(upbeat music)
[Pua] Jacksonville is the last event of our qualifying series.
That's where it's gonna determine who is qualifying for the Challenger Series.
[Maluhia] Florida will determine for me if I get to go to that next level.
[Moana] There's a lot of points at stake in this competition.
You kind of have to be 100% laser focused. It's make or break time.
[Newscaster] Hurricane Nicole has just slammed the southeast coast of Florida.
This category one storm is packing 75 mile per hour winds
and the storm surge punch is being felt all the way up here in Jacksonville.
[Moana] This is like the first real hurricane I've ever been in.
- Look at that wave right there. - [Maluhia] Oh my God, that's amazing!
[Moana] I think out every surf contest I've ever done,
this is the first one that's, like, been such gnarly storm condition.
Is the hurricane supposed to get worse tomorrow?
[Noah] Yep.
[Irie] I don't think this contest should happen.
(tropical music)
- [Moana] Hi Paul, how's it going? - [Paul] How are you?
Good, have you been to Jacksonville?
I have, every time I've been there, the surf's really, really, really small
and really, really, really weak, so… (Moana laughs)
[Moana] I struggled at Sunset, that's the kind of thing that always haunts me.
I have to be like, okay, we lost at that contest.
We're gonna do better at the next contest.
I just never been to Florida or anywhere like near Florida before,
so I have no idea what to expect. (laughs)
[Paul] Well, it's different, that's for sure.
[Moana] A lot is at stake.
I wanna win that contest because I wanna be the number one surfer in the world.
♪ I got no reason to stop this It's like we running from fire ♪
♪ A puppet I ain't the decider. ♪
♪ Guess I'll keep dancing yeah yeah yeah ♪
[Moana] I'll always have a dream, I'm in the contest and there's like no waves.
I have this nightmare kind of a lot.
Do you know where the smallest board bag is?
- The smallest one is right there. - [Moana] OK.
I met my husband when I was 18 years old.
[Tehotu] I noticed Moana getting the sickest barrel I ever seen.
It was love at first sight, for sure.
I got married when I was 21 years old. I was so young when I got married.
I was a little kid in my eyes looking back at it.
But, he's my best friend, he's my biggest supporter,
my biggest fan, like, I can't imagine my life without him.
This contest is different because
I'm gonna be traveling without Tehotu the first time,
and I'm gonna be going with one of my best friends Maluhia,
and we're gonna be meeting up with another surfer girl from Hawaii
named Brianna Cope.
(ethereal music)
[Brianna] I love it here 'cause it brings back all the memories
of me growing up surfing.
Kauai's such a small community, everyone knows everyone.
Just surfing with the same people, pushing each other.
Such a special place. (upbeat music)
So the reason I started surfing is my sister.
As a younger kid, like you wanna do everything the older sister does,
and just watching her and wanting to be better than her,
so I'm really glad that we had a competitive drive. (laughs)
And as you can see she's here on the wall. I am the only pro surfer in the family,
and there's not one surfing photo. Just my sister.
[Gabrielle] You know, Brianna wasn't always good.
Maybe there wasn't good ones on the film,
you know, at that time. (Brianna laughs)
[Brianna] My sister would humble me real quick,
even though I thought I would be really good,
she'd be like no, you have so much to learn.
I had a really successful junior career. I was number one in Hawaii.
But I always wanted to have my own path of what I was doing
and not be like anyone else.
And maybe that stems from being different as a child.
[Liz] Brianna was born with all five fingers,
but the two fingers were really small.
She was bullied as a child but I think because of that,
- it made her a tough cookie. - [Brianna] When I started surfing,
it was the only time no one would ask me about my hand.
I can be who I am and feel whole as a person.
That just stuck with me my whole career.
My first year on the Challenger Series I made the final.
I felt like ever since then I've been like climbing up this stair ladder
of how do I keep competing to be on the tour?
This is my career and why not put the foot on the gas?
[Carl] Yeah buddy, we cut your boards.
[Maluhia] (gasps) Ooh, there's the five seven that I'm super excited about.
[Carl] Grab it, you can grab it, grab it.
[Maluhia] Any individual competing at a high level,
you have to have a really good team around you.
You definitely have to have a really good relationship with your board shaper.
[Carl] I don't really know how many boards I've done for Malu. (laughs)
Right now we have four boards going through
and we're working on her short board.
How was the five nine?
It's definitely meant for like waves with power.
Like in the intermittent phases between turns.
