Big Rankings Shake Ups, Next Generation Continue Charge At Hurley Pro Sunset Beach

We’re calling it, the Dream Tour is back with the North Shore delivering iconic conditions to determine event victors for the 2024 season start. Molly Picklum establishes herself in heavy waters with back-to-back Sunset Beach wins, taking down North Shore’s own Bettylou Sakura Johnson and taking over the yellow jersey heading into Portugal as the changing of the guard is more apparent than ever. Plus Jack Robinson could do no wrong on Finals Day with mind-boggling performances, culminating in a near-perfect Final performance over Kanoa Igarashi. The North Shore moves to the rearview with new No. 1’s Picklum and John John Florence heading to Portugal full steam ahead. What will Peniche bring at the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal beginning March 6 – 16.

What an incredible run of swell that was! 3 days of chasing barrels around Hossegor with a bunch of friends, gotta love these winter swell bender!

Surfers by: Gatien Delahaye, Nelson Cloarec, Aldric God, Vincent Duvignac…. ETC
Filmed by: Ted Boutin, Julien Turpaud and Greg Menager Edited Myself

Volcom Surf Happening 23/24 event went down on Saturday February 17th in epic conditions under the Tenerife sunshine!

The North Tenerife spot delivered rippable walls and sunshine for the first Volcom Surf Happening physical competition after two seasons of digital only battles.

Despite the 20sec huge swell clearing out all the area, the left pointbreak provided a somehow sheltered arena for the event to run.

Yes, there was a bunch of cleaning sets and a lot of paddling but some of the best up and coming European surfers handled it like champs and put on a good show…

Read the full event story here

Photo credits:
Quillo Perez @killophoto
Armando Santos @ghettobeer

Video credits :
Filming and editing by @agencia_spankys
Music by @lagunagoons

Big thanks to the competitors, the Volcom Surf Team, Deportes La Laguna, Achi-Guad, Cerveza Salada, RipItUp, Electric, Captain Fin,
Amazinc!, Woodbrass and everyone who helped run the event.

Anchor Point, Morocco, a legendary point break, surrounded by the stunning landscapes of Morocco, with its rich cultural heritage and welcoming locals. Anchor Point is more than just a surf destination; it’s a place where the desert meets the sea, offering visitors an unforgettable experience of natural beauty, adventure, and traditional Moroccan hospitality, if you’ve not been to Morocco, add it to your travel list and get ready to haggle.

The tradition continues! For a ninth consecutive year the festival comes back with WSL Qualifying Series and Longboard divisions, men and women this summer.

Boardmasters always launches the European summer season on the WSL tours and offers a great chance for surfers to build momentum at the start of the long leg of European events.

Past winners include the who’s who of European professional surfing as well as international athletes coming to enjoy a piece of the British summer vibes. It’s both an opportunity for local athletes to challenge some of the best competitors on the QS as well as for the British fans to feast on high-performance surfing on their local beach breaks.

Tens of thousands of visitors also make their way down to Newquay for the music festival. Huge headliners and a massive lineup thanks to multiple stages over at Watergate make this an incredible three day experience on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.

This week, Boardmasters reveal their new poster for the Boardmasters Surf Open event. The poster has been designed by local artist Clara Jonas. Clara is an artist, illustrator and graphic designer based in Newquay, Cornwall. For Clara, the time spent in the ocean, surfing, swimming or being outside is the most valuable, and the most enjoyable when she can connect with those who share the same values, be that through work or play.

For more info about the event head to boardmasters.com

Florence Maintains Impeccable Form at Home

• Smith’s Power Notches Back-to-Back Quarterfinal Appearances in 2024

• O’Brien, Igarashi, Robinson, and Ferreira Remain Steadfast Amid Full Day of Action

• Competition OFF Tomorrow, Next Call on Tuesday, February 20, at 7:45 AM HST

• More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com

The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, the second stop on the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), completed a second major day of competition and ran through the men’s Round of 32 and Round of 16 to decide the men’s Quarterfinalists in challenging eight-to-ten foot rights at Sunset Beach.

Mixed swells and breezy winds tested the world’s best surfers again at Sunset, but as conditions improved throughout the afternoon, performance levels rose to match the talent of the remaining eight surfers in contention by the end of the day.

Florence Maintains Impeccable Form at Home

Two-time World Champion John John Florence (HAW) put on another masterclass in his backyard, first by picking the right waves where most competitors struggled to identify any, then by absolutely tearing them apart with lightning-fast carves right under the lip for a 16.06 (out of a possible 20) heat total. A runner-up last week at Pipe, Florence has the potential to secure the yellow leader’s jersey here at Sunset after the early exit of his compatriot, Barron Mamiya (HAW).

“I got really lucky in the non-priority heat to find an open face wave, which there weren’t a lot of right now,” Florence said. “It took me a while to find another wave, there were a lot of wash throughs and eventually I just tried to get waves to get one turn on, a clean wall and a close out. Once I started looking for that I got two really good ones back-to-back. I guess I just changed my perspective on what I was looking for. It feels really good to just be chipping away at heats. I’m really enjoying it and the challenges that every heat brings and trying to just be ok with that and not be too hard on myself.”

