When the final leg of the World Surf League (WSL) regular season begins in Tahiti this week, Kelia Mehani Gallina will make history. Just 12 years old, the Tahitian local won the event trials last month to book a spot in the main draw, making her the youngest competitor in WSL history. She will face the current world No 1, Molly Picklum of Australia, and American star Lakey Peterson in the opening round, before celebrating her 13th birthday midway through the event.
The contest site, Teahupo’o, is renowned as being among the heaviest waves in the world. But Gallina is a regular – she speaks to the Guardian by phone with her father, Ryan, from their home in Teahupo’o village. “We can see [the wave] from our bedroom,” says Ryan, who is originally from Hawaii (Kelia’s mother is Tahitian). Such is her local status that Kelia’s Instagram handle is simply @MissTeahupoo.
Gallina surfs a local wave in Tahiti. Photograph: Wendy Cowan
“I’m pretty surprised,” the youngster admits after her trials victory. “I just can’t wait.” Her father shares these emotions. “We’re in shock,” he says. “We always visualised this happening, but not at all did we think it would happen so soon.”
Kelia started surfing when she was three, at the suggestion of her father – himself a passionate surfer. “It’s always fun,” she says. “I have a lot of friends who surf every day too, so I’m just with them, all day, every day.” Barely a decade later, Kelia will surf against the best in the world.
In recent years, Kelia has been a regular participant in Rising Tides – a WSL program that sees pro surfers guide and mentor young locals during a competition stop. “My birthday is 10 August, so it’s always been around my birthday,” she says. “It’s the best birthday present ever. It’s super inspiring to surf with [defending world champion] Caity Simmers, Molly Picklum, all those girls. I’m excited to have them in a heat.”
WSL Rising Tides participants before the 2023 Tahiti Pro at Teahupo’o. Photograph: Matt Dunbar/World Surf League
On a big swell, Teahupo’o is fearsome – waves track thousands of kilometres across the Pacific before unloading on to a shallow Tahitian reef. For a decade and a half, the women’s side of the WSL did not feature a leg in Tahiti; the event was discontinued in 2006 reportedly due to injury fears, a decision that was criticised at the time as sexist. That was reversed in 2022 after the WSL men’s and women’s calendars were integrated.
Last year, that decision was more than vindicated when the top female surfers looked at home in heaving 8-10ft Teahupo’o barrels. “It definitely gives me reasons to want to go on the bigger waves,” Kelia says. “I feel like the level of the girls is getting way better every year. I’m really happy to be part of that next generation.”
Gallina waits for a wave. Photograph: Richard Seehausen
The youngster started surfing Teahupo’o at four and a half years old – she can’t recall whether she was fearful at first. “I think so,” she says with a laugh. “It’s kind of hard to remember.” Ryan admits he continues to harbour some concerns, but, he says, “nothing out of the ordinary for a parent.”
“Of course you worry,” Ryan says. “Like you worry when they’re crossing the street, or riding around in town, there’s always somewhat of a worry that comes with being a parent. But I’ve been about 23 years out at this wave, and feel I know it pretty intimately – so I pride myself in knowing when is a good time [for Kelia to surf].”
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The pair often surf together. In bigger waves – Kelia says she has previously surfed 12ft faces – Ryan will stay close in the water and help guide his daughter into the waves. “They’re not going to allow that [during competition],” he says. So the Mehani Gallina family are hoping the swell is good, but not too good, come competition day. “We’re praying the waves aren’t too big,” he adds. The family also take peace of mind from the fact that “the best life-saving water patrol in the world” will be close to hand, Ryan says.
Gallina in the water at Teahupo’o. Photograph: Damien Poullenot/World Surf League/Getty Images
Not yet a teenager, Kelia says she wants to qualify for the WSL in the future – even if her debut appearance came earlier than expected. “That’s definitely the goal, to make it on tour,” she says. The Mehani Gallina family are trying to manage expectations, though. “We acknowledge that it is extremely difficult to make it to that level,” Ryan adds. “It’s a goal, but not the goal. Surfing is a lifestyle for us, so whether or not that happens, it’s just about being in the ocean, getting better every day and having something you’re passionate about.”
In the coming days, when the buzzer goes to begin her heat, Kelia will make history – even before she surfs a wave. Could an upset be on the cards? “I’m just going to wait until the moment,” says Kelia.
But Ryan is hoping that age and relative inexperience could work in his daughter’s favour. “There is really no pressure on her to do anything – no one expected her to get this far,” he says. “[Kelia] is the biggest underdog ever – the pressure is on [the other surfers in the heat]. You don’t want to lose to a 12-year-old girl.”