Aloha Rip Curl,
This November I went to Fiji to start the month off. Fiji was incredible. It is beautiful. I went there for a surf trip, on a boat charter called the Tui Tai . I didn't really know anyone that I was going to be on the trip with, but I made some good friends. We didn't get the best surf. We had one fun day at a perfect little barreling right. And that definitely was great to just score a good wave.
I ended up SCUBA diving a lot. And I got Scuba certified! The reefs were just incredible there! I saw the most beautiful purples and just tons of sea animals! I saw lots of SHARKS, which wasn't really scary for me; they were only like 3 feet long. It was actually really exciting! I saw sting ray, really cool starfish, tons of fish. It was like no other reef I've ever seen in my life. And it just made the trip so special and worthwhile. I'm definitely hooked on Scuba Diving, and now with my certification, I can go anywhere in the world!
Along with diving, I got to check out some of the local villages. We had 3 doctors on the boat, and we would go into the village with them. And they would test people and help them with any problems they were having. Many of them had skin problems. But it was cool to get to do some humanitarian work. We got to play with a lot of kids in the towns. Most of them had never left the little town they grew up in, so to play with foreigners was really exciting for them. I had a blast just being around the kids.
We also got to see a lot of local dancing. The lifestyle is really different in Fiji. It was kind of like being in Hawaii back in the day. It was really neat to see their CULTURE. And that's kind of what traveling is all about - just learning about other people's cultures and their way of living. The Fijian people are very beautiful and loving. They have a lot of Aloha in them. It made the trip really special just being around the Fijians and meeting them.
So I went straight from Fiji to Oahu for the HALEIWA specialty CT event. I was so stoked to get a spot in that contest cause it was really hard to get into. The waves ended up being un-typical of Haleiwa, cause it was a more North swell; so there was more lefts, and Haleiwa is known for it's rights. I had a hard time in my heat, and did, actually, pretty terrible.
But it was exciting to watch one of my best friends, Alana Blanchard, make it to the finals and end up WINNING the event! I'm just so proud of her and it was so good to see her finish well. It encourages me to keep stepping forward... my turn will come, someday!
Next was the Sunset Beach, Gidget Pro. I got the wild card into that event. The waves were pretty good for the girls. In my first heat, I actually was pretty stoked at how I did. But I ended up not even making the heat. I lost by 0.08 to Paige Hareb, a really talented girl from New Zealand. Luckily there was a Repercharge heat (basically a second chance at advancing). I ended up making that heat, along with fellow Kauai surfer, Malia Manuel. I was stoked to see her do well in the event.
Sunset is a really tricky wave, and in the quarterfinal, I was just kind of out of rhythm with the sets and the waves in the heat. But, overall I was stoked to surf Sunset with only 3 other girls, and compete there! And it was a really good learning experience. I'm stoked that Gidget put on such a great, exciting event for the women!
Alana again made the final, and is still in the lead for the Triple Crown! And I'm so happy for my friend Carissa for winning another CT event, starting as a trialist! Also a big congratulations to my friend and fellow Rip Curl teamrider, Stephanie Gilmore, for winning her 3rd consecutive World Title!
Overall, November was a great month. I spent the majority of the month on the North shore of Oahu staying at the Rip Curl girl house - a really beautiful house right on the ocean. And I've just been surfing my brains out and hanging out with friends! It's been a really great time to work on my surfing and compete over here. It's been keeping me busy! I can't wait to go home for a good relaxing holiday and be with my dog, Hana, cause I missed her birthday. She's now 1 year old!
Have a great Christmas! ~Bethany