- Sometimes it feels a little… Yeah. - [Carl] Sluggish.
What we're gonna do is we're gonna add a little concave in the bottom.
[Maluhia] I love working with Carl
because it combines my passions for surfing and my passions for engineering.
Just keep in mind that the surf you rode
that was like terrible for our conditions yesterday-
- [Maluhia] Yeah, yeah. In Florida. - It would be an epic day in Florida.
- It is a whole different beast. - Yeah.
So the the Super Girl Pro in Florida is the last event for the season on the QS.
That contest will have more pressure because it's worth more points.
I'm super close, I'm right on the bubble,
so it will determine if I get to go to the Challenger Series.
♪ It's like the weight world is heavier, heavier, ♪
♪ Everyday ♪
[Pua] This one's coming for sure.
And then this one will be one of my boards that I take 'cause it's smaller.
[Duane] It's a challenge because finding that magic board is not easy,
and then when you find the magic board, that's all you want to ride, but then -
- [Pua] You have to save it. - The magic board just gets trashed.
This is the magic board.
With my dad winning a world title,
the pressure is all on me to carry the surfing legacy.
There's only one reason to paddle out, right?
- [Pua] To win. - Yeah.
Otherwise, why paddle out in the heat? Doesn't make any sense.
- [Pua] To have fun. - (chuckles) Winning is fun.
[Pua] My dad's hard on me, because he kind of knows what it takes,
and he did it on his own. He did it figuring it out the hard way.
I think I just overthink heats, in general.
[Duane] There's gonna be a point where you're paddling out,
and it's gonna be rare that you lose.
I was swimming and surfing before I could really walk.
My earliest memories of surfing were being at Waikiki and racing across the lagoon.
Those were some of my fondest memories.
When I was about 11, I sat my parents down and I was like,
I wanna be a professional surfer.
[Duane] I was a professional surfer for, I don't know, nearly 30 years.
So I understood that that lifestyle is sort of a rollercoaster.
So I said, if we tell you to to practice for six hours,
you know, you need to put in your time and you need to be committed.
And she had no problem committing to that.
- Hi. - [Duane] How was it?
Good.
[Pua] Through that, I've been able to win nine national titles.
In 2018, I was the Water Woman of the Year.
I'm from Waianae. People look at Waianae as like a really bad place.
Like, don't go to Waianae, it's scary,
or you know there's drugs or there's a shooting.
But it's like also one of the most beautiful places
with so much rich culture.
(food sizzling) (people chatting)
[Pua] There's eight kids from ages three to 24.
(someone speaks indistinctly) [Pua] So there's a lot of us.
(yelling)
My parents' standards are high.
When I compete it's like I'm carrying just the whole family tree.
It's a powerful, powerful, powerful thing.
(bright music)
[Ēwe] My whole life I've gone to Hawaiian immersion school.
[Teacher] (in Hawaiian) So I took this part of the story
that we are reading this year, Kalapana.
[Ēwe] There's a Hawaiian proverb which is (speaks in Hawaiian)
which means the language is the heart of the people.
And when you take away the language it very much affects our lahui, our nation,
in a negative way.
(in Hawaiian) The first paragraph or the mark?
- [Teacher] (in Hawaiian) Line 11. - [Ēwe] (in Hawaiian) Can do.
Immersion required the kids to sacrifice Ēwe's peers,
and surf in the morning before school,
'cause their school is right down the street, or they are homeschooled.
That was never a choice we were gonna make.
I'm here with Irie and we're driving. (both laugh)
We're driving to the CNC factory.
- Look, Ēwe, show this view! - Okay, okay, okay.
Okay, we're gonna hold our breath going through the tunnel.
Take your last breaths!
(cars roar)
(gasps)
[Ēwe] Florida's our last contest of the season, right? For the QS?
Yeah. Are you excited to go with me?
Mm-hm, I've never been anywhere without my mommy. (laughs)
- [Irie] That's crazy it's me. - If it was anybody it would be you.
- [Irie] Oh! - Yeah, my mom trusts you.
- [Irie] Okay, that's nice. - Yeah.
Usually my parents come with me to like every competition,
but I'm going by myself to Florida
because I want the independence and I want that experience.
[Lu'ukia] Do you think I'm gonna be worried?
[Ēwe] Yes. (laughs)
[Lu'ukia] And that's why you'll have to check in regularly. (laughs)
- (sighs) I guess I can do that. - [Lu'ukia] Thank you very much.
What are you hoping to get out of the Florida contest?
