01x06 - Ebb and Flow

[bunniefuu]

ANNOUNCER 1: [IN JAPANESE]
We're now ready for Heat Two. Let's go.

Five, four, three, two, one.

ANNOUNCER 2: Women's Round One,
Heat Two has just started.

In blue, it's Sara Kohrogi.

ACEY: [IN ENGLISH] The heat just started.
I think Sara is trying to catch

her first wave,
just to get her points going.

Okay, here comes Sara.

ANNOUNCER 1: [IN JAPANESE]
Blue is going in.

ACEY: [IN ENGLISH] Oh, she fell.

The wave caught the board.
She needs to catch two waves

no matter what. So...

you know, that, that counts. [CHUCKLES]

And there she goes.
Third wave.

Hmm.

It's not much you can do on it
'cause it all breaks at once

on the sand, basically.

Oh, Sara! Yeah! One hit. That's it.

ANNOUNCER 2: [IN JAPANESE]
Blue's 5th score is 2.43. Total is 4.43.

Blue is coming back to first place.

ACEY: [IN ENGLISH]
I'm pretty nervous, I think.

Almost like I'm out there with her.

Get out there, Sara. Get out there.

ANNOUNCER 2: [IN JAPANESE]
Red grabs this wave.

She performs a back hand
from the left and adds a turn.

[IN ENGLISH] Oh, that's a good wave, too.

ANNOUNCER 1: [IN JAPANESE]
White's turn...

This ride could change her position.

ACEY: Mm!

[IN ENGLISH] She dropped down
to third place right now.

I think she needs two-point something.

A wave to get back up
to second place to advance.

Get out there.

There she goes, there she goes,
there she goes.

ANNOUNCER 1: [IN JAPANESE]
Blue is up.

ANNOUNCER 2: [IN JAPANESE]
White water... can she make it?

ACEY: Oh!

ANNOUNCER 2: [IN JAPANESE]
And she doesn't make it.

-[ANNOUNCER CONTINUES IN JAPANESE]
-[GRUNTS]

ACEY: [IN ENGLISH]
Forty-five seconds to go.

She needs to catch something good.

She's waiting for a good wave,
'cause she knows that, you know.

But it's not coming in.

AUTOMATED VOICE: [OVER SPEAKER]
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...

ACEY: God, she was waiting
for a wave, but it never came.

...five, four, three,

-two, one.
-ACEY: Hmm.

-That's it. It's over.
-AUTOMATED VOICE: [OVER SPEAKER] Zero.

ACEY: We gotta go home.

SARA: Surfing is about
having fun and feeling good.

I feel like contest surfing
is a totally different thing.

That really stresses me out.

KANOA: The surfing culture in Japan,
it's a beautiful thing.

It's a connection with the ocean.
And sometimes that doesn't fit

for a surfing competition.

But, there's no half-half,

you know, you're either that purist,

or you want to be
that blood-thirsty competitor.

BRAD: People are watching you
and deciding, if they were going

to basically sponsor you.

Sometimes nerves would take over
and I wouldn't trust myself.

But the competitive side is fun.

I think it's every athlete's dream
to become a world champion.

It means you're the top of your sport.

If you're looking at WSL,
they've been crowning world champions

for decades.

Now, the new introduction is,
"Well, I won an Olympic medal."

Guys, I qualified!

-[CHEERING]
-[MAHINA SQUEALS]

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Shino Matsuda in second.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 2: Dropping.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1: What
happened at the end of that wave,

-Jodie?
-Yeah.

WADE: That would shatter any athlete
in any sport.

MASATOSHI:
For me, travel around the world,

competing and losing and winning.

It was about life experience.

I learned a lot of things.

I think the greatest surfers
are the ones who can adapt really well.

There's only 200 people
that are good enough

to be in that championship tour.

MASATOSHI:
But we're able to travel around the world.

Surfing, competing. What more can we ask?

ACEY: Didn't come in for you.

Just is so, like, degrading.
Like, I can't even return.

ACEY: I mean,
no waves came during the heat.

It's unfortunate,
but you know, that's nature.

You know, we can't control
what happens out there. But...

it was tough
on everybody else too, not only her.

I'm like, I don't know
what to say other than

I just... blew it.

-ACEY: No... It's just, tough...
-I had, like, the hardest time.