Smith’s Power Notches Back-to-Back Quarterfinal Appearances in 2024

CT veteran Jordy Smith (RSA) enjoyed the winning feeling once again with Round of 32 and 16 victories to surge into the Quarterfinals. Smith’s power sent him past Miguel Pupo (BRA), before facing another in-form event threat, Rio Waida (IDN), in the Round of 16, where he posted his second 7-point ride of the day amid the tough conditions. Smith’s back-to-back Quarterfinal appearances to start 2024 have sparked the South African’s vigor in the jersey as he now looks to carry that momentum into a world-class Quarterfinal against Florence.

“I’m surfing the best I can with the opportunities I get and it’s really difficult in the overlapping heats since you’re trying to position yourself and at the same time be mindful of those competitors who have priority,” said Smith. “Everyone’s sitting right at the bowl and I’m just doing the best with the cards I get dealt. John (Florence) took three of the waves I wanted. He’s definitely the best on the rail and if there’s something to draw inspiration from it’s definitely that.”

O’Brien, Igarashi, Robinson, and Ferreira Remain Steadfast Amid Full Day of Action

 Sunset Beach standout Ethan Ewing (AUS) kicked off his day with a big heat against 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), eliminating him from the competition. Ewing then had to face an in-form Liam O’Brien (AUS). O’Brien carried his momentum from his Round of 32 win against Caio Ibelli (BRA) through to his matchup against Ewing, and posted an impressive 7.83 (out of a possible 10), utilizing his dynamic forehand on multiple sections of a Sunset Beach diamond in the rough.

O’Brien will now face Ryan Callinan (AUS), after eliminating Connor O’Leary (JPN) in his Round of 16 heat, as both O’Brien and Callinan enter their first Quarterfinal appearance of 2024.

 “The ocean felt like it was working with me a bit,” said O’Brien. “When I had priority, there was a bit of a lull and unfortunately for Ethan it went a bit turbo when he had priority at the end there. I’ve had so many heats where I’ve just been lost at sea, so it’s nice to get one where I get a couple waves. Obviously that was always going to be a really hard heat, Ethan’s just so good out here. Really happy to get past that one and we’ll see how we go in the next.”

Two of the form surfers of the Round of 32, Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) and Griffin Colapinto (USA) matched up in an excruciatingly slow battle in the Round of 16, coming down to the last seconds with a minimal ride for Igarashi to give him the edge over the former World No. 3 Colapinto. The Californian was hoping for one more opportunity, the kind he got in his previous round where he locked into the first tube of the day with a big snap to wrap the wave, earning a 9.00-point ride for his effort. Instead, it was Igarashi, needing a 1.67, who found enough of a wall to carve one turn and advance into the Quarters. Igarashi’s win tied the pair in their famous head-to-head rivalry.

Igarashi will face Seth Moniz (HAW) in the Quarters as the Hawaiian escaped a similarly nail-biting affair against rookie Jacob Willcox (AUS). Both surfers found a good score early on but struggled to pick the right backup wave and it all came down to the wire and a last ditch effort from Moniz.

Jack Robinson (AUS) proved he will be one to beat after overcoming the Round of 32’s top performer Jake Marshall (USA), who posted the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9.17, in a back-and-forth battle that went down to the final minutes.

Big Names Dealt Early Eliminations in Moving Sunset Lineup

 The Round of 32 witnessed some shocking early eliminations, most notably rankings leader Barron Mamiya (HAW), who was taken out by Frederico Morais (POR). The experienced Portuguese surfer selected better waves and applied his typical clean carves and smart attack to find one of the few big scores of the round, an excellent 8.00, to eventually take out Mamiya, the winner last week at Pipeline and the 2022 winner here at Sunset. Morais was eliminated by 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA) in their Round of 16 heat.

Three-time WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) lost to Seth Moniz (HAW) in the Round of 32, Heat 4. Moniz’s confidence gained from defeating Medina carried into the Round of 16 where he overtook rookie sensation Willcox, who previously defeated Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) in the Round of 16.

“That was pretty grindy and I’m sure online it looks a lot easier than it is,” said Moniz. “I’m just stoked I got gifted that last wave. I’m super stoked to make the Quarters at Sunset and I did it in 2022. I had a shocker at Pipe which is the event I look forward to the most so that one hurt. But I’m looking forward and just taking it one heat at a time. I had a long offseason and feel a little rusty getting back into the swing of things but now hopefully I get some better waves on Finals Day.”

11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) also exited in equal 17th place despite keeping everyone on their toes with a last-second roll of the dice that saw him produce his signature carving 360 maneuver on a foamy Sunset right that came up short of the score he needed to advance.

With plenty of shuffling among the rankings set to take place, all-star Quarterfinal draws will provide the opportunity for those who remain in the draw to gain vital ground, and also a chance for the early upper echelon to start putting space between them and their opponents.

For more news and highlights from today’s competition at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.