“I’m so grateful I got to feel that again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to feel it again. I don’t know how long my career is going to last.
“I’m here for the rest of the season, but I just am so, so grateful that I got to experience something like that, when you believe in something so much.”
Posting the highest heat total in every round of the women’s draw, and at least one excellent score in every heat she surfed, the 33-year-old tapped into something at Manu Bay.
In the final, Lindblad was equally impressive. The 20-year-old goofy-footer thrived all week surfing on her forehand, and, counting a 9.00 and a 7.67, her 16.67 heat total was strong.
The surfers went back and forth, trading good scores throughout the heat and into the final quarter, Lindblad held the lead.
Needing a score in the excellent range, Moore found a bigger set and a wave that stood up for her, and she went to work.
The Hawaiian scored a 9.40 to turn the heat, finishing with a two-wave total of 17.90.
It was a special win for Moore, with her husband, Luke Untermann, daughter, Olena Lililehua Untermann, and father, Chris Moore, watching from the rocks.
In the men’s final, it was a win for the goofy-footers as 2019 world champion Brazilian Italo Ferreira went to town on his forehand against Australian Morgan Cibilic.
Ferreira was in the earlier heat that was stopped after in-water photographer Ed Sloane was bitten on the left foot by an unidentified animal.
That heat, against fellow Brazilian Yago Dora, was put on hold for about four hours before resuming with 20 minutes on the clock and Ferreira progressing.
In the final, the 32-year-old showed his flair, as he combined his aerial ability with his power turns to put up a massive 17.50 heat total, with scoring waves of 9.33 and 8.17.
“It’s been an incredible journey in the last couple of days. I was so determined to win this event because I love to surf lefts, I love to do combinations of manoeuvers and I knew the final would be a hard heat against Morgan,” Ferreira told the Herald.
“I was like ‘okay, all in. All the energy for one heat’. I’m so glad to win this event and finally go back home for a couple of days, then start again.”
Cibilic, who had to surf in round one as one of the lower-ranked surfers on tour this season, had an impressive week and gave a great account of himself in the final.
The 26-year-old posted a 15.80 heat total, including an excellent 8.80 ride, but ultimately fell short.
While it was hoped the finals would be able to run in the morning, with the day starting at 7.30am, the decision to wait for favourable afternoon conditions – after the delay caused by Sloane’s injury – proved to be the right call with every finalist putting up a big score.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.