At just 14 years old, Raglan’s Alani Morse is carving out a name for herself in New Zealand surfing. Fresh off a major win at the South Island Surfing Championships in Dunedin, the Raglan Area School student shares her journey, challenges, and excitement for what lies ahead.
Hi, I’m Alani Morse, I’m 14 years old and a Year 11 student at Raglan Area School. I grew up in a surfing family including many generations of surfers. I learned to appreciate the ocean at a young age, playing at the beach every weekend with my brother Theo and going on surfing adventures with my family. I enjoyed many different sports as a young athlete and learned about competing and myself. Skateboarding and surfing were definitely my favourite sports overall, and I decided I wanted to dedicate my youth to becoming a talented surfer. The ocean gives me so much joy and peace, and then you have the competing side in surfing which has challenged me and has become exciting. You are always learning through the wins and the losses.
Congratulations! You have just won the South Island Surfing Champs in Dunedin. Tell us about the experience.
I always love travelling down south! The cold, getting chased by sea lions, wet wetsuits, it all adds to the experience, especially when the waves don’t disappoint. The competition was the cherry on top, being able to hang out with the crew and compete in some waves of consequence on the finals day at Aramoana Spit. I felt like I could really showcase my true abilities. My finals were bucket list heats, getting barrelled and sticking an air in the same heat. It made the whole experience more special to me and progressive female surfing.
How are you finding school and the surf academy?
School is so good and I think the surf academy has been really beneficial. I’m learning super fast, with both my schoolwork and my surfing. It has been an awesome adjustment being able to focus on both. My teachers have been super supportive of what I’m striving for. I’m really grateful for all the community around me. Deane and Larry are a huge support and have been such inspirations to our community.
Tell us about your performance in the Junior Under-16 division comps.
This year I had a rough start, getting knocked out first round U16 girls at our National Titles, which was a very hectic loss – probably my worst yet. But I decided I wouldn’t let that get in the way and make me have a bad season. I wanted to learn from my loss, dig myself out of the hole and climb back to the top, not letting a 15-minute heat define myself or my surfing. Going forward into the next few competitions I had no expectations but was focused to surf my best with a good mindset and attitude, and I was able to win all five comps in a row. To me it was about proving to myself I had what it takes.
What training is involved for the upcoming Worlds?
Preparing for Worlds is mostly trying to familiarise myself with the country and surf break I’m heading to. This makes me feel comfortable and it takes less time to get used to. I like to surf similar waves to the arena and make sure I have the correct equipment. Keeping up with my fitness and also being mentally strong is key. Making sure I have the confidence, because when you’re there it is very easy to get overwhelmed. I have trained a lot with Johnny at The Refinery. He has so much good experience to learn from which I use in my heats and build-up to the comp.
How do you mentally prepare for comps like this?
To prepare myself mentally I like to visualise everything before the competition, even small things like grabbing my rash shirt and paddling out. Using your senses and trying to make your brain believe you are there helps with all the pressure and stress, and gives me heaps of confidence. I also believe that simplicity is the best – having family around, free surfing, nice food and sleep are the only things I need to keep me mentally prepared for comps.
How did you spend the school holidays? What do you like to do with time off?
I had two South Island comps during the holidays and spent my whole school holidays down in the South. First was the Kaikōura Grom Comp, then Dunedin for the South Island Champs during Easter, and then I followed my brother Theo to the Exit Men’s Champs in Christchurch.
Between the comps we were chasing waves up and down the coast. It was sick to find some new spots, go on adventures, and get myself out of my comfort zone in some decent-sized surf with my brother, ticking off some bucket list spots I have dreamed of surfing around the Dunedin area, which was such a highlight. During Christchurch I went with a group of grommets to find a wave down south, which was fun, and then headed to Kaikōura and surfed some fun waves at Meatworks to finish off our South Island mission. I love going on surf trips with friends and family in my time off and going on awesome adventures. Chasing swell and scoring epic waves is so fun, especially when you have a great group of people to hang with.
