After eight long, hard-fought seasons on the Championship Tour, Hawaii’s Seth Moniz has earned the first win of his career at the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro. “This is special,” surmised 11-time world champ Kelly Slater from the commentator’s booth. Facing longtime friend and occasional sparring partner Griffin Colapinto in the final, things started a bit on the slow side before both surfers ratcheted up the tension. Colapinto found his flow early and tried to turn the heat into a wave-catching contest, but locked in, Moniz was able to put himself on the bigger, heavier, hollower waves. Finishing the final with a pair of nine-point rides in his scoreline, it was a demonstrative performance by the 28-year-old Hawaiian. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Moniz said from the channel after. “I put a lot into this. Surfing’s a hard sport. Only one guy wins at a time.…