Danny Fuller taking in the view from the top. Photo: Willi
For a guy that’s so well known in the surf world, it seems odd that Kauai’s Danny Fuller hasn’t won an event in his 15-year career. But after the HIC Pro at Sunset Beach on November 9th, Fuller finally stood on the highest step of the podium.
Fuller’s a Pipeline specialist, one of the most celebrated big wave surfers ever, and – though this has nothing to do with anything – a pretty damn successful model with a global Chanel campaign. Which, I imagine, because of what goes on in surfing’s weird little brain, was almost as scary as a second reef bomb at Pipe.
Fuller’s win at Sunset qualifies him for the Vans Triple Crown on surfing that starts on Wednesday at Haleiwa. Waves showed up ready for a fight at the HIC Pro, with bigger sets in the double overhead range. The 32-year-old was the clear winner the four man final, which consisted of Freddy P, Mason Ho (whose third place finish won him the ASP Hawaii Regional Championship title), and Billy Kemper.
The win comes at the tail end of a rocky year for Fuller; after his mother was diagnosed with cancer early in the year, he pulled out from most contests to spend time with his family. “My mom has sacrificed so much for me along the way,” Fuller said, “so to dedicate this win to her means so much.”
