Nahant native rides World Surf League qualifiers

NAHANT — There’s the NFL, NBA, and the MLB, all recognized household names for the best of their respective sport. In surfing, there’s the WSL – World Surf League where the best surfers across the world compete in. Nahant’s own, Eddie Traniello, recently competed in North Carolina in the WSL Qualifying Series.

Traniello drove down from Nahant to the Outer Banks to compete among the best surfers in the world. In surfing, qualifying is based on a ranking system. The more points you accumulate during qualifying the higher you are on the leaderboard.

There are multiple qualifying events throughout the year and this one happened to be on the East Coast, something that was special for the Massachusetts native.

“It means a lot. [In the past] I traveled over to Hawaii and I got to compete out there. The talent over there is unreal. Everyone is so good. So to be able to do a contest on the East Coast where the talent is super high was great,” Traniello said.

When Traniello arrived his heat time was 9:20 a.m. and in the ocean next to him were surfers from all over the world. In his specific heat, Traniello had surfers from Panama, Barbados, and a fellow American from California.

“Everyone who competed in this event was super talented. It was great being able to compete against some of the best in the world,” Traniello said.

When asked what it was like to compete on the East Coast, Traniello said he couldn’t wait to get down to North Carolina to surf.

“I found out a month or two ago. I was so excited to get an opportunity to do a pro-contest on the East Coast,” Traniello said. “It’s not too far away from home so it’s cool to be able to drive down and showcase some surfing for everyone.”

Traniello said one of his favorite things about surfing competitions is seeing all the different types of surfers and their skills. With people growing up all over the world and surfing in different bodies of water, everyone has their own skill set.

“I like to see the different styles from all the different places over the world. People get to surf different types of waves growing up, so it transfers to their style a little differently,” Traniello said. “I think I did really well. I had a couple waves of nice turns and had a nice barrel. I didn’t get too good of a score to advance on. You only get 20 minutes in a heat so sometimes the waves just don’t come.”

Surfing has always been a part of Traniello. He began surfing when he was three years old in Nahant. During the winter time, he would go to Puerto Rico to surf. To this day, Traniello travels to compete.

“I do a ton of traveling to surf. I go down to Florida, Hawaii, and there’s a lot of spots in California as well,” Traniello said. “My favorite spots are Pipeline and Ala Moana Bowls in Hawaii.”

Even if he can’t get somewhere warm during the winter time, Traniello has no issues going out in the Atlantic Ocean to catch some waves.

“A lot of the guys that I surf with I know they won’t want to put on the winter wetsuit and jump in the water in January. But, for me, I love it. The ocean is empty and you get all the waves to yourself,” Traniello said. “It’s a little chilly, but you get all the gear on and stay out there for a couple of hours. It’s great.”

Traniello’s next event is in October/November in Hawaii where he aims to compete in the Sunset Pro competition in North Shore Oahu, Hawaii.

In addition to competing, Traniello is a surf instructor at Ocean House Surf Shop in Nahant.

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