ACEY: You know what it is?

Your strategy would've worked
if the sets came.

'Cause you were in 1st place.
Then you were gonna increase that.

Yeah, I was. I was like, yeah... Yeah.

Right after your heat,
the good waves came in.

No, I don't know
if you're just saying that,

-though, or if I'd just...
-No, it is. Really.

-We just saw it.
-Really?

ACEY: Yeah.

Look. That wasn't coming in
when you were there.

-SARA: Was it not?
-ACEY: No!

-This...
-SARA: I'm gonna call Mom.

ACEY: Yeah.

I'm sorry.

SARA'S MOM: [OVER PHONE]
I'm sorry.

-ACEY: Did you watch that?
-I felt like...

[IN JAPANESE]
A bit embarrassing, isn't it?

SARA'S MOM: [IN ENGLISH]
Well, what...

I'm sorry. What... I mean,

we watched the whole thing.

It's just frustrating 'cause,
like, this happens all the time.

It's like, it's like,
competitions just like... I don't know,

I'm not... I don't wanna be negative
or anything but it's just...

-it's frustrating.
-SARA'S MOM: Yeah.

So what does this mean,
like, what happens?

Nothing, I just lost. I don't get a pro...

-I'm not a pro... certified pro. I guess.
-SARA'S MOM: That sucks.

It might be harder for me
to get a sponsor now,

because of this, but...

SARA'S MOM: Nothing we can do
about that... It's just, it is what it is.

Well, I can't even make it
past round one

in a competition is like,
just, I want to... [SNIFFLES]

It just makes me,
like, feel, like, a little bit guilty.

Like, everyone... everyone's putting
so much into this to support me.

SARA'S MOM:
Well don't worry about that.

Yeah.

[SIGHS]

SARA'S MOM: You're being hard on yourself.

Yeah.

[ANNOUNCER SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]

SARA'S MOM: I love you.
[IN JAPANESE] Hang in there.

[IN ENGLISH]
Okay. I'll see you soon in Hawaii.

SARA'S MOM: I know, right?

Yeah.

SARA'S MOM:
Excited! I guess I'm going to Hawaii.

I love you.

-I'll call you later. Bye.
-SARA'S MOM: Bye-bye.

[SNIFFLES, SCOFFS]

SARA: Like, if I could just remind myself
that it's fun, it's supposed to be fun...

It's all I can do at this point.

STEPHANIE: Here, baby.

My queue-up. Yeah.

CONNOR: My relationship
with competitive surfing

has evolved in a way.

I'm gonna take this one,
for when the waves are small.

How many boards are you taking?

CONNOR: I'm gonna take 12.

Twelve.

CONNOR: 'Cause I'm going Tahiti as well,
so I need everything.

This year has been
such a roller coaster for me, you know.

From falling off tour in Mexico
to pretty much just wanting to, like...

like, give it up.
Maybe give it a go next year.

STEPHANIE:
Where are you flying? From Ballina...

-CONNOR: Ballina to Sydney...
-STEPHANIE: ...Sydney...

-CONNOR: ...Sydney to LA.
-Yeah.

CONNOR: It's a huge priority for me to,
to get a lot of confidence back

and qualify for that world tour
'cause that's,

you know, the upper echelon of surfing.

Jango.

Where are you going?
Going to walk about?

How come?

-Hey. Sit. Sit. Sit.
-[STEPHANIE GIGGLES]

-Sit.
-STEPHANIE: No, he's too stubborn.

[STEPHANIE LAUGHS]

CONNOR: You want... Dinner! Yeah!

STEPHANIE: I think it's pretty cool

to have
a professional surfer as a husband,

but there's also many negatives.

Like, he's about to go away
for four months

and I won't see him
nor much contact as well.

Jump in the board bag
and you can come with me.

Then you can carry
an extra board bag.

Tempting, tempting.
But, I don't know... I don't know if I....

I don't know if I could do
the hotel quarantine again.

So you're on your own.

I do get a bit lonely. [CHUCKLES]

That's definitely a downside
of his career.

And I know a lot of the girls

that have husbands
that are professional surfers

experience the same thing,
especially when they have kids.

It can be really hard.

-Done?
-Done.

You should take a bigger bag.

So, just so you can bring more
wet suits back.

