Ryan Miller
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.
Courtesy of Rizzoli New York
Seth Moniz, Noa Mizuno, and Josh Moniz. North Shore,
O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, 2009.
Photo: Ryan “Chachi”
Craig
Carissa Moore, Maui Pro presented by Roxy, World Surf League Women’s Championship Tour, Kapalua, Maui, Hawai‘i, 2021.Photo: Dayanidhi Das
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.