Dawn had barely broken on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, but Carissa Moore’s energy was virtually infectious. Even at 6:30 a.m., the 31-year-old world champion surfer seemed game for anything—including a 6:30 a.m. phone call. “I woke up half an hour ago. I made myself a cup of matcha. I’m ready,” she said. In a few days, Moore will compete as one of the five surfers representing the United States at this year’s Summer Olympics. This is only the second time the sport has been included in the official programming of the Olympics, yet when Vogue spoke to her earlier this summer, any inkling of stress or anxiousness was undetectable in the upbeat tone of her voice.
“I’m going to try to have fun,” Moore told Vogue. I haven’t been competing on the tour, so I’m kind of coming in like the underdog. I sort of like being in that position—it takes some of the pressure off,” she explained. Considering Moore won the Olympic gold medal in Tokyo, making her the first gold medalist in the history of the sport (and thus the defending return champion), her perspective is inspiring, if not a bit curious. The underdog? For those who don’t closely follow the sport, Moore (a five-time world champion) had announced in January that she would step back from this year’s champion tour—and after the Olympics, from competitive surfing altogether. “Being at the top of my game, the external expectation is to keep going, but my heart is telling me it’s time to pivot,” she shared on Instagram. “It’s a little nerve racking, but also exciting,” she added.
Alas, the French Polynesian island of Tahiti (this year’s Olympics site), will play host to Moore’s first competition in months, and also the last of her career. “The waves in Tahiti are really tricky. It’s a mental and physical game,” she said, explaining that the big barrels, shallow coral reef, and heavy drop make the waves there especially unique—not to mention dangerous. “It’s a completely different wave than what I’m used to here,” added Moore, who began surfing with her father off Honolulu at the age of five. Her training strategy for Tahiti was to station herself there in the weeks leading up to the Games and spend as much time in the water as possible.
Though she hasn’t made any major changes to her physical routine since the Tokyo Olympics (“It’s like that saying, ‘If if ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’” she laughed), Moore recently started meditating. “It’s really hard sometimes! Ten minutes isn’t that long, but some days it can feel like forever,” she laughed again. Despite its challenges at times, overall the practice has helped Moore to quiet her mind, especially given all the unknowns that lay ahead for her.
When asked about how she’s navigating a change as consequential as her impending retirement, Moore referenced the champion free diver and spearfisher Kimi Werner, a fellow Hawaiian whose 2023 TED Talk especially resonated with her decision to move on from surfing, while also providing a sense of support and guidance. “When you feel the need to speed up, slow down,” Moore said, repeating the mantra that Werner delivers in her talk. In the face of fear, anxiety, or sometimes even the familiar comfort of praise that comes with winning, there’s an inherent sense of inertia, or even the impulse to go faster, get bigger, play harder, to quell the creeping feelings of doubt. “I really don’t know what’s next, but I feel like I’m ok with that—and that everything will be ok. When you slow down, you start to notice more around you,” Moore said.
Sure, she could rest on her laurels and call it a day, perfect sunset and all, but it’s unlikely that Moore will stay idle for very long. There’s Moore Aloha, the charitable nonprofit she started in 2018 and remains an active figure in, which offers young women and girls support and mentorship through on-site events focused on the ocean and surfing. In April she also published her first book, Hawaii Gold: A Celebration of Surfing, which features a glorious selection of photographs of the islands, famous surf breaks, and legendary surf icons, while also highlighting Hawaiian surfing traditions, including paddle outs, surfboard shaping, and the shaka symbol. In it, Moore and other celebrated Hawaiian surfers and cultural figures discuss the deep connection they have with surfing there.
“Hawaii is more than just where I grew up—it’s part of who I am. And it made me the surfer I am today,” she said. Regardless of what happens in Tahiti and whatever new course awaits her on the horizon, one thing is certain: Carissa Moore’s Hawaiian-ness—her connection to its land, its water, its spirit—is stronger than gold.