-For you?
-Yeah, for me. [CHUCKLES]

[DOG WHINES]

[ZIPPERS RASPS]

[FASTENER CLICKS]

[FASTENER CLICKS]

CONNOR: All right.

You wanna come to Mexico?

-Yeah?
-[STEPHANIE LAUGHS]

-SHINO: [IN JAPANESE] Good morning.
-YOSHINORI: Welcome back.

-SHINO: Here for my new board.
-YOSHINORI: [IN ENGLISH] New board!

[IN JAPANESE] So for your event
coming up at the US Open,

I prepped these three boards.

This one especially, I made a little wider
than your other boards. Eighteen inches.

[IN JAPANESE] I was mortified
when I didn't qualify for the Olympics

at the World Surfing Games.

But that eventually became my motivation

to work harder for my dream and goals,

and now I'm focused on training
and practicing more than ever.

So it was a tough life experience,
but a great chance

for me to grow as a person
and as a surfer.

-YOSHINORI: How is it?
-It feels a bit thick.

-Yes. I was thinking of small waves.
-I see.

-Your power is improving, so...
-I'll use this for small waves.

SHINO: To prepare for the next US Open,

I've been swimming
and running to increase my stamina,

and I want to power surf,
so I'm also weight training.

My hope is to apply all these new skills
at the next US Open.

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

CONNOR: [IN ENGLISH]
With surfing these days,

it's progressing at such
a high level that,

everyone's doing bigger airs,
bigger turns.

So, being able to keep your body strong
is so important

because if you want to become an Olympian,
you've gotta just be topping it up

and staying at that perfect level.

HIROTO: [IN JAPANESE]
Looking back at the Olympics

and not winning a medal,
I do have some regrets.

I realized I want to get much better
at surfing.

I want to win more than ever. And I want
to start by getting on the World Tour.

Leading up to a competition, in order
to get my body in its best condition,

I get up around 7:00 in the morning,
eat just a little breakfast,

and then go surfing.

Then, I go home for lunch
and some errands,

before I head out again
to surf until the evening.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

PRODUCER: [IN JAPANESE]
Every day?

Every day.

KANOA: [IN ENGLISH] I've always been
that kind of guy.

And I love training, just like...
while people aren't watching,

and while people don't even realize,
you know?

And so that's my whole mindset.

Road that I only saw

and pictured
was to be a professional surfer

and I wanted to do everything.

CONNOR: We have physical training.
I try to train as much as I can.

Usually, Monday to Friday.

It's a mix of strength and cardio.

I feel like the physical training
is more about doing everything you can

so you're not gonna get hurt.

Keeping my joints and muscles strong
so they don't snap.

MAHINA: You're so hungry to win,
you're so hungry to do anything

it takes to win world titles.

I entered all the local events.
I even did all the pro juniors.

I did everything.

But at the same time,
I had no idea what WSL was.

The WSL, or the World Surf League,
is the governing body

for competitive surfing globally.

It's really about being

in the world's best waves
with the world's best surfers.

ANNOUNCER: Kanoa Igarashi, grabs his rail.
In danger! Comes out with a spin!

JOE: And the World Championship Tour
or the WCT,

that's the tour that you want to be on.

The World Championship Tour
is the F1 of surfing.

Kanoa Igarashi qualified
for the Olympics through WCT.

So, it's very important
to be in the WCT tour.

Around 150 amazing surfers
in the world

that all surf
at a really, really high level.

There's 32 of them that surf
at the elite level and earned their spot.

Well, how did they get there?

They went through a qualifying series
to get there.

And you just gotta make your way
through those ranks.

WADE: You go from the base level,
which would be your WQS,

Qualifying Series,
which is regional-based events.

That's how you establish your ranking.

The next level up
is your Challenger Series.

Your Challenger Series
is international roaming tour.

The first event's in Huntington Beach,
US Open of Surfing at Huntington Pier.

It's a US Open. US Open of Surfing.

It's one of
the biggest surfing competition

in surf industry.

You want to make your name here.

Straight after that, it's Portugal,
France,

then Hawaii.

CONNOR: This year, there's only
four Challenger Series events,

where usually there's about
eight in a year.

So, condenses a bit.

Adds a little bit more pressure
and puts a lot more weight on each event.

JOE: At the end of the season,
the top 12 men qualify

for the Championship Tour.

