15-Year-Old Surfer Wins Contest at the North Shore’s OG Big-Wave Spot 

Big boards without a leash, floatation or water safety were the norm out here, where the beatdowns carried just as much lore as the best rides. Fast forward decades later, and we now have 15-year-old girls squaring up and laying down tracks at the overpowering right point. The 2025 Sunset Pro may only be a WSL QS 2,000, but the talent spread across the heat draw is among the best you’ll see in a contest. 

This week, 15-year-old Kiara Goold reminded the world that her skill set extends far beyond viral airs. You may have seen Kiara’s name from the multiple clips of her boosting over wave pools around the world. But the young Polynesian put up a 16.34 point total in the final at the Sunset Pro (which included Hawaiian Pipeline Queen Moana Jones Wong) to earn her first QS event win. 

Anyone who has dropped into that bowl and attempted to engage their outside rail will tell you that the wave just hits different. The sections are fast, unforgiving and loaded with Pacific power. Maybe the pros feel something else, but for most surfers, Sunset calls the shots. Watching Kiara belt the outside section and pull into a solid Sunset barrel on her first ride for an 8.67 made for an impressive read.

"It's really amazing,” she said. “I wouldn't expect to get high scores here. I got the 8.67, and I'm just really happy. This event means a lot to me and my family, and I'm so happy to win for the first time ever. I'm super excited for the next events because there are going to be CT girls in the next one."

On the men’s side of the podium stood local leadfoot Finn McGill, who clawed his way past perennial North Shore standouts and multiple current and former Championship Tour talent and, including Barron Mamiya, Zeke Lau, Ian Gentil, Josh Moniz and Billy Kemper.

I think the WSL needs to update their bio stats, because Finn is about as far from 5’7” and 130-lbs as I am from winning a locals-only heat at Sunset. In the back-and-forth final, Finn matched power with power, hammering sections on his forehand and getting rewarded for it. His 9 at the start of the heat was a thing of brutal beauty, but he came up clutch with a 5.07 to take back the lead with two minutes left.

This is Finn’s second QS win in three events this season (he won the Air Tahiti Rangiroa Pro in March), and he’s now sitting pretty at the top of the regional rankings with Haleiwa up next. As is often the case with Sunset, this stuff hits different.

"It's so special,” Finn said. “I’ve gotten second, I think, six times in this QS and the old QS 3,000 to Jack Robinson and Barron Mamiya in the past. So, it was amazing to finally break that curse. I love this wave, and I think I'm the only one who actually likes to surf this wave. It's just a special wave for me. I grew up next to Pancho Sullivan, and he'd take me out here as a kid, so this place has my heart more than any other.”