Surfing
Surfing
Carissa Moore is one of surfing’s all time greats, in and out of the water
Carissa Moore is a five-time world champion with a heart that could power a nation. As Queen Riss signs off from competing, we invite you to find out a little more about Hawaii's golden girl.
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Carissa Moore is a world surfing champion and the sport's first-ever Olympic gold medalist – but at the end of the day the woman they call 'Riss' would prefer to be known as a great human more than a great surfer.
In January 2024, Moore penned A Love Letter To Surfing, in which she announced that after the Lexus Pipe Pro she'd be stepping away from competing on the WSL's Championship Tour. In true Moore fashion the poignant missive was more an outpouring of gratitude than a celebratory sign-off, and while the surfing community mourns the loss of an icon from its highest ranks, it will forever celebrate and pay tribute to all that she has given the sport, and will continue to, in her next phase.
Carissa Moore, in her element
© Ryan Miller/Red Bull Content Pool
"Surfing is a part of who I am," said Moore, "and it always will be. This is by no means the end. I’d like to think of this instead as an evolution, the start of the next chapter, a new beginning. The Pipe Pro will be my final event on the Championship Tour. It seems most fitting to finish at home, where it all started."
As Moore has made perfectly clear, she is not retiring from surfing – no true surfer ever does – she is broadening her horizons. Since first qualifying for the Championship Tour in 2009, Moore has spent the past 15 years travelling to the same dozen locations with the same handful of humans, and while she loves those people and places dearly, it's time to mix things up a little.
Carissa Moore at home in Hawaii
© Steven Lippman/Red Bull Content Pool
"I don’t know how this is all gonna play out," said Moore. "It’s a little nerve-racking but also so exciting. I’m a constant work in progress, figuring it out as I go. This new swell has been building on the horizon for a while now, and I finally have the courage to follow it. I know who I am, what I want and what is meaningful to me. I am multi-dimensional. I am a surfer, but I am also a wife, sister, daughter, friend. I want to keep challenging myself in all areas of my life, explore the joy and, most importantly, find ways to share more love. Departing from the tour has definitely been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made, but it also feels completely right."
The most important lesson surfing has taught me is to commit, paddle hard, let go of the rails and enjoy the ride.
In 2021, after her win at the Tokyo Games, the mayor of her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii, granted Moore the keys to the city, and declared October 6 as Carissa Moore Day.
"It's my hope that anyone who's young and chasing their dreams knows that anything is possible if they work hard and put their heart and mind to it," said Moore in her beautiful acceptance speech.
For those who can't handle the thought of no longer seeing Moore surfing in competition, rest assured you've still got two last chances, both in Tahiti, with a golden swan song at Teahupo'o looming as the fairytale mic drop.
For now though, let's take a deeper look at a little of what Moore got up to along the way, while on her incredible journey to the top.
Carissa Moore's career by numbers
- 5 x WSL World Champion (2011, 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021)
- First ever surfing Gold Medallist, Tokyo 2020
- 3 x Triple Crown of Surfing victories (2020, 2021, 2022)
- 29 x WSL Championship Tour event victories
- 2 x WSL Championship Tour Runner-Up Finishes
- 5 x WSL Championship Tour Third Place Finishes
- WSL Rookie Of The Year (2010)
Carissa Moore many wins were always celebrated with husband Luke Untermann
© Laurent Masurel/WSL
- 5 x Surfer Poll Winner (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
- Surfer's Hall Of Fame (2014)
- Hawaii Waterman Hall of Fame (2021)
- January 4 declared Carissa Moore Day in Hawaii (2016)
- National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year (2012)
01
The first steps towards superstardom are the most fun
Born in Hawaii in 1992, it was Moore's dad, Chris, who first introduced her to surfing in the turquoise waters off Waikiki Beach, aged just five. Like any proud parent, Chris recorded videos of little Carissa surfing and wholeheartedly believed she could accomplish anything she set her mind to. "He’s always pushed me to strive for more than I thought I could," said Moore.
Young Carissa Moore, ready for the waves
© Chris Moore
"In the beginning, what really had me coming back was my dad and spending time with him. I started surfing when I was five and it was something that we always did together. It wasn’t until I was 10 or 12 years old that I think I fell in love with the challenge of it. That’s when I really enjoyed goal-setting and working towards stuff and actually competing. But in the beginning, it was just the pure joy of spending time with my dad and riding waves together."
I fell in love with surfing from that first wave with my dad in Waikiki. It felt like flying across water, and I became instantly addicted to that sense of freedom and pure joy. Dad, I don’t know if this was all a part of your master plan, but thank you, truly, for everything.
