Molly Picklum celebrates a hall of fame Hawaiian leg with victory at Sunset

What an honor, to sit up there with Layne and her generation. The things they went through for us, it's pretty cool. I'm in awe of that situation.

I would have to say my Hawaiian leg, and the mental state that I was in that allowed me to enjoy it. It wasn't like, ‘Oh my God, I'm competing,’ I didn't feel like I was on the rollercoaster. I was living my life and having fun and I was there enough mentally to actually enjoy it, rather than it all just be a blur. I’m happiest with being really comfortable in the process, and with who I am, and what I'm doing.

Sunset literally starts the day after Pipe, and there was talk of it running straightaway. I don't know if I felt completely ready, but mentally you’ve just got to say, ‘Okay, the Pipe chapter is done and a whole new chapter starts now, because this wave will treat you differently. There's nothing the same about the two waves, so honestly I carry on as if I’m a newborn baby, as if I know nothing.

I literally surf Sunset, Kami Land, Haleiwa and Pipe, and then Freddy Land on the really busy days. Every day that those waves were breaking, I was out there. I didn’t even surf Rocky Point this year!

It's funny, I've never made the highlight reels over my competitive career, I've just made it through my heats. All that my coach Glenn ('Micro' Hall) and I talk about is how to win heats, how to focus on that, so this is a big change for me. I really enjoy it when moments like that happen in heat, it's like, 'damn that's cool!' Moments like that stick with you for life 'cos they're pretty rare and very special.

I remember when I came off the bottom I was so focused on trying to engage, and then once I did, I looked up at what I had to play with and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I'm actually gonna die, this is heavy!’ There was a split-second of hesitation and then something took over, like, ‘No, go for it!’ I think how committed I was helped me pull it, and some things just pan out in the surf that you can't really explain. Obviously I couldn't control if the barrel was gonna land on my head, or where it did to let me ride out but yeah, I’m stoked! Otherwise, I’d been on the chiropractor's table right now.

Ah that’s a good one. At Pipe I was focused on my own heats, because I was so clear on what was gonna score, and felt like I knew exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to go about it that I didn't need any more outside information.

Sunset was different, I was looking at a lot of the girls' waves that were scoring over six, and I was curious of which waves they were on, and how they were surfing them. Caity, Bettylou, Brisa Hennessy, Gabby Bryan, all those girls were setting a whole new Sunset standard, and I knew I had to lift my level to get to that.

When it started I didn't, then as the day unfolded it was more like, 'Wow! What a special day for Pipe, the waves are so good!' As the day went on I was reading Glenn and his body language, and the things he was saying about it all, that was my gauge. I'm so young, I have no idea, I'm just trying to learn and take it all in, but there was a time where everyone around me was tripping out, and I was like, 'okay, there's a lot of people here who I trust saying this is the most incredible day of women's surfing,' and it started to sink in.

It’s funny, in a heat at Pipe you kind of blackout, you’re so focused on reading the waves and getting things going for you. I wasn't thinking about the bad, I was like, if I get in that situation, I'll deal with it then. With the Hawaiian water patrol and no crowds you feel a lot safer than in your regular free surfs, so you feel more confident too.

Oh my, that's huge. I think I’d keep my 10, because I think I have more of a chance of winning that event than potentially getting another 10. On a 10 it's up to the wave, and it's up to other people in a room, whereas winning an event is a bit more achievable, it comes around a bit more than a 10-point ride.

You know when you get a big pat on the back from someone you trust, and that makes you put your head down and work even harder? That's what it feels like with what’s unfolding, and the reactions that myself, Caity and Bettylou are getting, and I think we're all very energized to continue to push, and push each other, and see what we can create.

For sure! It was great timing because girls like Sierra have pushed me so much, and people need to understand that. Age is one thing, but it’s more the generational shift of everyone who’s willing to give it a go coming together and clashing and creating fireworks. Like myself and Sierra in Tahiti, like the Pipeline show, like Sunset. I'm so happy that movie came out because it shows that it's not just three women, it's a whole shift in women’s surfing.

Thank you. The girls went crazy. What they did helped me, and what I'm doing helps them, so there's a lot of mutual respect there between all of us. For myself, it's kind of baffling to have two events go your way back-to-back, and then of course Sunset back-to-back, these things don't come round often so I'm just enjoying it, and really soaking it up.