Just, like, improving my competitive surfing.
I mean you did that in this last heat you had.
- [Ēwe] Yeah. - So, you're learning.
Everybody knows what a great, what an awesome surfer you are.
- Yeah? - Yeah,
[Lu'ukia] But there's a whole 'nother side of you that is important.
You know you are a representative of the lahui.
And there are younger, not just surfers, but kids,
who, you know, you are a role model for. Proud of you.
(upbeat music)
We just checked in… stop. (laughs) (Irie laughs)
Okay, we just checked in and how do we feel?
- [Irie] I'm feeling sweaty right now. - I'm feeling great. I got some new shoes.
Heading to Florida for the Jacksonville comp.
I'm excited, I'm going by myself right now and my dad's gonna meet me up there. Yay!
♪ All we want is everything We're the ones who run this town ♪
♪ We're the rulers of this place ♪
♪ We are the kings and queens, the world belongs to us ♪
- [Ēwe] What time is it? - [Irie] 6:00 a.m..
It's 2:00 a.m. Hawaii time.
♪ Have it all or burn it down We just wanna live it up. ♪
[Pua] We are in Jacksonville, but they don't know where my boards are.
We're currently waiting for our boards.
- [Ēwe] Oh I see them actually. - Oh okay.
(luggage banging)
- [Irie] Okay, this is yours. - [Ēwe] Yeah.
- [Moana] How was the flight Malu? - Um, it was gnarly.
On one side of me there was like two cats, (Moana laughs)
that for some reason weren't sedated (laughs)
And on the other side of me there was a baby,
that was screaming louder and higher pitched than Mariah Carey.
(laughs) There was a baby screaming louder than Mariah Carey,
but we made it, we're here.
(wind howls)
[Newscaster] The world's top professional female surfers
have arrived in Jacksonville,
but early this morning Hurricane Nicole made landfall just 200 miles away,
bringing 75 mile per hour winds and dangerous waves.
(Irie) What is this hurricane? Nicole?
[Ēwe] I think it's hurricane Nicole. Yeah, Nicole.
When we were eating our breakfast this morning
and they told us that it's directly hitting us (laughs),
and we were like, "Oh that's awesome."
(laughs)
- [Both] And it shows red… - at Jacksonville, in Jacksonville.
(laughter)
[Irie] I just don't wanna wake up without a roof. That's all I care about.
Like imagine waking up and like open your eyes. (laughs)
It's just the sky, like that's terrifying.
[Ēwe] Yeah.
[Irie] My mom just texted me, are you alive? And I said yeah.
[Ēwe] Oh, that's nice.
[Irie] And then I said hurricane, and she said don't die.
(laughter)
[Irie] What about your mom?
[Ēwe] She asked me if I'm scared of the hurricane and I said no,
actually my mom told me to stock up on water.
- [Irie] Mm! Which we did. - Which we did, yes.
But hopefully they do run the contest.
- [Noah] Yeah they have to. - 'Cause this is our last contest for -
- [Noah] For the Hawaiian region - - This season.
[Ēwe] My goal for for this competition is to do as best that I can.
[Irie] Mine is just to make it out there. (laughs)
- [Noah] Just heat by heat guys. - [Ēwe] Exactly.
(laughter)
(wind howling)
(food sizzling)
- I'm second on the rankings, for now. - Not third?
- Second. - Oh wow.
- After Sunset, I went up. - [Family friend] Okay you got this.
- It's gonna be wave selection, huh? - For sure.
It's gonna be small and grindy but, still fun. You gotta do what you gotta do.
(laughs)
[Pua] I'm in second right now. Moana's currently in first.
So I'd probably need like a thousand points, at least, to overtake first.
If I win this event I'd probably lead our region.
And so I just wanna focus on the heats and just like showcase my best surfing.
I think on every contest,
one of my goals is just to start the wave strong and finish the wave strong.
Here it's gonna be a lot of one turners, so,
you know, pushing that one turn, but landing it and completing it,
and then if I'm able to find those two wave turns to three wave turns,
like really using that opportunity. Keep it simple. Another "keep it…"
I write "keep it simple" like four times on the paper. (laughs)
(wind howling)
[Maluhia] Is this the farthest you've ever been away from home?
- [Moana] Mhm. - What?
[Maluhia] Yeah, this is the farthest she's ever been.
Have you ever flown alone?
[Moana] No, I'm like so scared to do that.
- [Brianna] Why? - I don't think…
I don't know, I just don't wanna be by myself.
