Surfing is competitive but we should play fair

Conditions were near-perfect on the afternoon of Nov. 30, Day Two of the Maui Women’s Pro at Honolua Bay, as the waves arrived like ranks of goddesses — tall, lithe and glittery gray — to be welcomed by the women surfing in this culminating event of the world championship tour. What followed was a visual symphony as the contestants channelled the power of the sea, drawing out its beauty — and their own — in fluid lines and bursts of energy.

“It was very good size, pretty solid when they came last night, when the swell showed up,” said Hawaii surfer Malia Manuel in a phone interview. “They were some of the best waves I got at Honolua or any event,” she said of the pumping conditions during the quarterfinal heat she won against fellow charging right-hander Nikki Van Dijk.

“Malia’s just on fire. Points just for the commitment on that drop!” World Surf League announcers said during a live stream of the event, calling attention to her “pure lines drawn” and her smile.

That smile carried through her semifinal heat the next day, when she rode barrels and bombs with a dancer’s grace, making it look almost easy in the steep, pitching, hyper-fast waves.

“I really was just happy,” Manuel said. Following the elimination of Carissa Moore and Tatiana Weston-Webb, “I was one of the last (Hawaii surfers) left standing. I was just so thankful that I had survived to the last day.”

When we spoke on Dec. 1, she had just lost in the finals to Stephanie Gilmore, who surfed with the skill, commitment and flair that have made her a six-time world champ and runner-up to fellow Aussie Tyler Wright this year.

“It was pretty dreamy to final with Steph in perfect swell direction and conditions,” Manuel said, adding something that struck me: “With this injury and not having any pressure to requalify, I could just enjoy Mother Nature.”

Manuel had badly torn her MCL knee ligament surfing at Margaret River, Australia, the second event of this year’s tour, and missed four contests. Having returned to place third in Portugal, fifth in France and second in Maui, she is almost certain to be able to return to the tour without having to compete in requalification rounds.

Manuel had also recovered, during Round 3 at Honolua, from something that could have thrown her off her stride, when Weston-Webb paddled in front of her, blocking her from taking off on a wave.

Manuel caught and rode other waves, narrowly winning the three-contestant heat.

Things happen in the excitement and pressure of competition, she said when I asked her about it, noting that Weston-Webb apologized. However, “I was just bummed that it kind of put us out of place for a couple of waves afterward (and) I was just wondering if they were even going to make a call.”

After several minutes, the judges unanimously called interference against Weston-Webb, but the penalty in this case, where she scored poorly on the wave she took from Manuel, turned out to be a negligible deduction in points.

RECENTLY, a reader who calls himself “Yogaman” asked for a column on surf etiquette.

“I don’t mind the crowds, beginners and tourists out in the lineups, but please learn the basic rules and courtesies before you come out. Blocking paths and ‘snaking’ people off waves is not cool,” he wrote in an email.

It’s hard to install etiquette in amateurs, however, when they can see the pros disrespect it.

“Surfing is my spiritual connection time,” Yogaman said.

Manuel said that as a professional, she just wants to maintain the rhythm of catching waves under time constraints.

Rude behavior interrupts all that. Surf etiquette is an ongoing topic in this column, and I look forward to hearing more from readers.

“In the Lineup” features Hawaii’s oceangoers and their regular hangouts, from the beach to the deep blue sea. Reach Mindy Pennybacker at mpennybacker@staradvertiser.com or call 529-4772.