Elite Female Surfers Prepare for Maui Women’s Pro

Defending event winner and three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) will battle for a third consecutive victory at the Maui Women’s Pro. Photo: WSL/Poullenot

The world’s best female surfers are descending upon Honolua Bay to prepare for the final Championship Tour event of the season, the Maui Women’s Pro. The competition window runs from Nov. 23 to Dec. 5, 2016.

The event returned to the schedule in 2014 for the first time since 2009 and has been the season finale of the elite women’s tour ever since. Newly crowned 2016 WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) will lead the field into the fourth edition of the Maui Women’s Pro. Wright will surf in Heat 3 of Round 1 where she will take on Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and the trials winner.

Defending event winner and three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW) will be one to keep an eye on during the Maui event. With two event wins under her belt in 2014, and 2015, Moore will look to defend her title and claim a third consecutive victory at Honolua Bay in front of a home crowd. She will face Laura Enever (AUS) and Lakey Peterson (USA) in Round 1 Heat 5.

The wildcard will be determined by a one heat trials event. The trials will take place on the first day of competition prior to Round 1 and four surfers will contest for a spot in the main event alongside the WSL Top 17. They are Summer Macedo (HAW), the highest ranked Maui surfer on the QS, Mahina Maeda (HAW), the highest ranked Hawaiian surfer on the QS, Brisa Hennesy (HAW), the Hawaiian Pro Junior Champion, and Bethany Hamilton (HAW).

The Maui Women’s Pro is the final opportunity for CT surfers to qualify for next season’s elite tour and the event will be fueled by a battle for requalification.

The 2017 WSL Top 17 will be comprised of:

– the Top 10 finishers on the 2016 Championship Tour (CT)
– the Top 6 finishers on the 2016 Qualifying Series (QS)
– one WSL wildcard

Catch the Maui Women’s Pro webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app. Hawai’i viewers can tune into Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 250 & 1250.

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com

Maui Women’s Pro Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Johanne Defay (FRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW), Sage Erickson (USA), Alessa Quizon (HAW)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS), Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), TBD
Heat 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Chelsea Tuach (BRB)
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW), Laura Enever (AUS), Lakey Peterson (USA)
Heat 6: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Malia Manuel (HAW), Coco Ho (HAW)