While Chris is now best known as Moore's longtime coach, he's also an artist and it was he who created the wing-style spray on her boards when she was young. When Moore was struggling for motivation in 2019, it was Chris who suggested bringing back the spray as a way to help Moore remember what it felt like to be a kid and the pure joy of surfing that went with it. Did a turnaround and a world title ensue? You already know the answer to that one.
02
Carissa Moore's scrapbook paints a picture of a multifaceted woman
The plan was simple: surprise Carissa Moore with a custom-made scrapbook detailing moments large and small from her venerable career, and let her reactions do the talking. The reaction, showcased in the video here, is just superb.
The scrapbook highlights once-in-a-lifetime moments, like her tow session at Jaws ("I'm not a big wave surfer," she notes), early-career moments like her stint as a Roxy girl and the quieter, in-between moments like a walk on the beach with her husband and their dog, Tuffy.
The scrapbook is especially sweet given Moore's own fondness for the craft and presenting it gave the makers of In Plain Sight the opportunity for a few quiet moments with her, far from the typical crush of media or high-stakes heats. As Moore flips through the pages, sitting cross-legged on a couch, different photos prompt anecdotes, memories, laughs and small confessions. The result is a sense of intimacy and a sense of who she is as a person.
Hawaiian champions like Carissa Moore will always love surfing in Honolulu
© Trevor Moran
Zeroing in on the moments that add up to a life is what this collection of images does for Moore. Taken together, the pictures are a portrait of a multifaceted woman; someone with a highly public persona who knows how to enjoy, prioritise and protect her life behind the scenes.
"The world that we live in moves so fast," said Moore. "When we can bring people back to the moment and share that joy, it’s like nothing else. When this is all said and done, all the friends I’ve made, from travelling and competing, is what will last forever. The end."
03
Carissa Moore wants you to be your best
Moore is the first to admit that although she loves surfing and competing, there are times when self-doubt can creep in. "I had fallen into that trap of negativity," Moore told Red Bull Basement about one particularly low point. "Then, I was like, ‘No more of this. Let's start turning this around and making it positive, and redefining who I am for myself, rather than for everybody else."
3 min
Carissa Moore on being confident
Surfer Carissa Moore on overcoming self-doubt, taking risks and why she loves Red Bull Basement.
Moore’s ability to shape her mindset and destiny once saw her named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year. In her humble way, she’s happy to offer some confidence-building advice for the next generation of new entrepreneurs and young innovators aiming to spark future change with Red Bull Basement, through these six tips:
- Live your passion.
- It's not about perfection.
- It's not about completely eliminating self-doubt, either.
- You be you.
- Think "stronger together."
- Join Red Bull Basement!
04
RISS
RISS: A Film about More Love with Carissa Kainani Moore follows her journey in 2019, and captures the year leading up to another world title moment with a steady gaze. An intimate look at one of surfing's most iconic athletes, RISS is both tender and playful, celebrating a comeback that was the culmination of years of emotional searching and hard-won personal strides.
41 min
RISS
Ride with surfer Carissa Moore around the 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour.
Most of all, RISS is a high-energy, self-aware time capsule and cinematic party. It's Moore as a young woman, defining who she is and becoming the person she wants to be: someone who's a world champion, but also a real person who’s “perfectly imperfect,” she said.
Finding her groove
© Peter Hamblin
In RISS, Moore is revelling in the life that she's defined for herself, through the trials and the triumphs. “Because we all have our things that we go through,” she said. “And it’s hard to show people that sometimes. We all want to have it together.”
Press play above to savour Peter Hamblin's 40-minute masterpiece and enjoy the full interview with Carissa about the movie here.
05
What’s next
First it was Haiti, then Iceland. Now it's Morocco and Israel that have piqued Moore's surfing interest and convinced her to spend her every spare moment away from the pro tour still travelling to remote locations in pursuit of saltwater therapy.
3 min
Carissa Moore – free and flaring
Three-time world champ Carissa Moore ditches the jersey and goes off the grid in Israel and Morocco.
"We lined up with an organisation called Surfing For Peace in Israel and went primarily to participate in one of their events. It was really emotional, powerful and everyone there was so happy that we were able to be a part of it. It’s one of the rare occasions, especially in that part of the world, where Muslim kids, Jewish kids and Christians all come together in peace around the common love of surfing. It was incredible."
Carissa and the local transport of choice
© Lucia Griggi
From Israel it was a short skip to Morocco. “Ever since I watched that Dane Reynolds segment there, I knew I needed to go there,” said Moore. “I'd been dreaming about it for years, but we knew that it was a bit unsafe so it never happened. Then, finally, our local connection hit us up and gave us the green light.”
