Moniz Wins Maiden CT Title at Teahupo'o After Eight Years

After eight seasons on the Championship Tour, Hawaiian surfer Seth Moniz claimed his first elite-level victory at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro. He defeated Griffin Colapinto 18.17 to 14.67 in the final at Teahupo'o.

A final decided in the barrel

Colapinto opened the heat with two completed tubes. Moniz did not lose his composure and hunted the heavier, hollower waves. He posted an 8.5 and a 9.07, forcing his opponent to chase a near-perfect 9.9.

In the dying minutes, Colapinto watched a potential winning wave roll through unused. Moniz used his priority to drop into the best wave of the heat, a 9.1. The door was shut.

Eight years of waiting, one brutal path

The 28-year-old had not passed the second round all season before Tahiti. Yet he clawed past a local wildcard, the reigning world champion Yago Dora, Barron Mamiya, and Italo Ferreira just to reach his best friend. The victory lifts him 12 places to 19th in the world, a requalification position for the 2027 tour.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," Moniz told reporters afterwards. "I put a lot into this. Surfing's a hard sport. Only one guy wins at a time. I put so much into this good, it feels good that it paid off."

His previous best year-end rank was 12th, achieved in a 2019 Rookie of the Year campaign. After a season of early exits, the most feared wave on tour delivered the moment Moniz had chased for nearly a decade.