Page 8 - MidWeek West - Mar 16, 2022

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MARCH 16, 2022
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
Are you ready for spring? It starts Sunday, March 20 in case you have yet to stop and smell the ros- es. The surf has yet to stop as well — though the extra large swells have seemingly halted their epic 2022 run.
BY GARY KEWLEY
Kaua‘i’s Tatiana Weston-Webb Just Keeps Improving
ly one of the heaviest, most dangerous and challenging sand bars in the world. At low tide it looks a bit like Pipeline, only with 60-de- gree water and 55-degree air during dawn patrols. The tides can fluctuate 10 feet and waves breaking can shift within a single heat. Plus, the water color is not quite as clear and pretty blue-green like we have it in paradise. The powerful Por- tugal waves stir up the hard sandy bottom to give it some granular grays, dark browns and semi greens, and zero visibility. Our best wave warriors then go out and surf better than anyone on earth. We have two winners who did just that at the Meo Pro.
Ladies first — I hope it’s still OK to say this. Born in Brazil but raised on the North Shore of Kaua‘i is
Yes, the northwest swells should continue easing un- til next fall/winter and the new south swells of summer should slowly increase. It’s becoming time to bust out the high performance long and short boards and phase out the rhino chasers.
Weston-Webb joined the WCT way back in 2015 and has been a 5-foot and 4-inch, 127-pound “gnarly” fixture ever since. In fact, she just keeps improving — finish- ing No. 2 in the world be- hind Carissa Moore last year. Now, she wants to do one better, and is off to a pret- ty good start. Her first two Hawai‘i events were equal ninth — not what you’d ex- pect in her “hometown,” but we have a ways to go with eight more contests through September.
“I’m just so grateful. God always has a plan and I just trusted in Him,” Weston- Webb shares in an inspi- rational message after her huge victory.
Now check this out — It was five years ago in 2017 that he became the first Cali- fornian ever to win the pres- tigious Vans Triple Crown, at 17 years young. Though the start to his 2022 campaign was poor with 17th place finishes at both the Billa- bong Pipe and Hurley Sun- set Beach, the results didn’t and still don’t make sense. Colapinto rips in Hawai‘i. But alas, he never gave up. He stayed the course and let the tides change, and the new swells roll in, and ev- erything changed around.
The next two learning’ stops are No. 4 and No. 5 out of 11. Both are in the land down under for the Rip Curl Bells Beach April 10-20, and then the Mar- garet River Pro April 24- May. It’s an epic tour, and you are epic for sharing the ride here in MidWeek’s West O‘ahu Voice. Mahalo and aloha.
The World Championship Tour just completed stop No. 3 on March 7. This was the first cold-water contest — af- ter Pipe and Sunset Beach — at the insanely hollow Super- tubos in Peniche, Portugal.
Weston-Webb is now up in the fourth slot behind No. 1 Brisa Henessey, No. 2 Carissa Moore and No. 3. Malia Manuel. They’re all
“Honestly, I just had so much fun out there! Lakey and I had such a great battle back and forth. I was really stoked just to be out there. I think I can do anything I put my mind to. That’s the beau- ty of surfing and the beauty of just trusting and believing in yourself, if you have that mental ability to just over- come those obstacles that put you down.”
“It’s crazy after the first two events. I didn’t make it past round three and it was
GQ, droppin in 4 U!
This beach break is easi-
Will the best man stand? Winning one for San Clem-
gary@sufnewsnetwork.com
25-year-young Tatiana Weston-Webb. Her Mom is Brazilian and her British dad is, and has been, a hardcore surfer in Hanalei.
bunched together with only roughly 4,000 points separa- tion, and with 10,000 points offered for first place, this 2,000 points is like a warm, but wet, hungry bear hug.
ente, California is the uber talented Griffin Colapinto. This was the 5-foot and 11- inch, 170-pound, 23-year- old’s first WCT Win.
really hard with that mid- year cut coming up, so it was a hard one mentally, but I believe in the process and trust the unknown. No matter what, you’ re always going to be learning and that’s my favorite part of the sport that it grows you as a person. Win or lose, you’ re growing,” he says.
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Tatiana Weston-Webb and Griffin Colapinto are winners of the MEO Pro Portugal presented by Rip Curl. PHOTO COURTESY WSL/POULLENOT
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