their best. I’m just living in the moment.”
The Waves
The northwest swells have come back to life with a winter-caliber swell with beautiful size and conditions. I spoke of this last week, and sure enough, it’s cranking. At this stage of the spring season, we know these high surf advisory waves will become more rare. So catch it while you can!
When you get this week’s surf column, we should see the south-by-southwest swells dominate town. Such conditions will increase in frequency and size for the entire Leeward side as we near summer. And the country will see waves this week starting April 21 — everyone will have room to move!
Lastly, thanks to everyone who came out to support the Haleiwa Outrigger Annual Fundraiser Celebration and silent auction and raffle April 10 at Surfer, The Bar at Turtle Bay Resort.
Happy surfing and see you here in the Islander lineup next week.
Mahalo and Aloha!
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com
