Moore Bells! Photo: WSL
Carissa Moore knows Bells Beach. She’s got the place dialed–even on days when everything’s a little funky, she’s got the know-how to pick off the best waves. And it certainly showed when she won the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach final against Stephanie Gilmore.
Steph, arguably, has Bells on an even tighter lock than Moore, but Moore came into the event with a few distinct advantages. Because Bells is often shifty and difficult to read, a bit of local knowledge can go a long way. That’s why she hired Cahill Bell-Warren for a bit of insider trading. On top of the fact that she’s the defending champion, Moore’s confidence on the second stop of the tour was firing on all cylinders.
The two champions have been at the top of the game for a long time now–in fact, were they both not so smiling and happy, one might say a rivalry of sorts is forming. Prior to the Bells Beach event, the two went head-to-head five times, the last of which was at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast. Gilmore held a 3-2 lead over Moore, but Moore evened it up with her Bells Beach win.
Her second win of the season in as many events, Moore is the rating leader. As the winner of last year’s Margaret River event, the next on the schedule, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her continue as the obvious choice for a champion.