And you get to compete
in the World Title Race.

CONNOR: The World Tour is definitely
the highest priority.

You want to qualify for that World Tour
because that's, you know,

the upper echelon of surfing.

HEATH: It's super important to get in
the elite top 32 in the world.

One, it's, you know,
contractual endorsements.

So financially, it's a massive thing.

Connor O'Leary, what a great example

of the highs of highs
and the lows of lows.

Burst on the scene, in one or two years,

and next thing,
he was on the World Tour.

But then going into the next year,
he didn't qualify

and unfortunately fell off.

So all those endorsements
all went away.

What a ground zero moment that is.

It's a matter of brushing the funk off
and building a plan

to get back to where he should be.

[MUSIC FADES]

-HEATH: Hey, Hiroto!
-Yeah, Heath.

-HEATH: How are you, buddy?
-Good. How are you?

-Come this way. Good to see you, mate.
-Yeah. Glad to see you.

-Welcome, man.
-Thank you.

How was your trip? Good?

Good. Yeah, fun.
I just got here yesterday.

We are lucky enough today
to have Hiroto's boards arrive,

which was really cool.
The US Open is next week.

The JS factory, which is in Australia,
they send us boards,

then people come here and pick them up.

There's a lot of people investing
in him financially.

So, Hiroto has to make that tour.

-Like this.
-HEATH: Red rail, huh?

Yeah.

Because I... I got the board's
same color in Olympic.

-HEATH: Yeah?
-And I really like it.

HEATH: So, tell me, man.
How was the Olympics? Super fun?

-It was nice.
-Yeah?

-It's good experience for sure.
-Great experience.

-And it's great for surfing, too.
-Yeah.

I'll pull it out for you.

Thank you. This is sick. I like it.

HEATH: Hiroto is an amazing surfer
to come out of Japan.

He's definitely
the new generation for sure.

He's won the US Open,
and that is in challenging conditions,

and it's... has some
of the best surfers in the world.

So, you won the US Open, what?
Two years ago, three years ago?

-No. No. That's... it's...
-Four years ago?

-Like six, seven years ago.
-Was it?

-Yeah, yeah. That's...
-Oh, wow. Time goes quick, man.

I know. [CHUCKLES]

HEATH:
It seems like it was yesterday.

But obviously,
it's... it's been a while now,

but I think he's the driving force
for Japan,

and I think there's a ton of opportunity,
and he surrounds himself

with good people, gets good advice.
I think he's on a good path.

So, Ma's coaching you, right?

-Yeah, definitely. Yes.
-So, Ma and I go way back, right?

So, Ma and his brother Nori,

I used to surf and travel with those guys,

and they were two
of the most talented guys...

-Yes.
-...to ever come out of Japan.

And we used to say he was
the Japanese Mark Occhilupo, you know?

-He was so talented.
-Oh, yeah, right. Style, yeah.

HEATH: Ma still could beat

Hiroto surfing competitively.
That's how good he is.

He asked me after the Olympics,
he asked me,

"You wanted to come travel along
with me?"

I say yes because I like how he surf
and I like his personality.

And it's good for me
because I get inspired from how they surf,

so now I want the US Open.

The US Open is the one to win
and get on the CT,

and if you're in the competition,
you gotta win.

HEATH: Yeah, Hiroto is a lovely kid,
but Ma is there for a reason,

for him to make the tour.
And that's business.

All right, man, well, hey.
Let's get these boards in the car

-so you can ride them, huh?
-Yes. Yes!

HEATH: Might have to do two trips.

HIROTO: I'm not sure which one is going
to be the board I'm going to ride

for US Open, but, can't wait to try.

Definitely, the board's gonna be magic
for the event.

I just wish the kid all the best.
Hopefully he can get it done.

-Take care, man. Good luck.
-Thank you so much.

-Best of luck.
-Thank you so much.

-k*ll 'em, man!
-Yeah. I do my best.

All right, mate, later!

CONNOR:
Here in Huntington Beach,

getting ready for the US Open,

starts on Monday.

Today it's pretty...

it's pretty big for Huntington.

I think for the event,
the forecast is looking

like it's gonna be pretty small.

I think Hiroto
just got here from Japan.

We're about to have a...

little Japanese shred session.

