Moona on top at Cape Hatteras Wave Classic

Massive congratulations to Moona Whyte for taking the win at the Cape Hatteras Wave Classic this weekend. The spot was new for Moona and the conditions the roughest she ever competed in. Read more in Moona's recap of the event below. 

How did the competition go and was this your first time competing/kiting in Cape Hatteras? 

This was my first time competing at the Cape Hatteras Wave Classic, and my first time kiting in the mainland US. It was a great event overall and I'm happy I finally got to make it out there after Hurricane Florence forced us to cancel last year. The format was different from what I'm used to; we were scored on 50% wave riding, 25% strapless freestyle, and 25% overall impression, but I'm stoked to get 1st after making it to the final with local rider Gage Fichter (who was ripping)! 

What were your challenges with the conditions? 

The conditions were very different from what I'm used to- side-onshore lefts. We ran the comp for two days, and the first day I basically rode as much as I could so I could get used to it, riding downwind of the competition area and doing a downwinder between heats. By the end of the day I was feeling a lot more comfortable, but on day 2 it was a totally different ballgame. The hurricane swell picked up overnight and we had stormy, overhead lefts with tons of water moving around, and over 30knots of side-on wind. It was definitely the roughest conditions I've competed in, but I managed to find a few clean waves and a couple open areas of space to do my strapless freestyle tricks.

What was your personal highlight of the event?

The highlight for me was meeting all the awesome kiters who competed in the event, everyone who helped organize and run it, and all the locals who showed up to support us. They have a great community there and it was cool to see the camaraderie. It was also amazing to be part of an event that has equal prize money for men and women thanks to the sponsor, Patagonia!

Will you compete in any other wave events in 2019?

There are a couple more GKA events, but since I was not able to do some events on tour this year, I won't be going for a title this time. I'm hoping to do more events next year!

You've done a lot of traveling this year, what's next for you?

My next stop is Japan to visit family, and hopefully some kiting if I get lucky with a typhoon. After that I'm looking forward to spending some time at home for the Hawaiian winter.

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 PHOTOS: Eric Wojciechowski