That’s right, we’ve gone international here at 805.
But before you break out the Google Translate to see how you can ask for, “one cold one, please,” in any other language than the one written here, just know that, sadly, we don’t mean you can find fresh cold ones at your local coastal Australian pub or beach-adjacent Cervejaria in Portugal now. We’re doing our best to make that happen, though. In an ideal world, if there’s good surf and warm sand, then there should be an icey 805 close by too. We’ll figure it out, we promise.
No, rather, we’ve been hitting the World Surf League’s World Championship Tour with our newest Authentico Lakey Peterson. Last we properly checked on Lakey, she had put a killer fifth-place finish at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach on ice. Since then, she’s been logging some serious frequent flyer miles following the tour.
From Portugal to Australia, Lakey’s been paddling into some solid surf and pocketed some serious heat results in the process. It’s been nothing but good times keeping up with her competitive circuit, and we want to give you a quick update on all the scoring she’s been involved with too. With that, let’s rip into it.
Following her Sunset Beach performance, Lakey hopped right off the sand and onto the most semi-direct flight from Honolulu International to Humberto Delgado International Airport in Lisbon, Portugal on offer. Considering those two spots are almost on the direct opposite side of the big, blue marble we call home, you can imagine the travel time wasn’t ideal. But it’s not the worst considering you’re just switching one warm, white-sand beach, paradise for another.
The MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal is a favorite for tour surfers. Maybe it has something to do with consistently great surf, amazing food, and chill, laid-back, classic beach culture Portugal regularly has on tap. Lakey matched up with Hawaiian surfer Bettylou Sakura Johnson and American surfer Sawyer Lindblad in heat 4 of the opening round. Lakey sadly finished that heat in third place, but was able to advance to the Round of 16 after a second-place finish against surfers Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Francisca Veselko (POR) in the elimination round.
The Round of 16 was all Lakey after she took out Isabella Nichola (AUS) and advanced on to the Quarterfinals. She kept the momentum going in the quarters, beating USA 2024 Olympic Team surfer Caroline Marks. Unfortunately, Lakey fell short of eventual Rip Curl Pro Portugal champion Johanne Defay (FR) in the Semifinals. Still, a third place certainly ain’t the worst.
From Portugal, it was time for another quick trip halfway around the world to Australia. The first of two Australian Championship Tour events goes down in Bells Beach, Victoria, an absolutely iconic break. Lakey’s first heat was against Bettylou once again and Australian India Robinson. Bell’s rolling right-hand wall suited Lakey’s surfing style perfectly. She advanced to the Round of 16 where she matched up with Costa Rican surfer Brisa Hennessy. Both girls surfed spectacularly, but ultimately Brisa’s won by a toenail’s length at the photo finish, racking up a 12.74 heat score to Lakey’s 12.73. Lakey picked up ninth place and it was on to Margaret River.
Margaret River is a tricky wave for everyone. Situated in Australia’s remote western state, it is as beautiful as it is rugged and raw. The contest kicked off at Main Break, essentially an open-ocean a-frame that demands head-on-a-swivel surfing.
Lakey won her first heat over both Johanne Defay and Sawyer Lindblad, automatically advancing to the Round of 16. Her later heat was a bit more tricky, as Lakey met up with a familiar competitor: Brisa Hennessy. Brisa got the best of Lakey, knocking her out with a 12.93 compared to her 9.84
Lakey now sits at 11th overall on the tour and will sadly be missing the mid-season cut by only one spot. Don’t worry, though, there’ll be plenty more opportunities to see Lakey surfing in the very near future. Keep an eye out for her at the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro in Queensland, Australia, in May and the GWM Sydney Surf Pro just down the M1 and then A1 highway a bit soon after. She should be making an appearance at the US Open of Surfing in August as well.
We couldn’t be more proud of Lakey and we’re always stoked to see her surf. We can’t wait to be cheering her on with cold ones at our Huntington Beach bar at the US Open, and we hope to see you too. Until then.