I'm scared somebody might snatch me. (all laugh)
I think whoever would try to snatch you would deeply regret the decision… (laughs)
(all laugh) Of trying to snatch you!
You would absolutely just wreck them. (all laugh)
[Moana] Now that we've traveled together this one time for Florida,
if you guys don't travel with me like every single time after this
I'm gonna be kind of disappointed.
(all laugh)
[Brianna] I think surfing creates this bond with everyone.
We all have that mutual respect of we're all friends on the land,
but as soon as we are in the water, we're kind of all here to do our job.
[Maluhia] Brianna is a very high-spirited person.
Like, Brianna feels her emotions all the time,
and that's part of why I love Brianna
because you're always gonna get exactly what she gives you.
[Moana] I've known Brianna since I was like eight years old.
We have the same sense of humor so we get along really well.
(crashing)
- [Moana] Wait, what was that? - Brianna keeps dropping things over here.
- I have a little hand okay? (laughs) - [Maluhia] Are you kidding?
[Brianna] Anyway… (laughs) (all laugh)
[Moana] I literally didn't notice that until like last year,
that your hand was different from the other hand.
When you're a kid you don't like really pay attention to the way people look.
I think you only do if you're like a kid that's -
- [Moana] Mean. - Mean, yeah.
[Moana] I was never a mean kid. I would like come up to you guys,
like "hey guys, what's up? You guys wanna surf with me?"
You're still like that. (all laugh)
[Moana] Yeah. (text notification)
Hey guys, guess what? I just got a text.
Looks like the hurricane is passing tonight
and the competition is on for Saturday.
- What? - [Maluhia] Wow.
- Hang on. The heat draw just came out. - I just saw that heat draw! (laughs)
[Brianna] That's like the most exciting thing
- but also a little bit of butterflies. - [Moana] I know.
- It's like creepy butterfly moment. - [Brianna] I'm heat 15.
- [Moana] For sure. I'm heat five? - [Brianna] Moana's heat five.
- Mm… Maluhia… Oh you're heat 14! - [Maluhia] Right before you?
- Yeah. - [Maluhia] I think the food's done guys.
- Oh, thanks Mal. - [Maluhia] Yeah, no worries.
What do you think Ēwe and Pua's guys are doing right now?
[Moana] Raging.
[Ēwe] And we just ordered pizza. Look at how beautiful that is. (laughs)
♪ I digging, I keep digging, I keep digging down ♪
♪ I need some help, I need some help Somebody help me out! ♪
So, I think we're gonna head back down to the contest site.
- [Maluhia] Mhm. - [Moana] Analyze the conditions.
It's the day after the hurricane. The waves are safe right now.
We're gonna go practice. Malu's all ready. I'm all ready.
[Maluhia] I feel pretty excited to practice.
But… Oh my god.
- [Duane] (laughs) Love you. - Love you.
(upbeat music)
(dramatic music)
(whistle blows) (sirens)
We ran out there and then immediately I did a bottom turn,
and then did a top turn into the lip,
and my foot slipped off the back of my pad,
and my leg kind of like hyper-extended, really forcefully into a strange position.
It just clicked my kneecap right out.
Oh my god, did my kneecap just dislocate? And then it was just extremely painful.
I was in the water, I felt it go out. I grabbed my, my leg and my kneecap
and I just like yanked it back in as hard as I could,
because that's what I had seen people do. And it popped back in.
(sniffs)
[Announcer 1] Welcome to the US Air Force Surf Girl Surf Pro,
here in Jacksonville Beach.
[Kayla] These surfers right now are competing for the 2023 Challenger series.
An event like this is gonna put girls on tour.
Going from Hawaii west coast, coming to the east coast,
you really have to adapt your surfing
and your strategy to smaller waves, less power.
This is the whole idea of the process of going through qualifying series,
to Challenger, to the CT, is you have to be able to do it all.
Just shows that the best surfers in the world are where they're supposed to be.
(upbeat music)
Winning this event would mean a lot,
and it's a 3000, so I mean my points would go up a lot, and I'd lead our region.
But it's a lot of heats I have to get through before that.
♪ Snap twice if you know what the feeling is ♪
♪ If you're ready for the life that you'd dreamed as a kid ♪
[Brianna] I came all the way to Florida, to this event, to win.
Came here for the points, qualify for next year's Challenger Series,
but overall I'm not even focused on that. I'm focused on winning this contest.
This contest is different from other contests
because I've never surfed this way before.
