This is the second part in a series on young wahine surfers. Read the first story on Erin Brooks here.
Moana Jones Wong seemed to come out of nowhere as the 22-year-old wildcard to win last year’s first women’s Billabong Pipeline Pro, beating out five-time world champion Carissa Moore.
But Wong didn’t come out of nowhere. She was born and raised on Oahu’s North Shore, has been surfing since before she could walk and competing in surf contests since she was 13 years old. Her favorite wave to ride is Pipeline.
“It is so challenging to catch a good wave out there (at Pipeline), but that's what makes it addicting for me,” Wong told Spectrum News Hawaii. “All good things in life are hard.”
Pipeline on Oahu’s North Shore is known as one of the deadliest waves but also one of the best barreling breaks in the world. Although she loves the challenge, Wong said it is intimidating to surf Pipeline as a woman.
“I would be the only girl out and there'd be 50 guys around me and I just feel really out of place. But I had to learn how to overcome that fear and soon it wasn't scary anymore,” Wong said. “I was just there to surf and nothing mattered anymore.”
She said her life changed after she won the Billabong Pipeline Pro on Feb. 6. Before then, she only surfed when she had free time, because she was always busy working and going to college. She thought she might become a social worker or start a preschool on the North Shore. Now, she is a professional surfer with major sponsorships. In the past year, she has traveled to Australia, Tahiti and different parts of the U.S. to compete in surf competitions.
“I'm able to travel around the world and compete against some of the best women surfers in the world and it's a dream come true for me. I've always wanted to do that ever since I was a little kid,” she said.
Now, people ask to take their photo with her or get her autograph.
“I feel like last year I was almost a nobody,” Wong said. “It’s a little uncomfortable, and it’s also super cool.”
Many girls and women come up to her and tell her she is a role model.
“That makes me happy, and it makes me feel like I’m doing something right,” Wong said. “It makes me want to try even harder for them and hopefully my story can encourage them to follow their dreams and never give up.”
She has always looked up to the women surfers who came before her — Carissa Moore, Bethany Hamilton and Coco Ho — and said she is proud to be a role model for the next generation.
Wong also likes to give back to her community. The pro surfer meets up with a group of girls every Friday who range in age from 7 to 14 and takes them surfing.
“It’s my little mentorship program,” said Wong, who gives the girls tips while they surf together. “I'm just trying to make a fun little safe place for the next generation of girls from my community and show them that I'm here for them.”
Wong also said winning the Pipeline Pro changed her relationship to surfing, which has always been joyful, but is now sometimes mixed with stress.
“I wasn't relying on surfing for anything except for a good time. Now, it's like a little bit of a different situation,” said Wong. “When you're a professional surfer, and this is your job, it definitely is a little harder to remember why you’re surfing, because you can get easily caught up in it and just be thinking about paychecks and thinking about the next contest.”
Surfing used to be the place where she released her stress — not where she got stressed — and she said when she gets stressed she reminds herself that “surfing is the funnest thing in the world.” She also said she focuses on being present.
“I love surfing and I'm so lucky that I get to call this like a job because it's really not a job,” Wong.
This year, she has stepped up her training.
“It’s more intense now,” said Wong. “Before I would just grab my surfboard and go out.”
She is more thoughtful about her nutrition, going to sleep early and waking up early.
“A lot of things go into performance and if you want to perform your best you really have to be doing the right things in life,” said Wong.
Wong has a full schedule ahead of her. She will compete in the Haleiwa Challenger starting on Saturday, the Vans Pipe Masters starting Dec. 8, the Backdoor Shootout starting on Jan. 4 and the Pipeline Pro starting on Jan. 23.
She knows everyone will be watching her at the Pipeline Pro in January and said there is “more pressure being the person to beat.”
“I’m not going to get bummed if I get beat because anything can happen in the heat. All the girls are amazing surfers,” said Wong. “Pipeline is going to choose who is going to win this year. That’s how this wave is. This wave is going to see who’s going to win the competition. I can try as hard as I want and if Pipeline says no, then Pipeline says no. So I’m just going to go out and have fun and try to catch some barrels.”
As for her long-term goals, Wong said she would love to be on the Championship Tour.
“That would be a dream come true to compete with the best of the best and surf the best waves in the world,” said Wong.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her ideas and feedback at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.