Tyler Wright on Solitude, Self-Doubt and Surfing’s Mental Game

After conquering the world’s most dangerous waves, silencing the doubters, and rewriting the rules of women’s surfing, Tyler Wright is rewriting her own story. Fresh off a historic win at Pipeline, the two-time World Tour Champion is learning to embrace the solitude.

Pipeline in February 2025 was not just another stop on the World Surf League (WSL) calendar. For Tyler Wright, it was retribution. Under the harsh glare of a Hawaiian sun, the Australian surfing legend turned back the clock, wading into the Oahu North Shore water as an unexpected underdog.

For years, Wright had wrestled with injury, expectation, and the quiet loneliness of self-doubt, but as she carved her way through a field of younger, hungrier competitors en route to a famous final, belief began to grow. The punishing, low-scoring bout against reigning champion Caitlin Simmers saw Wright enter the final moments clutching to a slim but tentative lead. However, when her much-favoured opponent was shut down on a wave with just one minute left on the clock, the result was all but confirmed. Tyler Wright was back.

“Honestly, I was really, really happy; I put a lot of effort into that event and it’s quite a scary event as well,” Wright tells me when we catch up in Bondi, months after the surprise victory. “It felt really nice but also challenging, if that makes sense. It challenged us to be present. That’s something that, as you get older, you think about a lot more.”

For Tyler, the victory was worth more than just prize money and prestige. Claiming the opening round event not only ended a two-year title drought, it also saw her become the first woman to win the iconic event at Banzai Pipeline on Hawaii’s North Shore for a second time.

“Pipe was big for me personally because I knew I was scared and I didn’t shy away from those feelings,” she reveals. “Knowing that I have had a couple of tough years with injuries, I went into that environment really gentle with myself. That isn’t normal for me. I expect a lot out of myself every day and so when the time came, I was like, ‘We’re going to approach this differently; we’re going to do everything we feel in the moment that it needs to be done, but we’re not going to sit and stress too much about the outcome.”

Rethinking Legacy

At 31, Wright is now an elder statesman of the surfing circuit. Fifteen years into an illustrious career, the two-time World Tour Champion has seen friends retire, rivals fade, and new talents emerge, but it all pales in comparison to the evolutionary change that happened right before her eyes.

When she first burst onto the scene as a spritely teenager, the women’s surfing competition was still caught in a shallow tide of sexism. Female athletes were underpaid, underresourced and criminally underrated. Wright, alongside rival Steph Gilmore and WSL head of competition Jessi Miley-Dyer, changed all that. 

“When I came into the picture at 16, that was the whole ‘sex sells’ mentality. That seems crazy now,” Wright explains. “I had the mentality to not really give a shit, and I was pretty lucky in that sense, because it is clear that investment is actually what grows the sport. You can see that in 2019, when the WSL brought in equal pay.”

That landmark moment, Wright explains, was the catalyst for transforming the sport into a global, financially viable career. Today, women’s surfing is built on a platform of artistry, athleticism, and equality.

“That was a huge step because there were athletes that were in the bubble of seven to 15 (in the World Rankings) that could now start earning money and focus on their actual craft,” she tells me. ‘All of a sudden, they’re a top-five surfer. There are so many stories like that that I think are really cool and show what investment actually does: allow women to focus on the craft, give them the time and get paid as well.”

The Next Wave

Listening to Tyler speak, it’s clear that this mission has meant more to her than most would have realised. The Aussie larakin with the big grin and the never-too-serious attitude may have made a career out of playing down achievements and taking it all in her stride, but there is an undeniable sense of pride attached to driving women’s sport forward. As Tyler reveals, success in competition has been fun, but it’s the growth that she’s had a part in building that she hopes will be remembered.

“The titles were cool, but it’s been really cool to work on things that expand the sport and to invest in the next generation of women,” she tells me. “I feel like it’s important for them to see different ways you can go about it and different ways you can be professional. We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that they have it better than we had by working with people who have that same vision as well.”

“Legacy is weird. I think about it, but also, I don’t really think about it. I just show up as I am every day, and that’s about it,” she continues. “We were never expected to surf Pipe or Fiji or Tahiti or any of these waves…Now, I’m watching this next generation who have more freedom to be expressive. You’ve got athletes like Simmers; they’re young, but they’re so creative; the women’s tour is expanding.”

A Change of Scenery

So too, it would seem, is Tyler’s remit. An athlete defined by the ocean, she is swapping the surf for the snow, teaming up with Cardrona Alpine Resort, New Zealand’s biggest ski destination, for what she calls a “seamless partnership”.

“They approached my managers and we were like, ‘Hey, we’re the biggest ski field in New Zealand, we’re keen to work with you and we’re interested in doing a surfboard for snowboard swap’. The connection between surfing and snow is seamless, and so it flows really easy,” Tyler says. “I grew up on the South Coast, so I’ve been to the snow a lot… This year too, we have an extended off-season, so I might travel a little bit more than I have in the off-season previously.”

It’s a collaboration that makes perfect sense: a world champion surfer, now testing her mettle on fresh powder…not that it’s much of a challenge.

“Yeah, it does ,” she laughs. “I’ve had lessons, but I also have friends who are either really good or professionals at it, so they are good people to learn from.”

“When I was younger, I was just dumb enough to go down any hill. I just went for it.

“Having a younger brother who was also pretty good at snowboarding was also helpful; he gave me a couple of tips here and there. With me, there is a natural sporting thing that just takes over, and I’m just like, ‘Oh yeah, I can do that. I can figure that out.’”

The partnership was marked by Cardrona’s audacious “Board Swap” activation at Bondi Beach in July, where Wright surprised locals with snow trivia and gave away thousands in prizes. For her, the message is simple: swap the surf for the snow, if only for a season. 

“Honestly, I think it’s a seamless transition. I just think surf for snow, snow for surf, it’s one of those opportunities where you get to mix it up with some different scenery, and I love the mountains,” she says.

“Being on the beach all the time is cool, but going up to the mountains, there’s such a nice energy up there. Being out in nature like that, I just don’t think there are too many things quite like it. You also get to do something really fun, and you don’t have to paddle; it’s even better.”

The Future

The two-time World Tour Champion will get to enjoy the fruits of the partnership in the near future, with her season officially drawing to a close. As the 31-year-old veteran prepares for an elongated break from competition, she’s reflecting on the changes she’s made over the years; some, more pertinent than others. As she explains throughout this season, and undoubtedly into next, the approach has been different. The fierce competitor has learnt to silence her harshest critic: herself.

“When you are 15 years in, there are certain things that you have to be more lenient with or understand work better,” she explains. “You just understand that you’re still going to fuck things up sometimes and give yourself permission to do that. As you get older, your goals change and in a way, it’s not so much about the outcome as it is about how you’re doing it.”

“I exceeded my own expectations a long time ago.”

“I’ve proven everything I’ve needed to prove in my career,” she says. “Now, I choose to show up; I don’t need to. It’s about how I want to show up at these events, how I want to surf and how I want to be present in these moments, rather than the outcome.”

It’s a feat easier said than done. By definition, surfing is a solo endeavour, driven by the personal pursuit of perfection; the perfect wave, the perfect score, the undisputed title. When you’re alone out in the water, biding time and waiting for nature to provide, the silence can be deafening. For Tyler, however, it feels like home.

“Honestly, that’s my preferred space,” she says. “It is easy to get distracted. There’s a lot of feeling, a lot of thoughts and a lot of noise in competition. Sometimes you hear it, but for me, most of the time, I don’t see a lot of anything. I’m not on social media when I compete and I try to stay grounded in why I’m there and what that means for me personally, not so much for everyone else.”

“I did a lot of things for everybody else when I was younger.”

For Tyler Wright, the future is no longer about chasing validation, but rather longevity, creativity, and freedom. Surfing may remain her first love, but her life is no longer defined solely by its results. What keeps her engaged, she says, is the freedom to keep exploring herself within the sport. 

“As a professional athlete, you can go down, body understanding or mental work; there are so many things to learn that will help you to craft yourself into the athlete that you want to be or that resonates with you. There’s not one blueprint. Every year is different. Every event is different. So that’s pretty fun.”

“So I think for me, it’s easy to stay engaged because I still love it.”

With incredible terrain, laid-back vibes and world-class facilities just a short flight away, New Zealand’s Cardrona and Treble Cone are the perfect winter escape for Aussies. To find out how to swap the surf for snow, visit the Cardrona Alpine Resorts website.