Full Transcript

Greg Finch (00:00):
Being that you're based kind of in San Francisco when you're in California, are you concentrating on Mavericks when that's breaking? Do you then travel when you get the windows to do that? How do you like to go about your season?

Bianca Valenti (00:14):
Yeah, typically I usually focus on Mavericks and Hawaii. Especially recently, I really love warm water. But I always love California. I'm from California and I went to UC Santa Barbara, so I love the Central Coast, North Coast, Southern California.

I love putting in time in Hawaii and just feeling the power and the culture and being surrounded by the world's best surfers over there. So I spend as much time as I can in Hawaii. I haven't been to Portugal in a minute, but I also love going over there and surfing those waves and I love that culture too.

Greg Finch (01:02):
When you're concentrating in your season and in your big-wave season, talk about being surrounded by the best surfers—the best surfers in some of the most extreme conditions.

Being surrounded by that talent and that level and pushing each other…

Bianca Valenti (01:17):
It's really nice whenever I get to be surrounded with my big-wave brothers and sisters because there is a level of dedication and sacrifice and commitment and focus and perseverance and resilience amongst that community that just feels refreshing to be around. It's a rare breed of people.

It's also inspiring to see what people have been doing in the off-season. You never know—it could be some young kid who’s showing up next level, or it could be a seasoned veteran who is having the best season of their life. It's just fun to participate in it and be amongst it and keep showing up.

Greg Finch (02:07):
For those that don't surf those waves or aren't in that world, from the outside looking in, what's interesting to me is the physicality it takes, the training, the experience and years of knowledge, and this ongoing growth.

Talk a little bit from the inside—what you see around some of the people you know in that community. What is the differentiation between that and, I don’t want to say a “normal” surfer, but a surfer who surfs challenging waves versus a big-wave surfer who is really putting themselves on the line?

Bianca Valenti (02:46):
I think big-wave surfers really embody a culture of possibility and exploring what's possible: “What am I capable of?” They’re really lit up by seeing crazy waves and the idea of trying new things.

And then not only that, but also putting their money where their mouth is and really embodying and living the life that it takes to continue to push yourself—seeing if you can surf a wave that's never been surfed before, or if you can up-level your own personal wave.

For me, it all started with that same feeling I had when I started surfing at seven years old. I remember the very first wave I caught. Even before I caught the wave, just paddling out and being scared and excited and nervous and curious and wondering, “Can I do this? Is this possible?” And I'm talking about like a six-inch wave at Doheny Beach in Dana Point.

Then finally just being like, “All right, I'm going for it,” turning around and catching the wave and standing up, turning right and left and right again and just thinking, “My gosh, I did it.” That was the best feeling in the world. I was terrified, but I made the choice to do it.

For me, it's been a lifetime of seeking out that same feeling over and over again. And to get that same feeling, it always takes a little different conditions or new conditions. That's what I love about surfing so much: every single day and every single wave is a completely new experience.

Greg Finch (04:36):
Isn't that such a universal experience for a surfer? Whether it's that seven-year-old girl at Doheny getting that wave, or a person I've coached who's 52 and just learning to surf—they go through that same level of being just outside their comfort zone, handling that fear and the body's response to it and the brain's response to it.

You work within that, then bring back that experience and training and focus. There's an analogy in there for life, right? Being just outside your comfort zone, expanding yourself—not just taking on risk unprepared, but coming to the table with training and preparation, then challenging yourself outside your comfort zone so your world doesn’t just get smaller and smaller.

Do you feel that as still being, like you said, fresh—chasing that new thing? And when the waves aren't big, how do you keep that in your life? When big waves aren’t accessible, how do you change that and find it in different ways?

Bianca Valenti (05:46):
Yeah, that's a good question. I actually recently had this conversation with my niece, who's a painter. She was like, “I'm just depressed because I don't have access to my studio. I haven't had access to my studio all summer, so I haven't been able to paint.”

I told her, “You know what? I feel you, because I am the most excited and feel the most alive when I get to surf really big waves, but I don't get to decide when that is—nature does. In the meantime, all the days in the small waves or the challenging days—the windy days, the imperfect days—those days all provide value as well.”

