Chase for surfing crown begins with Fanning the leader

Leave it to Hawaii’s Carissa Moore to give insight on just how special the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and the rest of the North Shore contest season is.

"It’s actually a two-part question," said Moore, a two time World Surf League women’s world champion, when asked for her thoughts on the men’s world-title race that will be decided in the season-ending Billabong Pipe Masters in December. "It’s a crazy, close race between (four) guys who could all win it, and it might come down to who does the best at Pipe. Whoever wins it will be the one who deserves it. But if you ask me who I want to win at Pipe, the contest itself, I’ve got to say (Hawaii’s) John John (Florence). I love John John."

Australia’s Mick Fanning, who made worldwide news when he was attacked by a shark earlier this year in the final of a WSL contest at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa, is the men’s ratings leader. Two Brazilians, Filipe Toledo and Adriano de Souza, are right on his tail in the standings and could emerge as the world champ for a Brazilian repeat. Gabriel Medina won it all last year, the first Brazilian to do so. He is fourth in the ratings now and has an outside shot at another crown.

Fanning is going for his fourth world championship.

The Pipe Masters (Dec. 8-20) is the third event of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, which starts Thursday with the Hawaiian Pro at Alii Beach Park in Haleiwa. The waiting period runs through Nov. 23. The second leg, the Vans World Cup of Surfing, is from Nov. 24 to Dec. 6 at Sunset Beach.

Moore holds a slight edge over California’s Courtney Conlogue in her chase for a third women’s championship, and the winner will be determined at the Target Maui Pro, Nov. 21 through Dec. 4, at Honolua Bay on Maui.

"Going into this last event, I’m trying to let go a little bit," Moore said. "It could go my way and it may not go my way. The scary part is that it’s coming down to this one last moment. So I think if I let go in terms of being tied to the outcome and just go out (and) surf with my heart, everything will be fine."

In addition, an overall men’s Triple Crown champion will emerge. Florence is one of the favorites, having won it twice. Every Triple Crown winner since 2007 is expected to be in it, including last year’s winner, Julian Wilson of Australia, as well as two-time Triple Crown champ and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.

The season-ending contests are important for Hawaii surfers trying to re-qualify for the world tour. The top 22 men and top 10 women in the rankings automatically make the tour next year, so Hawaii’s Keanu Asing (No. 21), Sebastian Zietz (No. 24) on the men’s tour and Tatiana Weston-Webb (No. 8), Malia Manuel (No. 9), Coco Ho (No. 11) and Alessa Quizon (No. 13) on the women’s tour have work to do to lock up spots.