SHINO: [IN JAPANESE]
I'm taking two boards to the beach today

to see which one's better
for the wave conditions.

I'm simply excited about the competition.

I got first place in US Open once before,

so it's a very special competition for me.

I love competing here more
than anywhere else in the world,

so I'm hoping to enjoy it and do my best.

CONNOR: [IN ENGLISH]
That wave is next level.

[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]

[MUSIC FADES]

[IN JAPANESE]
I'm exhausted, too.

SHINO: I'm tired.

It's super exhausting, right?

It was just right for me.

Just right?

It's a lot of work because
every time I ride a wave,

I have to come up to the beach
and walk back again.

-I'm walking slowly.
-CONNOR: Yeah. Let's take it slow.

By the way, I hear you're going
to be a dad! Congrats!

Thank you.

-I'm a dad.
-Pretty impressive.

SHINO: When are you expecting?

Supposed to be December 20th.

-CONNOR: You're a grown-up now.
-All grown-up, right?

[LAUGHING]

HIROTO: It's really hard that I can't
be with her right now,

but my job is
to go to competitions and win.

Having my wife waiting for me in Japan
motivates me to live up to her trust,

and do well for her, even from afar.

I'm determined to surf well
in this competition

so she can be hopeful for our future.

[MELLOW MUSIC PLAYING]

SARA: [IN ENGLISH] It definitely
breaks my heart to feel the way I did

at the JPSA competition.

I don't think I'm an insecure person,
but the number one thing

I'm insecure about is my surfing.

I felt that yucky feeling again,
that pressure,

that not flowing, that,

"Oh, my gosh, like,
everyone doesn't wanna be friends."

It wasn't what I was expecting.

So, I started to, you know, rethink,

like, "Okay. Why am I doing this?"
Like, I'm doing this

because I want to do this,
because this is fun,

because this makes me happy.

In Hawaii, I've been hanging out
with the girls on the QS,

and their energy's happy,
and they're lifting each other up.

It was definitely a different vibe.

-Where'd you get the coffee?
-Oh, you know. Super S.

-[SARA LAUGHS]
-I knew it. That's our spot.

-Yeah. How are you?
-Oh, my gosh. So good to see you.

Good to see you, too.
Let's go check the waves.

So, you didn't look yet?

No, I haven't checked it this morning.

I met Sara back in 2019
at the Japan Open contest.

We were practicing at Shidashita,
which is the contest venue,

and we kind of, like, looked at each other

and we were both like,
"We kinda know each other,

"but we don't know each other."

And then one day after the event,
couple months later,

I was just scrolling through Instagram
and my really good friend

that we're friends with
posted a video of her

riding horses in Puerto Rico together.

And I was like, "That is hilarious.
That's a... such a small world."

SARA: Oh! Looks kind of, like, clean.

-MAHINA: Smaller, definitely.
-Yeah.

But finally we have sandbars.
We haven't had that in a while.

-It's definitely a lot cleaner, the water?
-Yeah. It looks way prettier than before.

Yeah.

MAHINA: When we started opening our mouths
and started talking about certain things,

I realized how much we have in common.

Same background, heritage,
and having to go to Japan.

-We connected really well.
-SARA: We get to the rock.

I feel like we kind of both had
that moment in our lives

where we felt uncomfortable,
and then, like, sad about it,

mad about it, happy about it.

I think us both being in Japan
in that surfing community,

I thought I was, like,
one of the only ones

kind of struggling in it, in terms of,
like,

being with the girls,

and, like, trying to, you know,
create like a good, like,

-community like we have.
-Yeah.

Competition is competition, of course.
But if you could kind of, like,

put that aside,
and, like, look at the bigger picture,

like, it's all about
supporting each other and having fun.

And honestly, I felt like I was
totally like a rover on my own, but...

I thought the Japan Open was probably
one of the hardest waves I've ever really,

like, had to compete with
because there's always

-a consistent change.
-Yeah.

Did you think that the waves
were good that time of the year

when we had Japan Open?

I didn't think it was terrible,

but I'm, like, super insecure
about my surfing in, like, competition.

It's definitely, like, my weak point.

So, like, to have, like,

subpar waves,
especially like... I was...

I just felt like I couldn't...

I honestly just felt like a kook
to be honest, but like...

