Super Cooper in world masters

LENNOX Head surfer and former world runner-up Jodie Cooper, overcame a terrifying ordeal to take out fifth in the inaugural Women;s World Master in Portugal.

SURF VETERAN: Lennox Head surfer Jodie Cooper showed she has what it takes with a strong fifth place in the women;s event at the recent World Masters surfing event in Portugal. Picture: Supplied

NORTHERN Rivers surfer Jodie Cooper has shown she still has what it takes with a strong fifth place in the Women's World Masters Championship in Portugal last month.

Held in clean three-to-four foot surf and strong offshore winds at praia de Santa Barbara in Sao Miguel, Cooper, 54, took part in the inaugural women's event which was eventually won by seven times world champion Layne Beachley.

It was an incredible result after Cooper, 54, coming so soon after she was allegedly held under water three times by surfer and surfboard shaper Mark "Carcass" Thomson, 56, after an incident at her home break of Lennox Head only a short time before she left to compete in the event.

Police will allege Cooper, once a runner-up to the women's world pro tour championship, survived drowning by going limp and pretending to become unconscious.

But for those who know the courageous woman behind the surfboard, it was no surprise she chose to focus her energies on the championships and rise above what must have been a terrifying incident.

Cooper, a West Australian native only took up surfing when she was 16 on on the solid waves around Albany where the Indian Ocean slams up against the Great Australian Bight.

In 1983 a mere three years later, Cooper was causing waves herself as was a runner-up at Bells Beach at the formidable Bells Beach Surf Classic as the Rip Curl Pro was then known.

That year the regular (left) foot Cooper joined the women's professional tour, won rookie of the year and finished at number six in the world.

Cooper then spent 11 years on the tour, winning 13 international surfing events and in others she never finished below fourth on the ratings, and her best result was number two in 1985.

Now Cooper said the culture for female surfers has come a long way. .

She said early in her career she travelled the world with pro surfer, Pam Burridge and even featured as a stunt double in the cult surfing film 'Point Break'.

With the introduction of equal pay for women by the World Surfing League, the industry is leading the way for equality in competitive sporting.

"It wasn't always this way, back in the early 80s it was a lot different, competing in the surf industry was pretty tough and at times a chauvinistic industry,” she said.

"But these days it's great, a lot of attitudes have changed, and its just going to get better I imagine.”

Cooper said she still likes to compete.

She said she appreciates the sponsorship from local company 'Sunglass Fix'

"They're super supportive and they got behind me, which was really nice of them,” she said,