New Zealand's most consistent women's competitor, Paige Hareb.
New Zealand's most consistent women's competitor, Paige Hareb.
Air New Zealand's latest safety video features some of the hottest surfers in the world - meet the cast of the new inflight movie here:
Gabriel Medina
Surfing's reigning world champion. The first Brazilian to take the crown and although he's started slowly this season is back in home waters at Rio de Janeiro for this month's leg of the tour. He famously interrupted his heat midway through the Pipeline Masters when he discovered he'd won the world title.
Brazilian champion surfer Gabriel Medina. Photo / Getty
Watch: Surfing's world champion 2014 Gabriel Medina - First Brazilian Champ
In a statement he said surfing was bigger than ever globally and he was keen to do all he could to interest more people in the sport.
"Air New Zealand operates to some of the most amazing surf destinations around the world. It has been terrific to showcase a handful of these with some of the greatest surfers of all time. It's been an epic experience," Medina said.
Mick Fanning
Three-time world champion, home break Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast, Queensland which features in the first scene of the safety video. A fierce competitor in the water and one of Australia's best ever surfers. He's had a good start to the year with a win at Bells Beach in Victoria. Fanning features prominently in the video, surfing with Medina. Fanning said the ability to share his home breaks attracted him to be part of Surfing Safari.
"A few of my mates will probably wind me up for working with a Kiwi airline but through the Air New Zealand safety video I got the opportunity to share some of my favourite local surf spots with everyone."
Mick Fanning at Margaret River, Western Australia. Photo: WSL / Cestari
Image 1 of 12: Ricardo Christie.
Laird Hamilton
A surfing pioneer, who was integral in developing tow-in surfing on monster waves, foil surfing which is shown at Raglan in the video, and is now doing some spectacular things on a stand up paddleboard. A true "waterman," a master of on an array of watercraft and the sort of bloke you'd want to have your back if ever in trouble in big surf.
"New Zealand has some incredible surf spots that are right up there with the best in the world and I hope my time on the waves at Raglan inspires those thousands of surfers around the world who have dreamed of heading down under to pack up their boards and do a road trip around the country," said Hamilton.
Watch: Big Wave Surfing famous surfer Laird Hamilton 80-100 Feet
New Zealand rookie on the World Championship Tour this year who's showing steady improvement over the three-stop Australian leg. He knocked out top ranked Brazilian Filipe Toledo in a heat at Margaret River in the last Australian contest. Christie is the first Kiwi male to qualify for the big league since Maz Quinn spent a year on tour in 2002. Christie learned to surf at Mahia and did it tough resorting to crowdfunding to raise cash to keep on the qualifying tour in 2013. He took up surfing aged eight, encouraged by an older brother.
New Zealand surfer Ricardo Christie. Photo / AP
Paige Hareb
New Zealand's most consistent women's competitor now fighting hard to get back on the top tier of women's surfing after six years on the top circuit. The Taranaki woman was in 2008 the first Kiwi woman to qualify for the ASP Women's World Tour. Learned to surf on her father's surfboard. Fought in the 2011 Fight for Life losing on points to Hayley Holt.
Alana Blanchard
Reached fourth for a time on the women's tour earning around $250,000 in prize money but is now a "surfer model" who also designs bikinis for Rip Curl. She has a huge social media presence with more than 1.1 million Instagram followers. The 25-year-old from the Hawaiian island of Kauai has just opened a surf modelling agency with its headquarters in Malibu, California.
"Wherever I travel around the world it's clear that the quality of women's surfing is going through the roof and it was terrific to get the opportunity via Air New Zealand for the likes of Kiwi great Paige Hareb and myself to mix it up with the boys," said Blanchard
Like Blanchard more in a modelling phase of her career. Was an American surf association champ as a teenager, ASP Triple Crown Rookie of the Year in 2005 and won the women's pro event at Pipeline in 2010 Women's Pipeline Pro. A Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition model last year and massive on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Maz Quinn
New Zealand's first male surfer on the elite tour, made a flying start in the 2002 series becoming the first rookie to make the quarter finals but was out of the top league by the end of the season. Raised in Gisborne with accomplished surfing siblings. Quinn is a four-time national title winner and still surfs competitively taking the South Island champs at St Clair Beach, Dunedin earlier this year. This week named in the Dancing with the Stars lineup.
New Zealand surfer Maz Quinn. Photo / NZME.
Masatoshi Ohno
One of Japan's best surfers from the Izu Peninsula near Mt Fuji. Both his parents surfed and he took up the sport aged eight, turning pro seven years later. Twice Japan's pro grand champion and he's still actively competing after 13 years. Most recently a quarter finalist at the Volcom Pipeline Pro earlier this year. Air New Zealand finds it challenging to find the right people to appeal to young Japanese travellers but Ohno fits the bill.
