The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy 2023 commenced on Tuesday, August 22 with the single-fin surfboards division.
single-fin surfboards division of the event saw Joel Parkinson, the 2012 world champion and a former competitor in the Surfing Champions Trophy, emerge as the victor. Adriano de Souza, the 2015 world champion, secured the runner-up position in the same division.
The tournament will see participants compete across single fin, twin fin and thruster divisions. The event follows a staggered schedule, with start times aligned based on age. As such, the tournament will see Parkinson surf 31-minute heats, Adriano de Souza will commence at the 28-minute mark, followed by Hawaiian siblings Mason Ho and CoCo Ho in sequence. Maldivian wild card entrant Hood “Hoobs” Ahmed will join the water a minute after them, and Conner Coffin is scheduled to enter the competition at the 25-minute mark.
Speaking about the opening day heat, Parkinson said, “Today was firing! It’s amazing to be back here. I feel like I’ve put a lot of time into my single fin surfing these past few years. Hopefully I can be as competitive in the next rounds but once the boards get a little more high-performance I think my surfing might get left behind.”
De Souza kicked off his day with a victory over CoCo Ho and Hood Ahmed. Despite requiring some time in the first half of his initial heat to fine-tune his equipment, the surfer swiftly demonstrated his prowess as a formidable contender. He concluded the round with an impressive total of 15.50 points from his two waves.
CoCo, who rode the surfboard from her newly established brand in collaboration with shaper Matt Parker, showcased remarkable maneuvers during the round.
“It’s about time surfboards were designed for women, and that doesn’t just mean ‘shrink it and pink it’, that means making boards that actually work,” Coco said.
Parkinson went up against Mason and Californian style master Conner who recently announced his retirement from WSL competition. “I’m new to this, so I thought I’d better get over here and let Joel show me how it’s done!” Connor said.
Parkinson concluded the round with a score of two eight-point rides, securing him the victory. Mason claimed the second position, while Conner finished the heat in the third spot.
In the first semi-final, CoCo and De Souza engaged in a tight competition, exchanging strong performances from start to finish. De Souza progressed to the next round, securing it with two waves each earning seven points.
Parkinson surfed his way into an early lead with a 6.5-point ride before CoCo joined the lineup in the second semi-final. Parkinson then secured a 7.5-point score for his subsequent wave, resulting in a cumulative score of 8.1 for him.
In the final moments of the competition, Parkinson managed to achieve the highest wave score of the day, an impressive 9.27, while CoCo secured a score of 7.1.
In the all-world champion final, Joel competed against De Souza, ultimately earning a score of 9.07. De Souza followed closely with a score of 8.43.
“A win is the best way to kick off the working vacation, isn’t it? I’m really looking forward to enjoying the afternoon, and doing it all over again tomorrow,” Parkinson said.
In the single fin division, Parkinson grabbed the top spot, while De Souza from Brazil secured the second position. The Hawaiian surfer siblings secured the third spot, with Connor and Hood finishing in the last positions for this division. In terms of accumulated points, Parkinson secured 1,000 points, followed by De Souza with 900 points. Both CoCo and Mason earned 800 points each, while Hood and Connor each secured 700 points.
The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy will run from August 21 to 28.
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