Video: Shark Attack Changes Women’s Pro Surfing Forever

Dashel Pierson
·1 min read
22

In 2019, women’s pro surfing changed forever.

That was when, per a decree from the World Surf League, for the first time in pro surfing history, women would earn equal prize money as the men.

It was historic, radical; but then, in 2020, something else happened that also altered women’s pro surfing, evolving the sport for good, and never looking back.

During the 2020 Maui Pro event, a man was attacked and killed by a shark. Officials were left with a tough call. Continue competition? Cancel? Something else? Ultimately, the WSL decided to move the event: the women would hop on a short plane ride, and join the men at Pipeline instead of the comparatively harmless – in terms of waves; sharks, as unfortunately demonstrated, are a different story – Honolua Bay.

Now, the women compete at Pipe alongside the men for good.

In the video above from the WSL, they document this female professional surfing evolution including equal pay, shark attacks, and Pipeline.

Captioning, they wrote:

“Everything changed in 2019, and the women on the Championship Tour have been pushing the level and shattering ceilings ever since. From equal prize money to charging Pipeline, Teahupo'o, and a fully integrated schedule, this is what history looks like. The standard will be raised yet again when the tour kicks off at Pipe on January 29.”

Stay tuned for the 2024 Championship Tour and more boundary-breaking surfing from the women.

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