There's a big difference between being a wildcard in a CT event and a legit qualifier, or so the thinking goes. Wildcards have nothing to lose, be it rankings or reputation, and can simply enjoy the experience without stress. Yet that's the exact mindset of Conner Coffin as he packs the bags on his maiden CT contest at Snapper Rocks. "It was a fun event," said Coffin breezily following his Round 5 loss to Adriano De Souza.

Swellnet spoke to the rookie from Santa Barbara following his first gig as a legit Championship Tour surfer.

Swellnet: What were your thoughts after the Round 1 loss to Slater and Wilko?
Conner Coffin: My first heat I felt super good! I was happy with how I felt and surfed, but I also felt like I could've done much more. The conditions were tricky and it was really hard to pick the right wave in that particular heat. I got a little out of rhythm and the heat went Wilko’s way.

Looking back now it ain’t that bad of a loss.
I wasn’t bummed at all though and it was rad to get to surf against Wilko and Kelly in my first official heat.

All the heats you won were close affairs - less than half a point - and the loss to Adriano was close too. How are you handling the stress of the CT?
So far I haven’t been feeling any stress. The level [of surfing] is very high and I’m just working on my game to keep improving my surfing and also gaining experience on heat strategy in the man-on-man format. I haven’t surfed a ton of man-on-man heats in my career so I’m definitely learning a lot especially competing against guys like Adriano. It’s so fun to be competing against the best guys in the world on this stage and I’m really just focusing on my surfing and being the best I can be in every heat. 

Had you surfed Snapper much before? It was a tricky wind swell...
I had only surfed Snapper maybe two times before this trip. It seemed that the bank was a little funky and the swell was definitely a bit broken up. I felt like in my heats I was struggling a little bit to be on the best waves. I didn’t feel like I really got to open up on any wave in particular the whole event. I think the best wave I caught was against Adriano in that heat and I was able to open up on it a bit, but then I passed up some smaller waves hoping for another set that never came.

Reckon you could make any comparisons to Rincon? Could you attack it in a similar way?
I would say Rincon has a lot more push than Snapper. It’s a pretty different wave really. We get much longer period swell so that makes a big difference in the feel of the wave. Granted, I have never surfed super good Snapper, but from how it was this trip I felt like you had to be a little careful with how hard you attacked the wave as the wave face was pretty squishy on a majority of the waves. It was challenging to get a wave that had a nice draw off the bank. It is a super fun wave though and it has a very nice pace to it. I can only imagine what it’s like when it’s really on! 

You’re known more as a rail surfer, how do you feel when you see guys like Filipe Toledo pull back from airs to put their board on rail? Reckon it puts you on a more even footing?
I love surfing on rail and trying to lay down the biggest turns I can do. It's such a good feeling to be flying on a wave and just drawing out a big carve on a clean face. I think it’s super impressive how much better a lot of the guys have gotten at their rail game. Filipe is throwing down some amazing turns. 

You surfed Bells much?
I’ve never surfed Bells at all! I’m planning on heading down there on Saturday to get some time in before the event.

Which stop on the tour you looking forward to the most? 
Hmmmm...such a hard question! I think Fiji. I love that place so much and I have a second family in the staff and management at Tavarua. It’s always been such a magical place and a place that I feel like I have a strong connection with. J'Bay is another one that I’m really looking forward too. And the Pipe Masters!...and Tahiti!...hahaha I’m so excited for all of the events.

All the best Conner.
Thanks man!

And a quick refresher of what Conner is capable of - J'Bay footage from 2014. The flurry begins at 3:24.

(Photos WSL/Kirstin)