While the Eddie was going and Jaws was munching guys on wave skis up during this past swell, the ASP Women's Tour was scoring some of the best waves ever seen at the Billabong Pro over on Maui. Conditions were flawless on at Honolua Bay during day one of their competition, as this video shows.


After clinching her third ASP World Title in a row at the Gidget Pro at Sunset a week earlier, Steph Gilmore celebrated by taking her third straight Billabong Pro on Maui, this time defeating Peru's Sofia Mulanovich in the final. Her latest win also earned her the Vans Triple Crown Title.

"Once again, Maui has just been incredible and to win this event three times in a row is just awesome," Gilmore said. "I couldn't have been happier with the way things have gone today. Winning the Vans Triple Crown is definitely up there with winning the World Title and it's definitely one of the biggest accolades of surfing professionally. I can't believe it's all happening again, it's awesome."

Gilmore absolutely dominated the day's proceedings, blitzing the highest heat total of the entire 2009 ASP Women's World Tour season by surfing a near-perfect heat of 19.67 out of 20 to usurp Samantha Cornish (AUS), 29, in her Quarterfinals heat before topping Fitzgibbons and Mulanovich en route to her second ASP Women's World Tour win of 2009.

While Gilmore has been the dominant force for the past three years on the tour, the road ahead does look tougher in 2010. The ASP women's tour is about to be injected with another youth movement next year, as a new generation of stars graduates to the big stage.

Both Coco Ho and Lee Ann Curren are second generation tour stars. Ho's father Michael was a fixture on the tour through the 70s and 80s, and was making finals at Sunset Beach into his mid 40s. Curren's father Tom was the three time world champion. Both will be joined next year by Carissa Moore, who many expect will make an instant push toward the top.


Billabong Pro Maui presented by Hawaiian Airlines Final:

1 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 18.00

2 - Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 10.17


SF 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.03 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.94

SF 2: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 13.83 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 11.70


QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.83 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 15.83

QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 19.67 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 7.26

QF 3: Silvana Lima 16.70 def. Melanie Bartels (HAW) 7.20

QF 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.77 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 6.50


Final 2009 ASP Women's World Tour ratings

1. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

2. Silvana Lima (BRA)

3. Sofia Mulanovich (PER)

4. Coco Ho (HAW)

5. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)

6. Melanie Bartels (HAW)

7. Chelsea Hedges (AUS)

8. Paige Hareb (NZL)

9. Rebecca Woods (AUS)

10. Rosanne Hodge (ZAF)

11. Samantha Cornish (AUS)

12. Jacqueline Silva (BRA)

13. Alana Blanchard (HAW)

14. Bruna Schmitz (BRA)

15. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)

16. Amee Donohoe (AUS)

17. Megan Abubo (HAW)