Pipeline hell-raiser Moana Jones Wong wins historic tuberiding contest for women at Padang Padang!

"Surfing with such amazing women and coming out on top—there's nothing better."

The undisputed Queen of Pipeline and Donald Trump fan-gal (“That’s my president!”) Moana Jones Wong has won the tiara and sash for best girl surfer at Rip Curl’s Padang Padang contest.

Padang Padang, as most readers will know, lets a man, or gal, in easy before going straight for the jugular. A soft hiss before the explosion. It’s a wave for surfers who have an objective relish for danger, a chevalier-esque urge to prevail in battle.

Bali, too, is a study of contrasts. 

On a day when Padang Padang wasn’t its usual hair-raising self, Moana Jones Wong employed her trademark long, slow fades to beat a real tough field, which included Fiji Pro winner, the Canadian teen prodigy Erin Brooks.

“This win is unreal,” Moana Jones Wong said. “The conditions were challenging, but that’s what makes it so satisfying. You never really know what the ocean’s going to throw at you, and that’s the beauty of it. Surfing with such amazing women and coming out on top—there’s nothing better. Padang Padang is just magical.”

Moana Jones Wong came into the broader spotlight a couple of years back when her wildly dominant performance against the best surfers in the world at Pipeline a couple of years back made her, briefly, the toast of the surfing.

Four years ago, her position as the Queen of Pipeline was cemented when she belted the current Olympic silver medallistTatiana Weston-Webb on the beach and used the words “stupid” and “bitch” to describe her after West dropped in on her.

And last year, Jones Wong was slammed for wrong-think by Surf Equity, a “non-profit, which accepts all races, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, gender expressions, countries of origin, ethnicities, religions and genders”.

“In 2023, Jones Wong aligned herself with Bethany Hamilton in expressing views that were perceived as anti-trans and targeted towards LGBTQIA+ surfers. Additionally, Wong made comments questioning the competitive prowess of cisgender women in professional surfing, suggesting that they were inadequate in comparison to a trans woman. These incidents contribute to the rise of anti-trans sentiments within the pro surfing community, involving numerous athletes.”

Ironic, then, Moana Jones Wong should win an event sponsored by Rip Curl, a company lashed as cowards by brave transgender campaigner Roxy Tickle, whose journey we featured a couple of days back. 

In the men, Noa “Horse” Deane beat his childhood hero Joel Parkinson and current beau Mason Ho surprising no one except himself.

“I never thought I would win,” Noa said. “My intention was pure fun and surfing with my hero Mason Ho. It turns out I was the winner, and this is the best feeling ever.”