We have so many rising surf stars in Noosa it’s hard to keep up, but 16-year-old Mia Waite need wait no longer for recognition that’s well deserved.
The teenager doing year 11 at Sunshine Beach State High has been a winner or finalist in just about every longboard comp going over the past three years, the most recent being alongside Noosa friend and mentor Kirra Molnar in very tricky conditions at Burleigh Heads last weekend for the World Surf League qualifying series season opener.
But what’s really got Mia and her wonderfully supportive and surf-stoked mum and dad excited is her nomination for the Stephanie Gilmore Female Rising Star Award, alongside Milla Brown and shortboard phenom Sierra Kerr, in the 2023 Australian Surfing Awards and Hall of Fame. Winners will be announced at a gala presentation night in Sydney next Wednesday.
The Waite family arrived in Noosa from Torquay, Victoria seven years ago, but Mia says her love of the ocean began on the Surf Coast long before she could even walk properly.
“The ocean is my biggest form of inspiration. From three months old you would find me at my beach playground at Torquay Point climbing, exploring, watching and being excited by the sound of waves crashing on the shore.”
When the nine-year-old Mia saw Noosa’s peeling point waves for the first time, and watched young girls trimming elegantly on their longboards, she fell in love all over again, but while riding a longboard soon became her passion too, she is also serious about school, and lists her favourite academic pursuits as science, maths and surfing – not sure about the order!
Mia says: “I show great determination and persistence in all aspects of life, especially with my surf training, working hard daily to improve my style, power and presence in the water. I also believe that it is up to young female surfers to continue to protect the ocean and waterways and let it sustain our need for creativity and travel.”
Speaking of which, Mia has the travel bug, bad. She says: “I had my first trip overseas two years ago, as the youngest female invitee to the Single Fin Mingle in New Zealand. This year I plan to participate in international longboarding events and hopefully make the cut for the world tour.” Having ridden her Thomas surfboard to victory in last year’s Queensland and Australian longboard and logger girls under 18 division, as well as making the open women’s final at the nationals, she’s off to a flying start.
Also representing Noosa at next week’s Australian Surfing Awards is Landen Smales, nominated in two categories, the Mick Fanning Rising Star award and the Indigenous Surfing award.
Sunset goes washing machine
With the Hurley Pro at Sunset Beach on hold for Monday, being a public holiday in Hawaii, I’ll present a full wrap of the event in this place next week, but the first two days of competition in increasingly washing machine conditions at biggish and gnarly Sunset produced some interesting scenarios in the surf and in the commentary booth.
First, the surfing. Well, having made it to round three for the first time this year, and having survived his 52nd birthday last week, Kelly Slater came out punching on day two as a sideshore wind and ferocious rip tore the heart out of the west peak and made wave choice something of a lucky dip. The GOAT knows Sunset better than most, and that includes title hopeful Ethan Ewing, but Kelly couldn’t stick one no matter how hard he tried, and it got down to needing a six on the buzzer. Having gone for the barrel successfully on day one, Kelly skittered down the wind-ripped face looking for a repeat, but the wave offered nothing but a flattening face. So, what did he do? He pointed the board vertical and launched into a carving 360, a trademark Slater move since the ‘90s.
He lost the heat but pulled off the manoeuvre, and was the old fella stoked! Hell, we might even see him next month at Supertubos.
The Aussie men looked strong, but unfortunately the draw had them cannibalising each other, with Burleigh’s Liam O’Brien knocking out Straddie’s Ethan Ewing in the round of 16, with Newcastle’s Ryan Callinan doing the same to Connor O’Leary in the very next heat. With Jack Robinson taking the last quarter final berth, we have three in the final eight.
Meanwhile, taking a seat in the commentary lounge on day one, who did we have but reigning world champ Filipe Toledo, all smiles and apparently recovered from his food poisoning if not his mental health issues. But you have to hand it to Fil, showing up for a guest gig (at his sponsor’s insistence, I’m guessing) just a few days after quitting the tour for the rest of the year to spend time with his kids and overcome his fear of big, scary waves.
Asked specifically about why he pulled the pin, Fil’s answers didn’t really make much sense, but I think it was truly commendable that he faced up to his fans, if not yet his fears.
This wasn’t the bully boy lout we saw on the stairs at Bells a couple of years ago. This was an extremely talented and still young surfer courageously starting the long walk back to self esteem. Good luck to him.