They help you build on your foundation and help you stay ready for when the good days do come. I always tell my students that when you surf a day that's really way outside of your comfort zone—even if you just paddle out and don't catch a wave—that day prepares you for the next slightly easier day, and you're like, “This is a breeze.”

So it's really about getting out there, getting the reps in, staying fit, staying ready, continuing to move. I'll just mix up my training routines to keep myself entertained and to keep it diverse. Right now I've got access to a great pool, so I've been doing a lot of underwater weight training and pushing my comfort level a little bit further and a little bit further with what I'm doing underwater with those weights.

Greg Finch (07:31):
Living within that practice—so much of this is reinforcement of that level of discomfort. There's the physicality of it—your body needs to be able to handle what you're asking it to handle—but your mind is the one that almost loses the reps faster. Being in that uncomfortable place and learning to be calm in it is something we never stop learning and relearning.

Bianca Valenti (08:06):
Right. I feel like if I go and challenge myself physically just a little bit every single day, it makes everything else that comes my way throughout the day easier to face.

Greg Finch (08:19):
Absolutely. Doing what I do, I have computer work I have to do. I can't just be outside all the time. My wife will come home from work and say, “You didn't leave the house today,” and it’s instantly obvious—it's radiating off me—because I'm the same. I need to be outside. I need to empty that gas tank, because if you don't, everything else is tense and bound up.

And it also circles back to that same idea: your mind is always looking for a way to tell you to conserve your calories and reduce your risk. At its most basic, evolution is “stay on the couch, conserve your calories, don't risk anything.” So it's always giving you reasons not to go. “It’s a little windy, it's a little this or that.”

These things that we love—besides our family and our friends and the people we love in our life—nothing is more important than surfing to us. Yet we talk ourselves out of it so much. How is that possible? But it is. And you're right: paddle out. Just go paddle out.

Bianca Valenti (09:22):
Yeah. I've noticed that in big waves too—people are always looking for a reason not to go. I'm the opposite. I'm always like, “This is part of my practice.” I will always paddle out pretty much every single day—nine times out of ten, probably 9.9—and just catch three waves. I almost always feel better once I come in.

It's my religion, my way of connecting with higher powers, and my way of connecting with the ocean and grounding myself—my mental health. It's my church. It's so much more than just getting out there and catching a wave. It's a keystone of my wellbeing.

That's a habit I always encourage people to build, whether they’re learning or anywhere along their journey: just go surfing. Who cares what the conditions are? Get out there, catch a few waves—or maybe don't, just paddle around. It doesn't have to be an hour or two hours. Do a “heat”—15 minutes. Even just going to stare at the ocean can be surfing too. Connect with nature, and then everything else will be better.

Greg Finch (10:55):
Yeah. It just puts you in that place—you’re continuing to say “yes” to yourself on a daily basis and reinforcing that yes.

I've said this on the show plenty of times: you paddle out when it doesn't look very good, kind of blown out and crappy, and you get a great little nugget wave. It almost always happens. And even if you don't, I always challenge my students or other surfers: when was the last time you paddled out and regretted it? It's very, very rare. I can't think of the last time.

So you're right. But you have to remind yourself of that. We know these things, we’re professionals teaching other people these things, and we still have to remind ourselves: “Just go do it.” Yeah, absolutely.

So talk a little bit—along those lines—about showing up every day to your mind and your body and your preparation for those higher-end days when it is firing and the big waves are there. I definitely want to hear, as a coaching geek, the nuts and bolts of what you do—but also how you keep showing up. With each day, week, month, year, it doesn't get easier. It doesn't mean it's impossible, but what is your routine like to keep showing up every day for yourself and your surfing?

Bianca Valenti (12:30):
I would say in some ways it does get easier because the habits are so deeply ingrained that you don't think about them anymore. For me, at this point, I'm 40 years old and I'm surfing the best that I have in my life, which is really cool and inspiring.

I've been inspired by seeing people like Pete Mel get barreled at Mavericks when he was 50, and surfing with Ross Clarke-Jones in The Eddie when he's in his 60s—and he's in it again. I think what changes is how you pace yourself and how you stay ready.