[BOTH LAUGHING]

But honestly, I think

it's weird
because, like, it puts you

in a vulnerable state for competing
and stuff.

So, like, you want to feel
like you're surfing a hundred percent,

but, you know, with competition,
everyone comes and goes

through waves and goes
through moments and stuff.

Yeah.

SARA: I wasn't expecting her to be so open
and honest off the bat.

It's super cool to share that connection.

It's actually super inspirational
as well as,

like, I feel super, like,

stoked, actually.

MAHINA: The fact that the Olympics
is at Teahupo’o now...

SARA: Yeah.

...it could actually be a little bit
more easier in a way.

-Yeah.
-Just because it's a reef break.

So, you know how, like,
the reef break always breaks

-at a consistent spot.
-Yeah.

It is dangerous and stuff.

You have to be well equipped.
You have to be very mindful

about everything in the surrounding,
the ocean and everything. So...

That's true.

SARA: I just did this program
all about big-wave safety.

I took CPR. Got CPR certified.

So, I feel so much more confident,
so much more powerful.

And I wanna sharpen my skills
and get better,

because the ultimate goal for me is
to really get on that 2024 Olympic team.

MAHINA: Just the last week, my friend did
almost break his neck

and like, if the person didn't pull him
into a SeaSpine brace,

-he would've died.
-Yeah.

See, that's nuts. And it's like,
even in small conditions that can happen,

-so, it's super scary.
-Exactly.

So, I hope you save me.

Yeah, that's what I'm stoked about!

I could see you in a Baywatch just running
down the beach in slow motion.

That's what I'm seeing, too.

Like, with Zac Efron and The Rock
come up to by my side just like...

[BOTH LAUGHING]

[MAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY OVER P.A.]

MAHINA: I am currently checked in
and everything and stuff,

so everything's good.
So, we're currently just waiting

for our flight.

Excited.

For me, right now, my overall goal
is to...

compete on the CT

and qualify for the CT
and be a world champion.

[LOW TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING]

CONNOR: The US Open has so much history.
It's been around for so long.

And there's been so many amazing surfers

that have won that event.
And it's got a lot of weight.

And it's one that I haven't
really had too much success in

just 'cause the conditions
are always really tricky, but...

it's definitely one
on the bucket list for sure.

[MUSIC CONTINUES]

CONNOR: In the lead-up to Huntington,
I wanted to, kind of...

wrap my head around,
you know, competing in...

pretty small waves and pretty bad waves.

You've just got to accept the fact
that you're going to be surfing

at least a few heats
in really subpar conditions,

so it's just a matter
of just controlling the controllables.

JOE: The 61st US Open of Surfing,
Huntington Beach.

-Hey, all right.
-What's up?

When the competition day comes,

you don't even need to think.
It's automatic. You're in the zone.

You got to let go and let the body
and mind do the talk. [CHUCKLES]

ANNOUNCER: Hiroto Ohhara.
He's gonna have to skate through...

CONNOR: There's always a lot
of Huntington hops going on.

You're hopping through
that dead water to try

and maintain your speed
to then have enough speed

to get into the shore break
to be able to do a few more maneuvers.

ANNOUNCER: There's a snap.
And he will likely go into second place.

It's a crazy maneuver.

And it's just one of them things that's
so unique about Huntington. [CHUCKLES]

ANNOUNCER: Both Jake Marshall
and Hiroto Ohhara advance.

CONNOR: The waves usually aren't great,
but the atmosphere

kind of outweighs the quality of the surf.

You got 5,000 people screaming
and cheering.

And it feels like the... the fans
are out there in the water with you.

[LAUGHS]

You know, I feel pretty comfortable here,
so it's just a matter

of kind of trying to maintain
my calm state

and focus on trying to perform.

ANNOUNCER:
O'Leary looking to re-qualify now.

[IN JAPANESE] It's been a while
since he wore a red jersey. [LAUGHS]

AKEMI: [IN ENGLISH] No! Connor, no!

[IN JAPANESE]
Don't get on such a small one!

ANNOUNCER: [IN ENGLISH]
O'Leary makin' a move.

JOE: Connor O'Leary is a big kid.

[IN JAPANESE] Occasionally, a big wave
just appears. If he can catch one...

JOE: [IN ENGLISH]
...Slidey maneuver, not much else.

