UPDATE 1-Surfing-Ferreira, Moore win New Zealand Pro after photographer suffers 'wildlife injury'

Hawaiian Carissa Moore and Brazil's Italo Ferreira claimed wins in top quality ​surf at the New Zealand Pro in Raglan on Monday, after a ​delay caused when an in-water photographer was injured by what ‌was ​thought to be a shark or a sea lion. Hosting a full world championship tour competition for the first time, Raglan's famously long left-handers turned up in perfect form on Monday, with glassy, overhead green walls wrapping around the boulder-strewn point.

Olympic and five-times ‌world champion Moore scored the highest two-wave total of the year, 19 out of 20, in her semi-final on Sunday. She started strongly in Monday's final against 20-year-old Californian Sawyer Lindblad, kicking off with an 8.50 out of 10 for a series of powerful carves on her backhand.

Lindblad kept in touch with a 7.67 for some speedy turns on her forehand on ‌the wave behind and then took the lead with an even better 9 point ride on a clean, steep wall. But Moore, making a comeback after taking time off ‌to have her first child, fought back on a bigger wave and powered her way to 9.4 and a two-wave total of 17.9.

"When I walked away two years ago, I didn't know if I'd ever get this feeling back or this opportunity to surf perfect waves with only one other person out, in front of a beautiful crowd and at a beautiful place, with my family on the beach," said the 33-year-old. "And ⁠in that ​process, you doubt yourself so much, so the ⁠win, it means so much to me."

Ferreira's final against Morgan Cibilic was an exercise in contrasts, with the goofyfoot Brazilian repeatedly taking to the air on the long left-handers, while the Australian employed sharp turns ⁠on his backhand. Cibilic took the early lead, following up an early 7-point ride with an excellent 8.8 for a 15.8 point two-wave total.

FERREIRA'S AERIAL ASSAULT Ferreira's progressive approach and unmatched aerial assault, however, was ​favoured by the judges as he racked up an 8.17 and a 9.33 for a 17.50 total as he spun and carved his way down the ⁠point.

"I knew this event would be sick because on the left-handers, we can do some different types of manoeuvres," said the Tokyo Olympic gold medallist, who moved topof the the world rankings. Earlier, during Ferreira's semi-final against compatriot ⁠Yago ​Dora, a photographer suffered what organisers called a "wildlife injury", forcing the event to be put on hold for a couple of hours.

The photographer was treated for puncture injuries but was in a stable condition and in good spirits, the World Surf League said. WSL tours and competition vice president Renato Hickel told the event broadcast they were unsure ⁠what kind of animal had caused the injury.

"At this stage we're not certain if it was a shark or a sea lion. The doctor that was here helping on ⁠the scene was inclined to think it ⁠was a sea lion instead of a shark," he said. "Nevertheless, very scary."

Wildlife attacks during surf events are rare but not unprecedented. World champion Mick Fanning famously tussled with a shark during the final of a WSL event at South Africa's Jeffreys Bay in 2015. The ‌12-stop tour next heads to ‌the steamy right-hand point break of Punta Roca for the Surf City El Salvador Pro. (Reporting ​by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)

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