What I do know is that the aches and pains of aging are definitely real, and that you have to prime and prepare your body every single day. It doesn't have to take a lot of time, but you do need to make time for it.

For me, it's all about waking up and starting off with hydration and some warm salt water—that’s what I like. Celtic salt and warm water before I hit my coffee. I definitely am a coffee-first-thing-in-the-morning person because I'm always waking up early, and I'm in the coffee culture.

While I'm making my coffee and my warm water with salt, I'll grab my massage gun and start hitting the bottoms of my feet—one minute on the bottom of each foot—because that's where I feel like the chain starts, where you're connected to the ground. It feels good, and it's an easy way to wake my nervous system up.

Then I blanket my whole body with it—shins, calves. I spend at least a minute on each IT band, because the IT band is one of the tightest places on surfers. The outside of the leg—it's vascular, but it's not a muscle. The massage gun really works well to get me vibrating, get me awake. Then I'll hit my arms, my chest, everything.

Then I'll usually do a little foam rolling and some band work to activate all my paddle muscles and my glutes. That's a five- to ten-minute routine on a regular day. On a big day, where I know the waves are going to be 25 feet plus and it's serious, I’m getting up an hour earlier and spending half an hour to an hour preparing my body.

Greg Finch (15:11):
Are you using your massage gun on your IT band directly before you do foam rolling?

Bianca Valenti (15:17):
Yes, definitely.

When I saw some of my aches and pains—I've had shoulder injuries, knee injuries, broken ribs, all the things, feet, everything—I found that these tools help me manage my chronic issues.

It's a little bit different for everybody, but it’s about finding the things that work. Sometimes I'll mix it up. I've got my foam roller right here—this foam roller is something I can't live without. I use it at the end of the day to really get between the tissues, soften them up, and release.

I can’t live without resistance bands either. If I don't have a resistance band with me for whatever reason—if it breaks or something like that—I'll use a dog leash or a towel and just hit all the isometric ranges that we use in our paddle muscles.

I've had chronic hip pain. I don't have it right now, but the repetitive use of being a regular-footed surfer for 33 years, a right-footed person, skating and surfing and snowboarding—and then that's the leg your leash is pulling on—it's super common for surfers to get hip pain in their back leg.

We're standing in a position that's not a perfect squat, but you're loading that back foot way more than the front. Learning the tools and exercises that work for you and making a habit of them has made all the difference in the world to help me stay feeling good, stay pain-free, and avoid that spiral of chronic pain.

Also, getting into the water every day—what I've really learned is how important it is to manage stress and not get to that yellow and red zone or those ultra-high cortisol levels, because those manifest physically as well.

Greg Finch (17:28):
Yeah, and they showcase that tension too. It goes to the places where you're already inherently a little tight. You add stress, and that tension climbs. What you're saying is you’re preparing your body, but you're also checking in: “Okay, that's a seven or eight or a nine today where normally it’s not. I need to really pay attention to that.”

And the other piece you’re saying, which is so crucial, is recovery. Recovery gets pushed to the side because we're preparing: “Okay, great, I'm preparing for this; I had this great session, and now I'm done.” No—you’re circling it back and completing the loop.

Bianca Valenti (18:05):
Yeah, you're tired. Recovery is easy to skip because you're tired—you eat and you hydrate. But if you just take a little time each day, make a little time each day, it's amazing how much of a difference it makes.

Greg Finch (18:29):
Absolutely. Consistency—my students and clients probably roll their eyes because they hear me say that word over and over. But it's so true. Consistency just brings you back. Everything is predicated on the idea of just being there without overwhelming yourself. You're consistently checking in, consistently doing the things you need to do. It helps bridge distractions and falling out of favor with something and keeps building your base.

Then you can peak again, elevate beyond your comfort zone—but it all comes back to that consistency. That's great.

Bianca Valenti (19:14):
Yeah, totally. And if something's flaring—say it's a big day and I get cleaned up by a huge set, or like 20 waves or something crazy, and my leg gets pulled on hard 20 times by 20-foot waves—my knee pretty much immediately will have some pain.

Then I'll ramp up my IT band work with the massage gun. I'll do five minutes a day throughout the day, or I'll just sit with it while I'm doing my computer work and hit the band. It's amazing how it works. It really does work as long as you create a routine, implement the routine, and stay consistent.

