Surf star Sally Fitzgibbons paddles out for mental health ahead of Burleigh Gold Coast Pro heat win

Australian surf star Sally Fitzgibbons’ Friday morning paddle out to raise mental health awareness has fuelled a stunning first-round Gold Coast Pro heat win at Burleigh. VIDEO

Veteran Australian surf pro Sally Fitzgibbons is known for her constant smile - but even she admits to down moments. But she was all smiles on Saturday winning her first round heat of the Gold Coast Pro, downing fellow highly-fancied surfers Lakey Peterson and Isabella Nichols.

Fitzgibbons scored a combined 13.40 to beat Nichols (12.77) and Peterson (12.43).

A day earlier, speaking after a dawn surf in fluoro for mental health awareness with OneWave and Hydralyte at Gold Coast Pro site Burleigh, Fitzgibbons said: “We all go through these ups and downs.

“For me, living a life by 30 minute (surf heat) increments, putting my life and livelihood on the line to chase this dream for the last 20 years, it’s got no shortage of down moments,” she said, having won her first pro junior under-21s event aged 14.

“Everyone sees those up moments, through my socials I want to share a lot of joy that I’ve experienced in my day but on the flipside, I definitely need time, quiet time to contemplate.

“Those reserves where we get a lot of that creative energy to go surfing, they’re not endless. At times they dip down to the end of the tank.

Sally Fitzgibbons at the Gold Coast Pro OneWave Fluro Friday mental health paddle out: “Those reserves where we get a lot of that creative energy to go surfing, they’re not endless. At times they dip down to the end of the tank.” Picture: Portia Large.

“Sometimes that’s a little scary for me, because I’ve always had that sense of energy and spark. I’m all in, I put my heart, my head, everything into it.

“My team around me really supports me to do that. I want to keep doing it.”

Fitzgibbons, who has been tantalisingly close to winning world titles, will be among the line up come Saturday and says the surf community support “cheering me on, that’s what gets me out of bed to go one more heat”.

Fitzgibbons said with the next generation coming through “it makes it hard to stay at the top end” but adds: “I still love it and the process of what it takes to be a competitor, and those values live in me now in life as well.

“I’ve never been in limbo with my desire, it’s hard sometimes you can put your heart into something and that dream doesn’t bear fruit or realise immediately. It’s definitely a long game, the limbo side is about enduring those transient spaces and at times it feels long, the dream feels really far away.

“That process of rejuvenating and repairing, protecting that surf soul is really important.”

Asked about the Gold Coast Pro move to Burleigh Heads, she said: “When it comes to surf breaks, surf competitions I’m never disappointed.

“You start as a grom and surf the tiniest little waves on shore, off shore, stormy, that’s my origins and I take whatever I can get.

“To come here to Burleigh this is a very iconic wave, I’ve surfed it a lot. A lot of people would be down at a lot of the more popular points, of recent times, and I’d sneak out here, especially on the shhh, on shore when no one is out.”