Five months after announcing an indefinite break from competition on the World Championship Tour, five-time world champion Carissa Moore of Hawaii is back in action this week.
Moore accepted a wild-card spot at the WSL’s Tahiti Pro.
One of the iconic events on tour, held at the world-famous Teahupo’o (or Cho-po), serves as a warm-up for the reigning Olympic gold medalist. The Punahou graduate will be representing Team USA in the 2024 Olympics this summer, with the surfing event scheduled to be held at the same challenging break in late July.
According to the 31-year-old Surfing Hall of Fame inductee, who has never won a Championship Tour event in Tahiti, each time she surfs the wave, it comes with ultimate respect for its unprecedented power.
“Teahupo’o is seriously one of the most terrifying waves I’ve ever surfed. It’s just the way that it goes from really deep water to shallow reef. The water just fully bends over itself, and there’s a lot of risk. There’s so much that happens in that first five seconds when you paddle to stand up. It takes a lot of skill and commitment. If you’re not there for it, if you’re not present, you can eat it and get really hurt. That’s a very real possibility. So, yeah, I think just knowing what could happen, but also there’s the possibility of getting one of the best waves of your life.”
“It’s beautiful, but it’s also a beast. It would mean a lot to do well in this event. The last two years we’ve had the event here, I didn’t feel like I ever clicked into gear. I never felt like I built that relationship with her. So it would mean so much to have it all fall into place. I think it would give me a lot of confidence going into the Olympics.”
Another Team USA Olympian from Hawaii in the field is two-time world champion John John Florence. Surf-permitting, the contest could get the green light on Friday morning.
For more on the event via the World Surf League, click here.
SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro Presented by Outerknown Women’s Opening Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA)
HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Tyler Wright (AUS), Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 3: Johanne Defay (FRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), Carissa Moore (HAW)
HEAT 4: Molly Picklum (AUS), Caroline Marks (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)
SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro Presented by Outerknown Men’s Opening Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Seth Moniz (HAW), Connor O’Leary (JPN)
HEAT 2: John John Florence (HAW), Rio Waida (IDN), Yago Dora (BRA)
HEAT 3: Jack Robinson (AUS), Ramzi Boukhaim (MOR), Kelly Slater (USA)
HEAT 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Mihimana Braye (PYF)
HEAT 5: Jordy Smith (RSA), Crosby Colapinto (USA), Matthew McGillvray (RSA)
HEAT 6: Jake Marshall (USA), Imaikalani deVault (HAW), Gabriel Medina (BRA)
HEAT 7: Barron Mamiya (HAW), Liam O’Brien (AUS), Ryan Callinan (AUS)
HEAT 8: Cole Houshmand (USA), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Watch LIVE
The SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro Presented by Outerknown window opens on Wednesday, May 22 and closes on Friday, May 31, 2024. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners. For fans watching in the United States, coverage of the competition’s Quarterfinals and beyond will continue co-exclusively on WorldSurfLeague.com and ESPN+.