Greg Finch (20:01):
And having those reminders throughout the day—this is something I've been emphasizing for myself and everyone I work with. Yes, you need focused time where you're carving out time to be totally present in what you're doing physically and mentally—breath, mobility, whatever you're working on. You have to be present.

But you also need those reminders to change your shape. Going back to the computer: we’re so locked into something and time is so elastic. I've re-emphasized setting a 25-minute timer, doing work, and it blows you away: “That was 25 minutes already?”

Then you get up, you move—your body’s made to move. Do 10 push-ups. Again, we do this professionally and it still astounds you when you set these things to bring you back to consistency.

Over the last three weeks I've been doing that—I'm hitting 150 push-ups in a day on some days, no problem. Because it's just like, “I'm just doing 10. Got more work? I'll just do 10.” If you said, “Okay, do 150 push-ups right now,” it feels overwhelming. But spread out, it’s not. I'm not doing that every day, to be transparent, but you hit that mark and you're surprised what you can achieve. Again, it goes back to consistency.

Bianca Valenti (21:04):
Wow. Yeah, I hear you.

Greg Finch (21:28):
In preparing for the season coming up, are there some practices or routines you've developed over the last few years that really surprised you with how beneficial they were? You mentioned you're 40 and surfing better than you ever have.

Bianca Valenti (21:28):
Yeah. I think just learning to pace myself and not go full throttle all the time.

At the gym, I used to be a Monday–Wednesday–Friday gym person and then Tuesday and Thursday heavy lifter. I used to think that going harder all the time would get me ready for those big moments.

Then I realized that really listening and tuning into my body at the gym is more important. I don't need to be pounding harder and lifting heavier all the time. If I'm not feeling it, that's okay.

Especially if I know there's a swell coming, I intentionally taper my workouts. If, say, I didn't sleep great the night before—because we all have those nights, even with perfect sleep hygiene—it’s unrealistic to think you're going to sleep well every night. Things happen: the dog might bark, kids may need something.

If I didn't sleep well but I like to work out with my crew at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., then I'll still go, but I'll do fewer reps, lighter weights, or maybe stay heavy but do fewer reps and fewer sets. It's about taking the ego out of it and really feeling into what I need in that moment—and being proud of myself for just showing up.

Getting rid of the thought that I have to push hard or get competitive with other people at the gym. If I'm doing my best and I'm having fun, then to me that's winning.

Greg Finch (23:39):
What you're saying—that tuning into where you are right now—is a parallel and almost a synonym for recovery. “What do I need right now?” Sometimes you don't need more; you need less to allow your mind and body to get back where they need to be so you can push again.

Being really tuned into that is such a critical part. It's important to you and definitely where I'm going more and more with my coaching: this idea of longevity in surfing and in life. What are the balances we need to be present and at our highest level for surfing and activity, and present for family?

It is a balance of all those things. Talk about that in your life. Balance and longevity aren't the first things people think of when they hear “I'm a big-wave surfer and I'm surfing all of these intense situations.” But they don't have to be disconnected. You're preparing for that. Talk a little bit about that idea and what might feel like a contradiction.

Bianca Valenti (24:47):
Yeah. I would definitely say I hear what you're saying. There was definitely a period of time where I was always looking for the next big swell.

Especially at first, when I started surfing Mavericks, I was super ready. I had done all the breathwork, all the training, had all the gear. Then I’d get out there and my mindset would be struggling—I’d struggle to feel like I belonged in the lineup, out there with all these legends.

Pretty quickly I realized nobody's going to just offer you up a wave and say, “Hey, it's your turn,” even though eventually that did happen. Sometimes I wouldn't catch a wave, and I would be so down on myself afterward because I wouldn't know when the next opportunity would come. It would be absolutely devastating.

So I had to come up with techniques to feel like I belonged out there. One of them was tapping into a kind of dissociation technique—learning how to feel like I was a killer bee out there. I’d tell myself, “All right, I'm not out here to talk.” I'm a chatty person; I'm outgoing and like to be friendly. But I’d get out there and think, “I'm the killer bee. I'm here to focus. Don't mess with me because I could kill you. I'm not going to, but just so you know, I could if I wanted to. I'm out here to focus and get the waves.” And it worked.