Traveling the world, the adventures and experiences on tour have taught me more about life and living than any book ever could.
Naturally, the trip was a success and Moore filmed the edit you see above while on location, with yet another selfless goal in mind. "I want to motivate people to step outside their comfort zones and do stuff they might not otherwise do, while hopefully inspiring people to give back a little along the way.”
06
Moore boosts with the best
At the Rip Curl Newcastle Curl in 2021, Moore launched a perfectly grabbed Frontside Air-Reverse that was so lofted that she disappeared out of the top of the livestream screen momentarily. It was a move so unique that her opponent clapped in the shorebreak and all but high-fived her afterwards. Moore gasped in shock on landing and then spent the rest of the heat crying tears of joy, the clip going viral long before she hit the beach victorious over Johanne Defay.
The scoreboard would later show that this hall of fame manoeuvre somehow only registered a 9.90, but make no mistake it was a 10 every day of the week and somewhere a judge is still losing sleep over whichever key got stuck when they went to punch in their score. The aerial was the catalyst for Moore to bulldoze her way to yet another event victory, one of 28 and counting at the highest level.
07
Moore Aloha is the epitome of giving back
In 2018, Moore launched Moore Aloha, a non-profit that encourages young female surfers to be strong, confident and compassionate individuals. Moore had a hard time balancing life as a professional athlete with that of a teenager who grappled with her changing body and the search for her identity.
"I've put so much pressure on myself my whole life to get a certain result," she told the Red Bulletin, in 2022. "It was like, ‘Who am I if I’m not winning contests?'"
Moore Aloha is another way to remind people (including herself) to believe in themselves. “It's really cool to hear Carissa speak on that from her personal experience,” said fellow surfer Izzi Gomez. “She’s showing I can still be beautiful, an amazing human and an amazing athlete.” Moore admits her motivation is selfish, too – she feels good when she sees girls smile, walk away with a new friend and feel empowered after riding a surfboard for the first time.
08
Moore is surfing's golden girl
As detailed in her interview with The Red Bulletin, in 2021 Carissa Moore silenced her fiercest critic – Carissa Moore – to propel herself to one of the greatest years in surfing history. As well as winning Olympic gold in fine style, Moore did it without her usual travel companions for company and coaching thanks to the pandemic.
In times of doubt, Moore dug deep, with hopes of replicating the most famous Hawaiian Olympian of them all, Duke Kahanamoku, a five-time swimming medallist and the godfather of modern surfing. In winning gold, Moore achieved a dream that she hadn't foreseen a few years earlier, but the job wasn't quite complete. On Moore's return to Hawaii, the newly crowned champion made a special pilgrimage to the statue of Kahanamoku to share her leis with a fellow legend of surfing.
Celebrating a historic victory with Team USA after a golden run in Tokyo
© Ryan Miller/Red Bull Content Pool
On the World Surf League Championship Tour that same year Moore cruised into the Rip Curl WSL Finals day with a firm grasp on the title. But, after a slow start, Moore felt pushed up against the wall. "I was like, 'hey, you can either continue this negative self-doubt, downward spiral and just give up now, or you can dig deep and give it your best shot and fight'.”
Moore leaned on years of preparation, remembering all her sessions at Lower Trestles over the years, and training with her dad Chris back home on Oahu, to overcome her self-doubt and power to victory, claiming world title number five in the process. You could say Moore isn’t just part of Duke Kahanamoku’s legacy, she’s carrying it on.
Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks
© Jake Marote
In both 2022 and 2023, Moore faced her hardest times in competitive surfing, arriving in California with the number one ranking but stumbling at the Rip Curl WSL Finals on both occasions, two world titles slipping through her fingers in the process, and going the way of Stephanie Gilmore and Caroline Marks instead. Moore's graciousness in defeat, and her sheer class in congratulating her opponents, despite each brutal loss, saw her win the hearts of more surf fans than perhaps even claiming the title might have done, and Moore refuses to hide behind excuses or hide behind the hurt.
"Am I frustrated that I wasn’t able to rise to the occasion?" said Moore. "Yes. Do I wish there were two more big shiny world title trophies on my mantle? Hell yes. But it didn’t happen that way, and I am okay. I am proud of how I’ve shown up every year and given my best regardless of the outcome. It’s from these losses that I’ve found my strength and somehow felt the deepest sense of love and support."
When asked to describe Moore, the same answer is often repeated: she’s a great human. “Carissa's not just a world champion,” said Marks. "She’s the people's champion.” Amen to that.
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