The 2008 Reef Hawaiian Pro was always going to be about the new guard of women’s surfing from the opening heat of competition. Today, Haleiwa crowned its youngest ever Vans Triple Crown of Surfing event champion in 16-year-old Carissa Moore (Honolulu). Moore won her way through every round of the competition from the preliminary trials heat that awarded one wildcard spot into the event. She now leads the 2008 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series ratings.

Three teenagers and a 36-year-old, 7-time world champion featured in the 30-minute final. Moore won, multiple world champ Layne Beachley (Manly, Australia) was second, 17-year-old Laura Enever (Narrabeen, Australia) was third, and North Shore local Coco Ho, 17, was fourth.

Haleiwa’s Ali’i Beach Park offered up clean and highly contestable 4-5 foot surf for the women’s final day of action, with left-handers the order of the day.

While Moore’s rise to the win came with calm, sure-footedness, there was no shortage of drama around her to help pave the road to victory.

In the final, 17-year-old Coco Ho was at the center of drama. A win here would have guaranteed Ho a start on the 2009 elite World Tour, but after finding herself in fourth for most of the heat, her focus shifted to securing the win for Moore. With less than a minute remaining, Beachley was in need of little more than six points to steal the win from Moore. Ho took off, dropping in on Beachley, popping an air above her head and effectively shutting down Layne’s scoring potential in.

While it will never be known if Layne would have earned the score she needed to win, its indisputable that Moore earned the victory on the merits of her surfing alone.

“It was my dream to one day win out here and I’m really happy,” said Moore.

As the final ASP women’s World Qualifying Series (WQS) event of the year, all eyes will now shift to the next two stops on the Vans Triple Crown to determine the final outcome!

Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California (October 13, 2008) – Powered by consistently strong surfing, pro surfer Sofia Mulanovich stands back on top of the Association of Surfing Professionals 2008 Women’s World Championship Tour ratings following her performance at the Beachley Classic. The Beachley Classic, stop number five of eight on the tour where Mulanovich placed third, was held at Manly Beach, Australia from October 9-13, 2008.

Mulanovich, now up 463 points, scored an impressive 8.67 out of a possible 10 before succumbing to a minor injury in the semifinals. Her first place ranking was secured earlier in the contest after Stephanie Gilmore lost in round three to 14-year-old Tyler Wright, who went on to win the event. In the same round, Mulanovich continued on after defeating Karina Petroni.

Sofia Mulanovich has a world title to her name, and is sitting pretty on the women’s World Championship tour for 2008. She can now add 4th time recipient of the Surfer Poll award to her long list of accomplishments. The Surfer Poll award is a highly coveted honor in the surfing world because it is strictly voted on by the public! Congratulations to Sofia, and best wishes for the remaining 2008 season.  Another World Championship is well within reach!

When Sofia isn’t busy dominating the world of women’s surfing, she dabbles into footwear design. Sofia has been helping the design team with her second signature sandal for Reef, due out next summer!

Megan Abubo, 2007 Reef Hawaiian Pro Champ

At Reef headquarters, November can only mean two things: Turkey and lots of Aloha. From November 12th-23rd, the Reef crew packs up and heads to the North Shore for the 6 star WQS Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa. Last year was a mix of extreme talent, and a generous helping from Mother Nature, the competitors scored solid surf during the contest making for a dramatic ending in the finals.

Haleiwa is an unbelievable setting to witness some insane surfing from the worldуs best and brightest, especially the Hawaiian locals. Last year, Megan Abubo and Roy Powers put on an electrifying show, earning them both maiden titles. Who will take home the Tiki Trophy this year?  Stay tuned to www.reef.com for the live web cast.

Since Reef swim & apparel launched last spring, our products have popped up on the pages of some pretty illustrious magazines. From Teen Vogue & 17, to Self, Women’s Health, Foam and even Oprah, editors have been requesting lots of looks from Reef to feature in photo shoots and editorials!  Check out this link to see Reef PR in action!

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