Then, after a period of time, those weren't the issues anymore. The questions shifted to: “Am I being irresponsible? Am I escaping or avoiding my responsibilities—my life responsibilities?” If I had work or something scheduled with my family, I’d be like, “Hey, I can't do it because the waves are good.”

There was definitely a period where I would sacrifice anything and everything just to make sure I was in the water for every second of every swell. Eventually I burned out, especially when we were fighting for equal pay. That was incredibly emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausting. I lost my stoke. I would still go out there and catch great waves, but I was just going through the motions.

The longevity component came in when I realized how much more powerful it is when you're doing it for the love—and when you create balance around the rest of your life and set things up so you're still being responsible. You’re not avoiding responsibilities or completely sacrificing everything.

What was really crazy was that after coming back from that burnout, I realized that having your stoke and feeling that gratitude when you're out in the water—that magic in each session—actually does make you surf way better.

So I started focusing on always checking in with myself: What do I really need in this moment? Forecasts are still forecasts.

Just this last week, actually, there was a lot of hype around what looked like it might be the first big swell of the year. I'm down here in Mexico and I’m thinking, “Oh gosh, do I need to go home?” I had a plan to be here. Then I was like, “Whatever, I'm here. The first swell is always overhyped.” And sure enough, it fizzled out. It was like one week of hype.

There were definitely a few minutes where I had FOMO and wondered, “What am I doing to myself right now?” But then I was like, “I'm here now. I know this is just the start of the season.”

It's important to remember to live in the moment and enjoy the moment. Those really special days—I still carve out space for them. The days that are 25-foot Hawaiian plus—those are rare days no matter where you are. Those are the ones where I'll over-deliver in all the other aspects of my life so I can have those days fully to myself. Those moments are still super special and rare.

Greg Finch (30:10):
It's context, right? Those super special moments. And it’s also that same idea of being present, period.

When you are sacrificing everything all the time to always be able to chase waves, it's difficult to actually be present because you know part of you is thinking, “I didn't do that. I'm not doing this.” You're pulled back to responsibilities.

Again, it goes back to balance. If you're showing up and being present for family and work and the things you're doing, then when you get those really special days, you can be there 100% and know, “I've invested in all of this and I'm supported to do this”—both from your own side and from the people in your life. Hard, though. That's not easy.

Bianca Valenti (31:02):
Right. Also, I think letting go of the ego is huge. When you're doing it for the love and you've prepared for those moments, you don't have to put so much pressure on yourself.

It's okay if you don't catch a wave in a session. You can say, “You know what, I wasn't feeling it today, and that's okay.” Or, “It got windy.” Whatever it is. It's a long game. That's where the longevity comes in.

What I love about big-wave surfing is that your experience really does matter, because mindset is everything in big waves. With age comes so much wisdom. I'm really enjoying the process of being a mature surfer, and I'm excited to continue to ride with people like Pete Mel and Twiggy and Ross Clarke-Jones—people who are still lit up in those moments and still doing it for the love and the culture.

I wouldn't change it for anything, and I'm going to do it as long as I possibly can.

Greg Finch (32:18):
Let's talk about that. Let's talk about The Eddie Aikau experience—being part of it last year, going to be a part of it again this year. For all of us mere mortals who will not be a part of that, talk about the process, the intensity, the passion and emotion. It's an understatement to say it's an iconic event.

Talk about being part of that and what it means to you first-person, and then maybe how you're preparing for it, knowing it could be any moment. For some people who don't understand: it's an open window, and when the numbers hit, the numbers hit and the call goes out. You don't know when it's going to happen, so you have to prepare for it to happen at any moment. Talk a little about that.

Bianca Valenti (33:11):
Right. For me, even being invited is the biggest honor because of who Eddie Aikau was—creating the Hawaiian Water Patrol, rescuing over 500 people single-handedly on the North Shore, being in service of others, someone who really explored the realm of possibility within himself and pushed others to do the same. To be invited into an event in his honor is the greatest honor in the world for me.

