Only 19, Carissa Moore burst onto the women’s competitive surf scene in 2011 with astonishing results. She won the professional tour’s first event, the Roxy Pro on Australia’s Gold Coast, then followed that with other impressive victories at the Beachley Classic and the Billabong Rio Pro.
Over the course of the season, Moore only finished below second once - a third at the US Open. She notched three seconds to go with her three wins and held off a very strong challenge from Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons to win the World Surfing Championship. In November, she was given a rare invitation to compete with the men at the Van’s Triple Crown.