I'm rated number one on the QS so I have to do really good. Keep my position.
[Announcer 1] Ladies and gentlemen, the US Air Force Super Girl Pro
in Jacksonville Beach Florida is underway.
- Hi. Hi. Um… - Hey. Son of a gun. What happened?
[Maluhia] Yeah, so I got injured yesterday and I have to pull out of the contest
so I just don't know,
'cause people just told me to ask what I should do insurance wise.
[Rick] Yeah.
- Oh, hey Pua. Hello. - Hi.
- [Rick] Yeah. - [Pua] What happened?
[Maluhia] I dislocated my knee yesterday.
- What? - I know, it's messed up.
(sniffs)
You come all the way over here and you practice and put in all the work,
and then instead of getting to go surf your heat, you have to go just figure out
if you're gonna need surgery and gonna even be able to surf again.
Like, it's pretty hard. (sniffs) Um…
[Filmalter] Are you okay if we take off the ace -
- [Maluhia] Yeah, yeah. - [Filmalter] so that I can look at it?
(indistinct announcement)
And are you staying out of the water for the weekend?
- Yeah. It's okay. - I'm sorry.
[Filmalter] So I mean nothing is broken, broken.
- You are gonna want to get an MRI - [Maluhia] Yeah.
[Filmalter] specifically because there is the ligament right here
that it probably is completely torn.
- I'm sorry. - It's okay.
[Filmalter] I was just a little concerned 'cause it came out so easily yesterday.
But it's really a question of how easy does this keep happening
and is it worth then getting surgery to keep it from happening in your sports.
♪ Too hot to handle ♪
[Announcer 2] Alright, let's get things started. We got a four women heat here,
looking for the top two performers that will be moving on to the next round.
♪ Baby I'm a bombshell, so bombs away ♪
[Announcer 1] That red is Brianna Cope, the ultimate surfer.
I don't look at anyone who is ever in my heat
because I don't care what they're doing,
I'm focused on me and they can focus on me if they want to, (laughs)
but I don't really watch what they're doing!
Was that a little savage? (laughs) But like no, it's true.
I don't like going, check on how they're feeling, like, I'm here to do my job.
[Announcer 1] We'll see if we have some action in the water.
Here we go, we're gonna have a ride here. Look at this wave lining up from Blue.
And here goes White on her backhand, Coral Schuster. Here goes Green.
[Announcer 3] Green is up and going backside,
trying to get ahead of that section,
just unfortunately gets a little bogged down with that rail.
[Announcer 2] Looks like Brianna is struggling to find a wave
that's gonna get her those points.
[Brianna] Surfing is super trippy. You don't get in another second chance.
You have that 20 minutes to perform
and if you don't catch a wave, if you don't surf your best, you're done.
[Announcer 2] Red now getting it going here.
[Announcer 3] Brianna Cope looking to take off, and go for front side and hit it,
and do a nice little floater, get into the next section.
(dramatic sting)
Unfortunately, that wave closed out a little sooner,
so she wasn't able to get that follow up.
[Announcer 1] Yeah, the surfing life, here she goes again in her back hand.
Good speed check, into another section. So there it is, two turn combo for Coral.
And we have Red up and riding on her forehand.
Quick in and out, so that's all she can really ask for, for that wave.
And we're gonna count this one down here in five, four, three, two, one.
(horns blow)
[Announcer 1] So there it is,
Coral Schuster and Chelsea Roett's going to move on to the next round.
[Brianna] I felt like I was super out of rhythm with the ocean.
I think being from Hawaii, we're so used to really good waves
that sometimes a lot of us, when we go to small waves, struggle a little bit,
'cause that's not what we grew up surfing
and yeah, I really didn't get to a wave where I could do a turn,
like really, I felt like I couldn't even surf.
Just… it's just heartbreaking. I don't wanna cry.
(somber music)
There's a couple more opportunities for me.
I have Haleiwa, so if I win Haleiwa, I'll qualify for Challenge Series next year.
Just depends on the rest of the girls from Hawaii,
which is super gnarly 'cause now you have to just kind of wait and see.
I should have like, I don't know, I tried to move so many times like -
- Yeah I saw you. - [Maluhia] Yeah.
I just…
(sniffs) I just really hate contests sometimes.
[Maluhia] If you just also think about this is part of the process,
surfing contests are like, you win some and you lose some.
And it's super heartbreaking, but at the end of the day,
it's like you're so much more than just, what you are in a jersey.
