Tatiana perfecting her barrel riding technique in Tahiti.
Tatiana Weston-Webb is ready to take on the world. The 18-year-old surfer out of the island of Kauai is set to make her rookie debut on the 2015 Women’s ASP World Tour, and she couldn’t be more excited.
Although Tati might only be 18, she already has nearly 10 years of competition experience under her belt. Despite coming from a family of dedicated surfers, Tatiana fell into the sport on her own terms. She quickly fell in love with surfing, and once she started competing at age 9, she certainly had no shortage of support from her close-knit family. She had always planned to continue her education, and she envisioned maybe moving on to college to become a marine biologist or veterinarian someday. “When I was a little girl,” she told me, “I never thought of being a surfer until I started surfing. I really wanted to pursue my education. I still figured I would be a surfer but then maybe move onto college and pursue a career that wasn’t so sport involved.” But after her second or third national title, Tatiana became more confident in her surfing. She realized she wanted to pursue the sport professionally, and she never looked back. “I realized maybe I should pursue this professionally and do this for a living,” she continued.
Now, just a few years later, Tati is the newest title contender out of Hawaii. Following in the footsteps of other hyper-talented Hawaiian pros like Carissa Moore, Coco Ho, Malia Manuel, Alana Blanchard, and Alessa Quizon, Tatiana hopes to prove herself against the worlds’ best. But more than proving herself, Tati just wants to savor every experience she will have on tour, and most importantly, keep it fun – something that her father made clear was important. “My dad just always wanted us to do what we love,” she said. “I’m so excited to just be at the first event at Snapper and see how everything goes down. It’s just so exciting for me and I want to take in every experience that I get. I really can’t wait to begin the year.”
Though she travelled to Tahiti to work on her barrel riding, Tati managed to bang off a few turns.
While Tatiana might be the new kid on the block, she will have an upper hand against many of her competitors in the barrel. During the Battle of the Breasts event in Florida, Greg Browning asked Tatiana, “Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world?” She answered Tahiti, and before she knew it, thanks to Greg, Shane Magnussen, and Body Glove, she was on a plane to Tahiti with Anthony Walsh, Tika Smith, and her brother Troy Weston-Webb for the trip of a lifetime.
Captivated by the power of Teahupoo, Tatiana couldn’t wait to tackle one of the world’s most dangerous and perfect waves. However, the ocean had different plans. Upon the group’s arrival in Tahiti, the swell wasn’t right for Teahupoo. Anthony, luckily, had another idea in mind. “He said there was this really good random wave on an outer island,” Tati said.
They were greeted with incredibly remote conditions, crystal clear waters, and firing waves. “A key thing for me was just learning to ride the barrel properly,” she remembered. “I’ve always grown up having amazing waves where I live, but I’ve never had the advice I had with Anthony and Greg.” And a little experience goes a long way, especially in a place like Tahiti. “They were helping me so much,” Tatiana said about her two mentors. “Everything from body positioning to teaching me how to properly stall and drag my arm.”
The group had to spearfish and husk coconuts for food, as the tiny island store provided only the essentials of water, coffee, and sugar. Tatiana was struck by seeing how simple life can be when you live to survive. It was pretty rural conditions, you know,” she remembered. “It was pretty hard. But it was such an amazing experience in itself – you wake up in the morning and go fishing to catch dinner; you wake up in the morning to gather coconuts. It was really unique to see how simple life could be because you basically live to survive.”
Tatiana made the most of the island’s perfect waves and idyllic conditions. Although she grew up surfing incredible waves in Hawaii, the wave in Tahiti allowed her to polish her barrel riding skills. The trip gave Tati the perfect combination of tutoring and practice, and while she took a couple hard knocks on the reef, she came away having learned more than she could ever imagine.
Before heading home to Kauai, the crew decided to take a detour to Teahupoo. “This big swell popped up on the weather radar,” Tati told me, “and the boys were freaking out because we weren’t going to be there.” Thankfully for Tatiana, Body Glove agreed to extend the trip, enabling her to use her newfound barrel riding skills. “After our time spent on the outer island,” she said, “I had a lot more confidence going into that swell. It was honestly the most amazing experience I’ve had in my entire life.”
Tatiana, crystal clear.
The first day when the swell was just filling in, Tati surfed with Anthony. He helped her figure out the break, telling her which waves to go on, probably saving her a couple wipeouts. “I think I would have been really lost without him,” she remembered. “I’m really thankful he was there.” She grew more comfortable with the wave and with her barrel riding abilities, and by the third day of the swell, Tatiana paddled out alone, where she surfed among with Billy Kemper and Albee Layer, among others. While she knew she had nothing to prove, she loved seeing them shocked that she was surfing that day.
While Tatiana won’t know what’s in store until she puts the jersey on for the first time at Snapper, she’s undoubtedly prepared for whatever surf the tour throws her way.
