But, it was wildcard Kirra Pinkerton who lived up to the position and eliminated Anderson’s travel partner, and former CT competitor Paige Hareb. The 14-year-old picked apart the Drill Hall Beach lineup in her debut heat with a last-minute 8.30 to advance under an in-form Brisa Hennessy and continued to show her competitive prowess against some of the world’s best.

“That was really sketch after seeing Brisa [Hennessy] get the second wave of the set and I just paddled out hoping there was another one,” Pinkerton said. “When it came I knew I just had to surf it to its potential. I’m really comfortable on my backhand after working with Jimmy Hogan and he’s been helping a lot with my bottom-to-top turns out here — along with where to sit in the lineup so it’s really great.”