- (laughs) Oh. - Yeah. Yeah.
- And just focus on Haleiwa. - Yeah, yeah.
Like Haleiwa is next, like this contest is done.
- It's okay. - I'm here for you.
♪ Sometimes you gotta bite the bullet ♪
♪ Put your finger on the trigger and pull it ♪
♪ Drive it like just like you stole it Don't ever look back ♪
[Announcer 1] And let's have a peek right now, Moana Jones, look at her.
Look at her looking down the line here.
[Announcer 3] Oh my gosh, well she just got up and got speed right away.
Staying behind that section to generate extra speed.
[Announcer 1] Just a victory lap from Moana here, she's gonna take the win.
(clapping) Yeah!
[Moana] I won my heat, which is a great confidence booster.
It's always good to have a heat win. So, I'm feeling good.
I really wanna do well in this competition.
[Announcer 1] Pua up on her forehand. Big turn in the pocket, she sticks it.
- Look at this, just power! Oh slow-mo. - [Announcer 4] Yeah.
[Announcer 1] And then look straight into another one, wham.
She made a little wave better than what it was.
[Announcer 1] It's gonna be Pua DeSoto moving on.
Here we go, here goes Blue. Super talented, watch out for her. Floats it -
[Announcer 1] Little airdrop on the section.
Here goes Blue, nice top turn into a second one. That's what you want to do.
(horn blows)
Ms. Wong, moving onto the round of 16.
So I'm here at the hospital. Probably the nicest hospital I've ever seen.
And I'm gonna check in for my MRI.
It's definitely scarier for me to think that
I might not even be able to go in the ocean for a really long time
if I have to get surgery. I really hope that's not the case, (laughs)
um, but I think I'll only know that after the MRI.
So it's really like just taking everything one step at a time.
I must say, she's giving One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
(upbeat music)
[Announcer 2] Alright, welcome to day two of the Super Girl Pro,
here in Jacksonville, Florida. The heats have now become head-to-head,
which means whoever wins moves on to the next round.
[Announcer 1] In blue, out of Hawaii,
17 years of age from Makaha, Oahu, is Pua DeSoto.
(applause) All right.
(whistling)
(horn blows)
[Announcer 1] Here we go, split heat, Red and Blue.
Pua on her backhand. Zoe Benedetto, same thing on her backhand.
- Love the board work. - [Announcer 4] Oh yeah.
[Announcer 1] And now Pua's gonna keep going one more section.
So great exchange from both surfers there. Zoe Benedetto and Pua DeSoto.
I feel like as a surfer, the biggest thing I always ask myself is what can I control?
I wanna catch two waves in five minutes. Okay, get those two waves in five minutes,
then after that I'm gonna wait for a better wave than I'm gonna catch the set.
[Announcer 2] Pua's gonna let that one go. Oh, but Zoe Benedetto likes it.
[Announcer 4] Oh her back hand, just keep it busy. One turn, here you go.
And the second turn, she gets a nice turn in the pocket.
So Zoe Benedetto, you see she claps both hands there, and she likes it.
She's playing the, "I want the perfect wave right now." She's being too picky.
[Announcer 1] Here we go! Here's the Hawaiian. Oh getting sassy.
Oh! What! That was sick.
[Announcer 1] Heaving it, throwing water around it.
That's gonna add to the score line.
[Announcer 4] There it is. Pua, a 6.67, you go to the lead with your last wave.
That was a good last turn.
- [Announcer 1] Counting down here it is, - [Both] Five, four, three, two, one.
- Yes yes yes yes yes! - [Man] That was a good call.
[Announcer 4] Pua DeSoto
edging out last year's equal third and Florida girl Zoe Benedetto.
See Pua come in and get ready for her next round.
That one you didn't go on, was your seven.
[Pua] Which one?
In the middle, when you were under Zoe's priority and you backed off.
It was a seven.
- Uh! (laughs) Sorry. - Ow!
[Announcer 4] Here we go round of 16, heat three.
We have Moana Wong out of Hawaii, and Ēwe Wong out of Hawaii.
(clapping)
I'm up against Moana. It's a two man heat,
and it'll actually be my first two man heat I ever surfed. So, I'm excited.
(horn blows)
[Announcer 4] Looks like we're gonna get it started here.
Ēwe Wong paddling, she's gonna go.
Oh my god that's such a good one, schwag it. Oh!
[Announcer 4] Here it goes Blue and Red, splitting the peak.
So Red closeout section, Blue gets a nice top turn but gets hung.
