Caroline Marks rode the glass-off on Day 2 of the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro to a Round 2 heat win at Manu Bay, capitalising on the cleanest stretch of waves the contest had offered through the first two days.
The Olympic gold medallist and former world champion read the wind drop and tide turn perfectly, lining up a series of opportunities in the closing stretch of her heat as conditions transformed from morning surface chop to late-afternoon glass.
"It was an afternoon glass-off for you and Tia out there. It was a tricky heat though. You just nailed it from the get-go," broadcaster Tru Stilling said.
Marks credited a long, deliberate preparation cycle for her ability to settle quickly.
"It's been a funny day because I'm surfing really early this morning and then watching it all day, and the conditions have changed so much since my morning free surf to like when I first got down here to watch to when we surfed," Marks said. "I noticed yesterday — sorry, the first day they ran — it got really glassy the last couple of heats. So, I was kind of hoping that would happen for us. It was like a beautiful sunset. I was just taking it all in. It was really nice out there."
She also opened up about the unfamiliar position she finds herself in just two events into the 2026 season.
"As a surfer, it's always a bit of an unknown. You just got to really trust in your preparation, and I feel like I've had such great preparation this whole year and this whole event," Marks said. "I've kind of had a funky start to the year for me. But in a way it's cool because I'm put in a position that I'm not really used to. So I'm like, okay, let's see how I can handle it."
Marks defeated rookie Tia Blanco, who had been one of the standout surfers in Round 1 with a backhand attack that had drawn praise from the judging panel and the broadcast booth.
"Tia was ripping in that first heat as well," Marks said. "Her backhand attack was on fire. Did you identify that she was a lethal opponent in that one? For sure. Everyone's so good on the tour. For Tia, like, it's funny — I remember being in her exact same position. Like, youngest on tour. You don't have much pressure on yourself."
Marks now progresses to the contest's elimination rounds with momentum she had been hunting for since the Bells Beach event last month. Day 2 also produced victories for Jack Robinson, who returned to form in a 'cracker' Round 2 heat, and Cole Houshmand, who finally broke through after a difficult opening event of the season.
"Two surfers go into the water for that 35 minutes, and it's the same conditions for them," Lovett said in his Day 2 wrap. "We got to get a winner and we got to get a loser, unfortunately. It's been a great day of competition."
The contest window runs through May 22, with the WSL hoping for a stretch of cleaner forecast across the back half of the schedule.
