Paris 2024 Olympics surfing: Carissa Moore brings the aloha spirit to Teahupo’o
Carissa Moore’s surfboard is made out of foam, resin and fiberglass. Her wetsuit is synthetic rubber. She wears headphones while on shore and a water-resistant watch.
Yet, here at the Olympic Games, decked out in the latest surfing gear, she feels the closest she has ever been to fellow Hawaii native Duke Kahanamoku, who had popularised surfing a century ago while riding the waves on a 52kg board made of koa tree wood.
“Tahiti, in a way, is really close to home,” the Tokyo 2020 champion told Olympics.com. “In Hawaii, the culture is really similar. The people are so warm and hospitable, and the ocean feels very same in the way that it has so much power. I think there is that aloha state of mind down there.”
Used across the Hawaiian Islands as a greeting and a goodbye, “aloha” has a deeper spiritual meaning denoting kindness, humility and harmony. It is about loving yourself and spreading that love and positive energy to others.
Tahitians, the hosts of the Paris 2024 surfing competition, have a similar concept of “mana”, which is a sacred force that inhabits and connects all living things. This word is also used 4,000km across the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii.
Moore, who has jetted back and forth between her home and Tahiti ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, feels these forces more strongly than most and she hopes people will connect to a piece of that spirit when watching the surfing competition at Teahupo'o.
Moore's golden waves: "I'll be a surfer until I'm old and grey"
Carissa Moore feels most in harmony with herself when she is in the ocean. Growing up in Oahu, it has been her constant companion, friend and refuge.
Her father, Chris, was a competitive marathon swimmer and first put her on a board when Moore was five years old. The father and daughter would ride in tandem on the same board at Waikiki Beach, enjoying the pristine aquamarine water and stunning views of the volcanic Diamond Head.
Around age 10, Moore started getting more serious about the sport.
“I remember having a more serious conversation with my dad about where I wanted to take surfing and that was when he started to see the potential in me,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘OK, well, if he believes in me that much, then alright, let's give it a shot’. And I really enjoyed it and I loved the challenge.”
Moore started competing regularly. Seven years later, aged 17, she made her debut on the WSL Championship Tour, the surfing’s top circuit then called the ASP. She won two events in her first year and was named Rookie of the Season.
The following season, she never finished below the Top 3 and was rewarded with a world title shortly before her 18th birthday. Moore would go on to win four more titles – in 2013, 2015, 2019 and 2021 – and become one of the most dominant female surfers in history.
While her status in the sport has changed dramatically over the past decade, Moore’s love for surfing has remained as pure as on the day she first dipped her toes into the foam.
“The best part about surfing is that it is super fun. It's a fun sport,” she said. “I always enjoy getting out in the ocean and riding the waves, and I'll always be a surfer, even until I'm old and grey. It brings me a lot of joy. And there's something about connecting with the ocean and the elements that makes it really spiritual.
“I feel very fortunate that I have had a lot of really beautiful moments in the ocean. I think some of my favourite days are just surfing at home with my dad or my husband or my little sister at one of my favourite local spots, and the sun is shining and it's warm and the waves are really good and there's nothing to worry about.”
The aloha spirit of an Olympic champion
A bronze Duke Kahanamoku statue greeted Moore and her father in the mornings on their way to surf at Waikiki. The bronze likeness of a man dubbed “the father of modern surfing” still stands there in front of his signature 16-foot surfboard, arms outstretched with – disregarding public advisory notices – lei flower garlands tossed onto them.
While Moore’s appreciation for the Hawaiian hero has always been strong, it took a trip across the ocean to the Olympic Games in Tokyo to sense that connection even more.
“The thing that I brought with me to Tokyo was definitely the aloha spirit mindset and those values,” Moore said. “[The Games] definitely broadened my horizons, gave me a different perspective. I actually felt more connected to my roots and where I come from. I learned a lot through the process about Duke Kahanamoku and Hawaii and our culture of surfing, and I take really great pride in that and being able to share that with the rest of the world.
“We all want to win, but at the end of the day, it's more about the experience and sharing the love and that spirit of aloha and being kind and compassionate. And I think no matter what happens, we're all given this platform to hopefully make a positive impact.”
That aloha spirit permeates Moore’s daily life. Hard to define, the two-time Olympian senses it most strongly when out on the waves.
“When I'm not competing and I'm just out there surfing, it's freedom,” Moore said. “It's very hard to find that presence and peace in today's age. There's a lot thrown at us to distract us all the time, and so it's very rare to find those moments of complete peace. And if you're not present, the ocean is going to take you out. And so, you're forced to really be in the moment, and I love that.”
Even after countless trips that have taken her to the most beautiful waves in the world, Moore says she still feels grateful for the little bright moments that pop up in her day-to-day life.
True to her slow-life mantra, she will take the time to watch the sun dip under the ocean waves, walk her dogs on Hawaii’s fragrant spring evenings, or make friendship bracelets with teen girls that she mentors back home.
“I think we all have to press pause in our lives and take a look around and really appreciate the moment,” Moore said. “The deep values of a surfer is this idea of being open and adaptable to whatever comes your way and going with the flow and surrendering to the universe, as I think the ocean is very much that way.”
“If you try too hard or force it to happen, it'll elude you. That wave is never going to come. So much like in life, if you try too hard or hold on to something too tight, it won't happen for you,” Carissa Moore to Olympics.com
Carissa Moore surfing in round one of the Paris 2024 competition in Tahiti.
Bringing the aloha spirit to Tahiti
Letting go is easier said than done when facing a massive wave, like Teahupo’o.
Moore has prepared for years, finetuning her equipment and training techniques ahead of her second Olympic Games. But when the moment came to drop in, she surrendered to the power of “mana” – the same word spoken both on her native Oahu and the French Polynesian shores of Tahiti.
“I have so much respect for the ocean, especially growing up in Hawaii. The ocean is a huge part of our culture, and it carries so much power and ‘mana’, as we call it,” Moore said. “It's one of those things that you can't disrespect, otherwise it's going to come and get you. So, it's about finding that beautiful unity and harmony and balance with it.”
Teahupo’o, in particular, is a wave that “deserves respect”. Called the “The End of the Road”, in a sense, Teahupo’o is exactly that for Moore – a glimmering stage where she is trying to defend her gold medal and further solidify her already formidable surfing legacy.
She has taken time off the WSL Championship Tour to focus on the Olympic Games and has competed in only two stops this season. Fittingly, it was at the home Pipeline Pro in Oahu and Tahiti Pro.
With one Olympic gold medal already in her collection, Moore says she is surfing with no expectations, only pure gratitude for the road that has taken her here and the platform to share her aloha message of love and compassion.
“When I was a little girl, the Olympics wasn't even a part of the picture, so it was never a part of my big dream until a few years ago. Before Japan happened, it was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is real. This is actually happening’,” Moore said.
“I hope my surfing makes people feel something. I hope it sparks inspiration in themselves to follow their passions and achieve their dreams. And I hope by doing what I love that it encourages, empowers other people to be the best versions of themselves.”