[Moana] I did compete against at Ēwe at Sunset and she got me in our heats,
so I'm hoping to get some revenge, but we'll see what happens. (laughs)
[Announcer 4] Blue getting into this one, she's gonna go right against the gray.
There's that turn we were talking about. So she navigated that one well,
and then into the inside section, goes vertical, and finishes up on her feet.
[Announcer 2] And she is rewarded 5.50, moving her into first.
Moana is tough as nails so she'll be fine. There she goes! Go Moana!
[Announcer 1] Moana's off, here she goes, up and riding on her backhand,
she gets the first turn, hits the brakes a little bit for the second one.
Gets that and then into a third turn so keeping the flow and the rail moving.
Comes in at a 3.97. Blue's gonna turn and burn on this inside backhander.
Gets the section, straight into another one
and it's gonna line up, too. Look at this. Another section here, gets the turn.
Tight in the pocket, and another one, so -
[Announcer 3] Great combo there!
[Announcer 1] Great combo there for Ēwe Wong.
She's your current heat leader and there it is, 4.57 Blue.
So you strengthened your lead.
[Announcer 3] Red getting a nice strong pack,
two in a row and finishing out strong with a third.
[Announcer 1] Yeah, so Red there got the better of it on the left.
Blue had a right bowl. 7.33, Red goes to first.
[Announcer 3] Five, four, three, two, one.
(horn blows)
[Announcer 1] Oh ladies and gentlemen, give it up on the beach.
What an exciting heat there.
[Announcer 2] Moana Jones Wong, moving on.
Yay!
I was in the lead, the majority of the heat
and then like last two minutes, Moana got a seven,
and I kind of knew that was gonna happen.
She's kind of known for getting buzzer beaters.
And seeing how Moana surfs the heat and how she holds her composure,
like, to the very last second, I definitely learned a lot from that.
[Announcer 2] Autographs, pictures, autographs,
that's what it's all about right there.
Thank you.
[Announcer 1] Semi finals, here we go, we're gonna have a heat on our hands.
[Duane] (indistinct) (kisses) Level up! (energetic music)
[Announcer 1] We're gonna see some pretty high scores here.
Semi-finals we do have Pua DeSoto from Hawaii.
Oh, here comes a set.
Outside, here you go, here you go.
[Announcer 1] We do have kind of a couple waves coming, here goes Red.
She does have a section, goes vertical,
but she was just a little late to the party there.
It's a quick one, though.
[Announcer 1] And Red on the line, oncoming section.
Oh bangs and drifts the fence.
[Duane] I guess as a dad, you go through the emotional rollercoaster
just as much as your daughter, you know,
just, I don't actually have to do the work part,
I don't get to expend my nerves like she does.
[Announcer 1] And the San Clemente powerhouse in blue,
Bella Kenworthy, tons of speed into the lip.
Let's see and Utah, give me two, another combo
ladies and gentlemen makes some noise for Bella Kenworthy in 5.83 for blue.
So she goes to first.
Oh that was a good banger for Bella. What's this left gonna do, Pua?
Oh I feel like a hustle (indistinct).
[Announcer 1] And for Bella Kenworthy, (horn blows)
she gets to her first Super Girl Pro Final.
[Announcer 2] For Pua DeSoto, excellent effort.
Put your hands together for those two.
[Duane] Super, super happy for her to get third today.
Definitely proud of what she's doing and how she's carrying herself
and definitely, at least, setting a high bar for all women, and for our family.
I know she wants to win.
[Pua] Definitely bummed that I was just that close to making it to the final,
and possibly winning a Super Girl title.
Hi dad. (Duane laughs)
It shut off on us out there.
The beginning I should have maybe got a couple more
but I was trying to wait for a real wave.
All the hard work and dedication you put in, you know, comes to these moments,
and I just wish I made it, just that one more heat to the final.
(suspenseful music) (waves crashing)
[Announcer 2] Up next we've got Moana Jones
and with the home court advantage, local legend Caroline Marks.
[Announcer 1] She just hits the gas pedal here,
sees the section, puts it in the pocket, small board, small pocket.
And here goes Moana Jones Wong and she gets it vertical.
Alright, here goes Red, Caroline Marks, lots of speed, boom!
Banks that top turn.
- [Announcer 4] Amazing. - [Announcer 1] So there's Caroline Marks.
7.0, currently in the top spot.
[Moana] The waves are very weak, very tiny. Like whoa, what is this?
