Bruna and her sister Brisa came down to the event from Los Angeles. And came to LA from Brazil. "I've been following surfing since I was little," Bruna told us. "I'm cheering for Filipe, he's one of the great surfers here. But it's kind of hard, the Brazilians are my friends but he's one of my favourites for sure."
Meet The Girls Of The Hurley Pro At Trestles
Not to be confused with the girls of the US Open of Surf.
Oh, those California girls, the ones Brian Wilson wished they all could be. In the VIP scaffolding of the Hurley Lowers Pro, shaded from the sun’s heat radiating off the cobblestone, there are more than few delightful birds singing beauty. They're all connected presumably, sipping complimentary Coronas and hooting for their favourite singlet sporting gentlemen. But, on the beach below, it’s a different story; there's nothing complimentary, just a dog fight for space. Coolers and tall boys are buried in the sand beneath the shade of umbrellas, hiding from the September warmth and the air’s unmistakably green scented with advocates of Prop 64 legalisation.
So, who are the girls that make the long walk to Lowers to watch the top 34 square off? One thing’s for certain, the ladies of the Hurley Lowers Pro are a different breed than the “kiss me” painted 18-and-under cheeks floating around the US Open of Surf in Huntington Beach. And as the models, and faux models of Instagram continue to taint the male gaze, it’s refreshing to run a gallery of everyday women, sans photoshop, lighting and H&M.
The lovely Rita’s a California transplant from Portugal. She’s taken; dragged down to Lowers by her boyfriend of whom, we stole her away for a quick second (with his blessing). She lives in Hollywood, “too far from the beach, but I like it,” she says. She doesn’t have a favourite surfer, but also doesn’t mind a beach day with crowded conditions and heats featuring the world’s best. She’s been in the Golden State for a bit over the year. We ask her feeling on the move. “It’s good, I just don’t like the traffic,” she quips. Fair enough, nobody does.
Meet Jenna (left) and Myrah (right). The two hailed from Burning Man to the mouth of the trail, to cheer on Kelly Slater and Filipe Toledo. “It’d be cool if Filipe won,” says Myrah. “It’d be nice to see an underdog take the win.” Although Filipe's hardly an underdog at chest-high Lowers, these two had a conventional understanding of the event taking place. Jenna, spends her occupational hours as a marketing manager for Sambazon Acai, while Myrah does app support and web development (V techy). Do they surf? “Only in the summer, when we can wear our bikinis," the girls chime.
Oh, Emma, a bit of ink, a few piercings and an apparent needle fetish (not intravenous). She’s sweet with a little sass and moved from Massachusetts to Newport Beach three years ago. “I just came down to watch the competition,” she tells us. We ask who she’s rooting for, “Jordy, I have a massive thing for Jordy,” she says. “He’s married, but she’ll never know…” Ain’t that spicy? Ems works at a company that manufactures the liquid for E-Cigs, and we didn’t disclose that Lyndall was actually on a Yoga retreat all weekend.
And for good measure, here's a cheeky one:
