Surfing: On the crest of a wave

Stephanie Gilmore from Australia holds the No 1 ranking. Photo / ASP

We've all heard of women's surfing hope Paige Hareb but who is the young Kiwi battling against for the world crown? Tony Baker looks at the bevy of talented beauties who make up the women's world tour.

The women are ranked in their current placing after two of the tour's seven events. The bottom six are relegated to a lesser tour each year.

1st
Stephanie Gilmore (Australia)

Twice ASP women's world champion, Australian icon and the face of the new age of women's surfing, Gilmore claimed her maiden world title in her rookie year on tour (2007), backing it up in year two. The 21-year-old natural footer is the complete package: professional, smart and a natural athlete, she grew up surfing alongside the likes of 2007 ASP men's world champion Mick Fanning and has won 12 elite tour victories since 2005. One of the most talked about surfers on the planet, she doesn't look like letting go of the No 1 ranking any time soon.

2nd
Silvana Lima (Brazil)

Small in stature but big in ambition, the 24-year-old Brazilian grew up competing in the Brazilian martial art capoeira. Her introduction to professional surfing was at the late age of 17 but is a world class competitor. Her eyes are firmly set on the 2009 world title, after being runner-up in 2008 and third the previous season. Winning the Rip Curl Women's Pro at Bells Beach (Victoria, Australia) earlier this year moved her within striking distance of Gilmore.

3rd=
Paige Hareb (New Zealand)

Hareb is fast becoming a name to be set in stone at the top. Placing third at the Roxy Pro (Gold Coast) and fifth at Bells Beach, she has made a big impression in her rookie year on the tour. Hailing from the wave rich Taranaki coastline, this rising star attributes her down to earth approach to the world tour as a result of her friends and family keeping her feet firmly on the ground. She has already taken down some big names in her first year on the Dream Tour'. Joel Parkinson (current ASP men's No 1) said of Hareb: "She has a big future ahead of her. She's only 18; she's going to be a star."

3rd=
Sofia Mulanovich (Peru)

She has flair, style and a track record to prove it. After winning the women's world title in 2004, the 26-year-old Mulanovich is resolute in her quest for another and rarely finishes out of the top five. She has won at nearly every location in her seven years on tour with a total of nine elite tour victories. She is the only South American to win an ASP world crown and her achievements in surfing have made her a hero in her nation.

5th
Melanie Bartels (Hawaii)

Runner up at this year's Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast, the 27-year-old Hawaiian is in her fifth year on tour. Growing up on Oahu's rough west side has given Bartels a competitive edge that has seen her develop into one of the most explosive and powerful female surfers on the planet. With her heritage deeply engrained in the Polynesian connection with the ocean, she has beaten the Brazilians on their home turf (Billabong Pro 2006, Rio de Janeiro) and has won at Sunset Beach (Roxy Pro 2006) on Hawaii's infamous North Shore. Still a real threat to the top ranks.

6th=
Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia)

Her heroes include Roger Federer, Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Kelly Slater, and the 19-year-old from NSW is turning heads in the surfing world. Fitzgibbons, a former track and field athlete, was thrust on to the world surfing stage after winning the Billabong ASP world junior championships in early 2008. She qualified for the world tour, winning the ASP world qualifying series by the largest margin in history. Known for her athletic ability and perfect style, Fitzgibbons, in her rookie year on tour, is synonymous with the new age of female surfing.

6th=
Coco Ho (Hawaii)

Her family name is deeply engrained in professional surfing history (Coco's uncle is former ASP world champion Derek Ho), so it's no surprise the 18-year-old natural footer is kicking it among the top contenders in the ASP Tour. Coco has a reputation for holding her own in waves of consequence (including Pipeline) and has a full repertoire of progressive aerial moves and fins out surfing. A real contender for a world title - after all, it's in her blood.

8th
Rebecca Woods (Australia)

Rebecca Woods is well-respected among her peers and has exuded an air of professionalism and charisma since her introduction to professional surfing nearly a decade ago. The 24-year-old's competitive highlights include being crowned ASP world junior champion in 2005 and winning the ASP world qualifying series the same year. An elite win on the ASP World Tour still eludes Woods but only adds to her motivation.

9th=
Samantha Cornish (Australia)

Samantha Cornish is one of the more seasoned competitors on tour and is in her sixth year. Coming from strong surfing lineage and introduced to the rigours of competition at an early age, Cornish has established herself as one of the best female surfers in the world. Originally from the wave rich area of Crescent Head in NSW Corndog', as she is known, has consistently climbed the rankings, with her best finish fifth in 2007. Had a role in surfing movie Blue Crush.

9th=
Jacqueline Silva (Brazil)

With one of the smoothest cutbacks in the business, Brazil's Jacqueline Silva is a seasoned campaigner on the world scene. Placing second in the 2002 ASP Tour, Silva is now in her 10th year at the elite level. In a comeback from health issues in 2003, she jumped into the lead of the 2004 tour by winning the Roxy Pro Gold Coast Event and finished a respectable sixth that year. Since then, she has struggled to finish in the top 10.

9th=
Chelsea Hedges (Australia)

Joining a strong team of Australian surfers on tour is sixth-year veteran Chelsea Hedges. The 2005 ASP world champion has had a string of elite victories, including three in the heavy waves of Hawaii and two in the perfection of Tahiti. After taking a year off in 2008 to give birth to her daughter Meika, Hedges is back and as fit and competitive as ever - and the 26-year-old goofy footer will make her presence felt.

9th=
Bruna Schmitz (Brazil)

The 19-year-old beauty from Mathinhos Beach in Brazil has enjoyed a solid start to her maiden year on the world tour. Schmitz placed fifth in her first outing at the Roxy Pro on Australia's Gold Coast and will be hoping to build on that. One of the new breed of goofy footers on tour, she will be looking forward to a few stops on tour that coincide with the ASP men's tour so she can spend time with partner (and one of the world's most talented emerging surfers) Jeremy Flores.

13th=
Amee Donohoe (Australia)

An avid promoter of a drug-free Australia, the 29-year-old natural footer from NSW has earned herself a reputation as one of the most powerful, progressive and hard working surfers on tour. Although injury has plagued Donohoe in the past, her reintroduction to the world tour in 2008 saw her cause some huge upsets and take it to the top surfers, claiming a highly respectable fifth place. This fourth-year veteran is on the way up and will be an obstacle for anyone who wants the world title.

13th=
Alana Blanchard (Hawaii)

Could be mistaken for a top model and was recently voted one of the hottest women in world surfing. Blanchard has earned herself a reputation for charging the heavy waves of Hawaii's North Shore. Hailing from the same strip of coast in Kauai that has produced ASP superstars and world champions, including twice ASP champion Andy Irons, this 19-year-old rookie is pure class. With the last two events of the year in familiar territory (Hawaii), Alana will be looking forward to some big waves and solid results.

16th=
Layne Beachley (Australia)

A seven-times world champion, Beachley is the matriarch of women's professional surfing at 37. She is one of the greatest female surfers of our time, surfing competitively against three generations of surfers and pushing the envelope with her big wave exploits in Hawaii and across the globe. With 29 elite victories spanning 19 years on the ASP world tour, an inductee to both the US and Australian Surfing Halls of Fame and winning multiple Sportswoman of the Year awards, there isn't too much Beachley hasn't conquered. Chose to compete only in selected events this year.

16th=
Jessi Miley-Dyer (Australia)

Into her fourth year on the tour, Jessi is one of the new breed of all-rounders. Not only does she have a strong competitive track record, including being crowned 2006 ASP world junior champion, she also holds an Australian title in snowboarding, was chosen to be a torchbearer for the 2000 Sydney Olympics Torch relay for her involvement with surf life- saving, and most recently received a scholarship to study law at the University of New South Wales. A serious contender for a world title, she tasted success at the 2006 Billabong Maui Pro and is hungry for more.

16th=
Megan Abubo (Hawaii)

With 11 years on the world tour and extensive exposure in Hollywood films (Blue Crush) and mainstream magazines (Rolling Stone), 31-year-old Abubo has established herself as a pillar of women's elite surfing. She has eight tour victories and is known for her style and confidence in the water and out. She is a spokeswoman for a non-profit organisation dedicated to raising money for breast cancer research and awareness and will be in the hunt for that elusive world title in 2009.