Like this is actually pretty hard.
There's not many waves so, if you miss a wave you're kind of screwed.
You have to be at the right place, in the right timing, to catch a good wave today.
[Announcer 3] Tide is dropping,
it makes the peak shift very drastically, very quickly.
[Announcer 2] Blue maybe paddled too deep,
so Red is going to take advantage, that's Caroline Marks.
Red is up and riding, getting a nice quick backside turn pack combo, back to back.
Wasn't a really big wave,
but she was really trying to generate some speed and energy.
[Announcer 2] Moana has got to make a move if she's gonna pull ahead here.
Oh, here she goes.
[Announcer 1] Blue's up and riding right here. Nice turn up into it.
Bam, and a second. So, good combo right there for Blue.
[Announcer 2] But that's not gonna be enough.
[Announcer 1] Five, four, three, two, one.
(horn blows)
[Announcer 2] Caroline advances, which means Moana places third
with fellow Hawaiian Pua DeSoto.
Thank you! (crowd cheers)
I actually am super stoked. That was the only time that I'm okay to lose,
if it's to somebody that I know is like a really gnarly surfer, which is Caroline.
And I'm like super happy to have like, come here for the first time
and make it all the way to the semi-finals.
Being able to like showcase my small wave surfing. (laughs)
'Cause I'm like supposed to be like the pipe master.
I just lost at this contest but I got a lot of points.
So I found out that I officially won the Hawaii-Tahiti region and I'm super stoked.
This means that I'm gonna be the top ranked surfer from that region
going into the Challenger Series.
(gentle music)
(phone ringing)
- [Lu'ukia] Hi babe. - Hi mom.
- [Lu'ukia] How are you? - [Ēwe] Good, how are you?
[Mom] Good, I know it's not the result you wanted,
but how do you think you handled the contest in general?
I mean, obviously not the result I wanted to get,
but even during Sunset to this contest, like, I felt really, really good,
and I feel like my mental game's getting a lot better, so.
[Lu'ukia] You're making progress and that's the most important thing.
- So I'm proud of you. - Thanks mom!
[Lu'ukia] I think you should be proud of yourself.
Yeah.
(uplifting music)
Hey, no more break dancing, okay? (both laugh)
It was a little hard for me to watch everybody surf.
Not competing in this contest
essentially meant that I wasn't gonna get to qualify for the challenger next year.
I just wish I had the chance.
[Pua] Malu, tell us the result.
I have a partial tear in two of my ligaments.
I have something called effusion,
which is just because I've partially torn my ligament, it's just swollen.
I think I'm not going to be able to surf the Haleiwa contest.
- Right, that makes sense. - So. Yeah.
And I can still probably compete in pipe.
- (gasps) Yay! - Yay!
- Group hug. - Yeah!
Woo hoo.
[Moana] It makes a huge difference having a girl gang.
We're just like pushing each other.
We're like encouraging each other, supporting each other.
- It is so fun. - How was your guys' contest?
Me and Pua just went all the way to the semi finals!
- I know! - Oh my god, equal third, got some grands.
(laughter)
- Whoa! - Got some points.
- We're ranked, we're ranked one and two. - Yeah, qualified!
[Pua] Overall on the regional rankings for the qualifying series,
Moana finished first.
I got second and Ēwe finished third in the region.
So, the three of us will be together on the Challenger Series representing Hawaii.
That's exciting, I mean three native Hawaiians.
I mean out of the four, like that's pretty -
We don't see that much anymore so I'm excited. It's amazing.
(energetic music)
(indistinct conversation)
Qualified for the Challenger Series 'cause I did well on the rankings for the QS.
and now that means I get to travel the world
and surf different locations, for different events.
Been feeling really good about my competition surfing.
[Moana] Haleiwa, it's very powerful.
Some of the most challenging and well-known waves on the North Shore.
[Pua] Haleiwa is such a fun wave, and such a performance wave,
and you can really show your talent and I just need to bring it in the heat.
[Brianna] Haleiwa is like, where I wanna surf.
If I win Haleiwa, I'll qualify for challenger series next year.
Haleiwa is where you come to prove yourself, and it's dangerous.
[Ēwe] Got into the Haleiwa Challenger just as a wild card.
This is like the bigger stage. All of them are pro surfers
and they're all very well seasoned and good competitors.
[Announcer 5] Ēwe Wong, exciting wild card.
[Announcer 6] One more time to the lip and - Oh!
(dramatic music) more time to the lip and - Oh!