Moana Jones Wong

Moanalani Jones Wong (born May 16, 1999)^[1] is an American surfer who has been called the "Queen of Pipeline".^[2]

Early life and education

Jones Wong was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, alongside her younger sister.^[3][2][4] She was homeschooled.^[5][6]

She entered the University of Hawaii West Oahu in 2016, initially majoring in biology.^[5] In her junior year, she switched her degree to Hawaiian and Indigenous Health and Healing (HIHH), after taking a class in the subject.^[5] She graduated in 2021, and was part of the first class of students to graduate with the HIHH degree.^[5] Her thesis was on surfing and its importance in Native Hawaiian culture.^[2][5]

Surfing career

Jones Wong began surfing as a child,^[2] and competed in her first surf contest at age 5.^[3] As she grew older, she was driven to improve her surfing skills in order to keep up with her close friends, who were also surfers.^[3][7] She first paddled out to the Banzai Pipeline at age 12.^[7]

At age 11, she began a sponsorship with Billabong, which she continued until age 17.^[4] Jones Wong competed in local contests until age 16.^[6]

Jones Wong has never trained under a coach, and has said she doesn't follow any specific training or diet regimes.^[3] In 2022, Wong began wearing a helmet while surfing the Banzai Pipeline.^[8]

Jones Wong competed in the 2014 Surf n Sea Pipeline Women's Pro,^[9] and in 2015 came fourth in the event's final.^[10][11] She also competed in the 32-mile Molokai 2 Oahu paddle race with her father, Dawson Jones.^[4]

In late 2021, Jones Wong won the HIC Pipe Pro.^[2][12]

She won first place in the women's division of the 2021 Vans Pipe Masters,^[2][12][13] and won the 2023 event the following year.^{[14][15][16][17]}

In June 2023, Jones Wong was included among the surfers profiled in the docuseries Surf Girls.^[18]

Personal life

Jones Wong is of Native Hawaiian descent.^[19][20][21] She met her husband, Tehotu Wong, at V-Land, a surfing spot on the North Shore.^[22] In her spare time, she does jiu jitsu and hula.^[3]