Every year when you're invited, there's an incredible opening ceremony that's basically a celebration of Eddie's life. It's a traditional Hawaiian ceremony. This year it's December 5th. We all go over there and the aliʻi—the Royal Hawaiian Kingdom who are still alive—come and do a traditional Hawaiian prayer. It's a very spiritual and beautiful opening to the season.

The Hōkūleʻa ship sails by—the celestial navigation boat that the ancient Polynesian voyagers used to explore. That's the ship he went to try to rescue. They lost all contact; they were doing a recreation of one of the sails, and the boat lost all communications with land. Eddie said, “Don't worry, I'll just paddle back to the island,” and he was lost at sea. That's where the saying “Eddie would go” came from.

Last year, before the event, I was watching the swells and the forecast very closely. That's definitely part of my daily routine throughout the day. I was watching this storm develop and it was big and looked consistent. That's usually what you want to see in the models: a big dark purple-black blob that stays consistent or grows and stays on the same path.

When you keep watching and see that consistency, you know it's legit. I just had this feeling: “This is going to happen.” It was just before Christmas. Staying on the North Shore is not always easy. If you go year after year, you have your friends you call.

So I called my friends and said, “Hey, can I come to Christmas with you guys? Me and my dog—I'm going to bring my dog. I think the Eddie's going to run.” They were like, “What?!”

I went over there and tried to arrive a little early—I prefer to have at least three to five days anywhere to ground and get settled. That works best for me. Some people can show up the day of, on the fly. I'm more of a “get settled and have a little more time” person—dial in my sleep, get my groceries, my healthy food and snacks. So I got there maybe a week early.

Then Greg Long needed a place to stay, so he asked, “Hey, can I come stay with you?” So he was my roomie. That was really fun. He's also one of my best friends and such a legend. It's always more fun to have a ride-or-die in those moments.

The night before—they call it: it's on, it's green. We're allowed to take our stuff from the house and leave it down at the parking lot. The issue is Waimea Bay is a tiny bay, but on the day of the event, it's like a national holiday that doesn't happen every year. About 80,000 people show up to the bay. There's no parking, no concessions, no nothing.

You have to plan and prepare—make sure your gear is down there. If you think you're going to just drive up on the day of the event, you might miss your heat, and who wants to do that?

So Greg and I went in the evening, took his car down, left it parked with all our gear, and then walked back. We were able to walk to the house where we were staying.

That walk was one of the most amazing moments. I was looking at all these people from all over the islands and people who had flown in just to watch the event. They camp out on the side of the road overnight and set up couches and cooking gear and TV screens. It's the ultimate tailgate situation you've ever seen.

Like I said, if you want to go to the bathroom, there’s a bathroom—but if you want water or food, you have to come prepared, and it's all at a moment's notice. I was walking thinking, “This is crazy. What would I do if I were just coming as a spectator?” In my mind I thought, “I'd catch the bus the day of so I wouldn't have to sleep on the side of the road.” People set up tents on the side of the road, sleep in their cars.

We went back to the house, ate a healthy dinner, went to bed early, woke up in the dark. Every big-wave surfer has their own quirks. I never expected Greg to do this because he’s the ultimate forecaster, but he wakes up, looks at me in the dark and says, “Do you think there's going to be any waves?”

And I said, “What do you mean, is there going to be any waves? It's The Eddie. We know it's going to be massive and epic. You, of all people…” It's a big-wave surfer thing—we all joke, “It's flat,” even when it’s not. It breaks the tension a little and resets expectations.

We walked down—our stuff already down there—and started walking from the house in the dark. It was super busy, like bees buzzing everywhere. People selling coffee and muffins on the side of the road. Usually in Hawaii it's really calm and quiet in the morning. I've always noticed Hawaii likes to sleep in. But not on the day of The Eddie. It's buzzing with this energy, this electricity.

You come down the side into the bay and Rip Curl is selling t-shirts. There are hundreds of people lined up. The whole bay is already filled with people and it's not even light out.

The swell was slow to show up, so they delayed the start. Then it was on. Around 8:30, the first sets started rolling through and they said, “All right, first heat's going out at 8:50.” Greg was in that heat. We were helping each other with gear—it's what you do; we're one big family.