[IN JAPANESE] Why does he go for such crap
when he has priority?

OE: [IN ENGLISH] Fifty seconds left.

FINBARR:
It's almost like it's gotten smaller, eh?

AKEMI: [IN JAPANESE]
It's like he never studied any tactics!

JOE: [IN ENGLISH] The Challenger Series
living up to its title.

[IN JAPANESE]
What are you doing, Connor?

HEATH: [IN ENGLISH]
You're out there competing for 30 minutes,

and there might only be three good waves.
So, there's a lot of luck involved.

If you don't get that wave,
everyone surfs at such a similar level

that you just could lose by luck.
That's why Huntington can be challenging.

You can, you know, be the best surfer
in the world and lose

to somebody that's, you know,
ranked 99th in the world,

but is so hungry and wants to beat you,
and they can because of the conditions.

JOE: Big heat.
Heading the lineup, Mahina Maeda.

MAHINA:
The waves in Huntington were pretty bad.

I had a pretty tough heat.

I was the last heat of the day.

Onshore, it was backlit, like,
you can't really see your jersey color,

and I noticed the rip current
kinda going straight through

the pier as soon as I paddled out.

I caught the wrong waves

and didn't really enjoy surfing
that whole heat.

JOE:
And that's all the wave could offer.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER 1:
Shino Matsuda got a wave.

ANNOUNCER:
Goes on the back end, nice snap.

Gonna get two maneuvers on the inside.

WADE: I saw Shino in Huntington Beach.

And nothing had changed.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER:
And a big win for Shino Matsuda.

This is my... my favorite board.
So, the condition was so good.

WADE: Still looking forward.
Still got her goal set. Still positive.

Still awesome nature.

SHINO: [IN JAPANESE] The US Open
attracts many fans to the beach,

including Japanese people living here.

I'd like to surf well in front of them.

JOE: [IN ENGLISH] We're right back into it
starting with Shino.

You have to be aware of your surroundings.
"I need to get the bigger wave.

"I need to huddle for this small wave
and get a score."

ANNOUNCER: I don't know how she was able
to garner so much speed.

-JOE: Wow. Right there.
-ANNOUNCER: But she mistimed it.

MASATOSHI:
That feeling is very important.

[IN JAPANESE] I was frustrated, but...

well, I think it was... a good experience.

My fans cheer me up all the time,

even when I lose a competition.

They are the source of my energy
to keep going.

I hope to inspire girls out there
through my performances.

I want to inspire their courage
and dreams.

[IN ENGLISH] If he ask me something,
I answer back what I think.

But it's no place for me to say,
"Do this, do that."

They know what they're doing.

To me, it's all about
keeping the good energy.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER:
Ezekiel Lau, Hiroto Ohhara, Alex Ribeiro.

HIROTO: [IN JAPANESE] Knowing that
so many people are watching me surf

makes me really happy,

because that motivates me
to achieve good results in front of them.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER: [IN ENGLISH]
Fifteen minutes on the clock.

MASATOSHI:
When there's not many waves coming in,

that's when the priority
and your strategy comes in.

So, it's a chess. Maybe today,
I'm not in the zone,

but I know how to play the chess.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER:
He's gaining some speed for a finish.

ANNOUNCER: Mm.

FEMALE ANNOUNCER:
Ten seconds on the clock.

Unfortunate to see Hiroto Ohhara
go out here.

But he's got a baby on the way
which is exciting as well

for the Ohhara family.

PRODUCER: [IN JAPANESE]
What are you looking forward to now?

To look at my child's face.

I want my family to live in harmony
and my children to have fun

and live happily.

We're packing up,

off to Europe today for the next...

month of events.

CONNOR: I was feeling pretty flat
at the first event at Huntington.

Ended up just flunking in the first round.

I mean, the waves were bad,
but, you know,

wasn't just the waves' fault, it was mine.

A few little errors cost me,
but it's all right.

Live and you learn, and you move on.

Super excited to go to Europe.

Surf some real waves.

Portugal is pretty much
the complete opposite.

It's like this big, open water
right hand point break.

Bigger waves.
A lot more energy in the water.

Surfing in high waves
from start to finish.

It's just awesome to be able
to surf waves like that,

in such a high-level event.

It's gonna be really fun.

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