It was amazing. It was definitely the most amazing day of my life in a surf contest by far. The waves alone were insane. The Hawaiian Water Patrol was killing it, nonstop all day—rescuing us, towing us back out.

When my heat came up, you can go out at any time during the heat before yours, so you can already be in the water when your heat starts. We paddled out. I was with Mark Healy, Ian Walsh, Annie Starr, Ross Clarke-Jones, and Mason Ho.

Mark Healy was screaming, we were watching people send it from the shoulder—everyone was fired up: “Let's go!” I was like, “Okay, let's do this.”

Immediately the horn starts and it’s our heat. Healy or Ian rose up, sat super deep, and took off on these crazy waves that didn't look makeable. Unfortunately, Mark pretty much ate it and burst his eardrum right away. Some really heavy wipeouts went down in the first five minutes.

Mason Ho was trying to give Annie and me some tips. I was watching Ross Clarke-Jones and Mason because Mason had a strategy: if you sit a little outside and wide, you have a better chance of making it—the wave looks just as big, but then you make it.

You really have to go zen and tune into yourself and make decisions. You don't want to be pulled into somewhere you don't want to be or take off on a wave when you're not totally centered on going.

I was kind of waiting for my turn, which you will get because there are so many waves coming through. Then I saw a chip-in wave and thought, “All right, this is it.”

It was definitely one of the bigger waves of the day. I chipped in, dropped down, going like Mach 10, and got to the bottom thinking, “My gosh, this wave is going to barrel over me right now. It is huge.”

I went into my power stance, relaxed, and relied on my training, knowing that I had done everything I could to prepare for this moment. I didn't need to be worried or afraid or panicked—just brace myself because it's going to be a hit.

Sure enough, it was. I got totally exploded. When I came up, the Water Patrol were right there. They're so awesome. These huge dudes can basically pick me up with their pinky. I'm pretty small—I'm like 5'5". They were all giving me props: “That was sick, way to send it!” That felt really good.

Everyone in the heat was cheering each other on and had that spirit of “Yeah, let's go.” It felt like such good vibes—really intense and at the edge of possibility, but good vibes.

We were all worried for Mark during the heat too because he suddenly went missing. You’re out there thinking, “Where's Mark?” Then they tell you, “Okay, he probably burst his eardrum,” and you think, “Oh man, that sucks.”

It's a reminder in those moments: even though I'm out here in this contest with all these people watching, I always have to be centered on my decisions. I can't go on a wave because I feel pressured or because I want to impress the crowd. I'm here because I want to be here. I'm taking this wave because I feel good about it. I'm going for it, and I’ll do my best, whatever happens.

As the heat went on, I think I caught two more waves and made them. They weren't quite as big as that first one, but it was an awesome experience.

The day goes by pretty fast. It's round-robin style, so later in the day the next heat was mine again. By then, the waves had gotten much bigger and there were tons of closeout sets.

There was one crazy set where I saw Ross Clarke-Jones starting to paddle out and I thought, “I see what he sees.” The horizon went black, so I started paddling too. He barely got over one wave, I barely got over it, and everyone else in our heat got smoked. That meant all the Water Patrol were busy rescuing them.

Ross spins around and says, “Hey Bianca, do you think I can catch this wave? I can't turn my neck, so I can't look.” I said, “Yeah, I think you got it.” He went, took the wave, and then it was just me out the back. I thought, “I’ve got to catch a wave too then.”

At the very end of that heat, another closeout set appeared on the horizon. I saw it coming and thought, “I would rather spin and go on this wave right now than wait for that black horizon to hit me.”

I turned, went, and it was a crazy airdrop. I made the drop, but I didn't make it through the explosion. There's always an explosion. Then I got picked up by a Water Patrol ski and didn't have to take the whole set on the head.

Overall, it was just an epic day—everything about it. If I would have made all my waves, I honestly probably would have ended up top 10. I think I got a couple of the better waves. Liam, the organizer, and everyone—the Hawaiians, the Water Patrol, everybody—were giving me props. That feels really good because I've prepared all my life for this day, and I was really present and enjoyed it.

I can't wait to see what happens this year. I'm just going to pace myself and be ready for that moment again when it comes.

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