Surfing
Surfing
WSL 101: Your guide to the World Surf League
From Big Wave to the Longboard Tour, the World Juniors to the Championship Tour and all points in between, here's your cheat notes for everything you'll ever need to know about the World Surf League.
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The World Surf League is a beast. Roughly 1,000 surfers around the world battle it out in WSL events every year, on the Longboarding and Big Wave Tours, as well as the four tiers of shortboard competition. Starting with the Junior and Qualifying Series, run across seven global regions, surfers progress to the Challenger Series and, hopefully the biggest stage of them all, the Championship Tour, which decides the world champions. How does it all work? Let's take a look.
01
History of the World Surf League
Hawaiian surfers Randy Rarick and Fred Hemmings founded the International Professional Surfers (IPS) in October 1976, in an attempt to bring the world's existing surfing competitions under one umbrella. The nine events that had already been run that year were factored in, as well as a handful more to come and, in January of 1977, 23 year old Australian surfer Peter Townend was crowned the first ever IPS World Champion.
Mark Richards at Haleiwa, Hawaii – 1976
© John Witzig
The following year, Hawaiian surfer Margo Oberg was crowned as the first-ever female world champion, alongside South African Shaun Tomson on the men's side. The IPS crowned world champions until 1982, with Australian Mark Richards landing an incredible four-in-a-row from 1979 and Oberg claiming three all up.
IPS World Champions
YEAR
MALE
FEMALE
1976
Peter Townend
1977
Shaun Tomson
Margo Oberg
1978
Wayne Bartholemew
Lynne Boyer
1979
Mark Richards
Lynne Boyer
1980
Mark Richards
Margo Oberg
1981
Mark Richards
Margo Oberg
1982
Mark Richards
Debbie Beacham
In 1983, Australian Ian Cairns created the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), convinced his peers to join him, and moved the league's offices California in pursuit of sponsor dollars. With more events and increased prize money ,the ASP experienced strong growth through the '80s and '90s. Like most sports it was a rollercoaster however and the structures and formats of the league has been in a constant state of flux from the start.
The ASP's first Longboarding world champion was crowned in 1986 and the first Junior world title was decided in 1998. As the number of competitive shortboard surfers increased, the tour was split in 1992 and surfers would now have to graduate from the World Qualifying Series before they could chase a world title on the elite World Championship Tour.
14 min
The Ripple Effect: Cooly Kids
How has Coolangatta, population 5k, produced more surfing champions than anywhere else on Earth?
In 1999, the ASP moved their head office to Coolangatta on Australia's Gold Coast in order to be closer to the 'Big Three" surf brands, Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Billabong. Under the stewardship of 1978 World Champion Wayne Bartholomew as CEO, the WCT moved to a quality-over-quantity approach and the legendary Dream Tour era was born. This was a golden age for surfing and, with the backing of a booming surf industry, the schedule of events suddenly looked like every surfer's bucket list.
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The 1990s also saw the arrival on the scene of a certain Robert Kelly Slater, who won his first world title in 1992 and then five straight between 1993 and 1998. Much like Michael Jordan and basketball or Tony Hawk and skateboarding, Slater becoming a household name boosted surfing's profile as well.
Kelly Slater and Andy Irons
© Pat Stacy
In the early 2000s, surfing's first live webcast landed. The ASP, which was now accessible to surf fans around the world, continued to boom, driven by the fierce rivalry of Kelly Slater and brash Hawaiian Andy Irons. An American consortium, including members of Slater's management, team bought the ASP in 2012 and in 2015 they rebranded.
ASP World Champions
YEAR
MALE
FEMALE
1983–84
Tom Caroll
Kim Mearig
1984–85
Tom Caroll
Frieda Zamba
1985–86
Tom Curren
Frieda Zamba
1986–87
Tom Curren
Frieda Zamba
1987–88
Damien Hardman
Wendy Botha
1988
Barton Lynch
Frieda Zamba
1989
Martin Potter
Wendy Botha
1990
Tom Curren
Pam Burridge
1991
Damien Hardman
Wendy Botha
1992
Kelly Slater
Wendy Botha
1993
Derek Ho
Pauline Menczer
1994
Kelly Slater
Lisa Andersen
1995
Kelly Slater
Lisa Andersen
1996
Kelly Slater
Lisa Andersen
1997
Kelly Slater
Lisa Andersen
1998
Kelly Slater
Layne Beachley
1999
Mark Occhilupo
Layne Beachley
2000
Sunny Garcia
Layne Beachley
2001
CJ Hobgood
Layne Beachley
2002
Andy Irons
Layne Beachley
2003
Andy Irons
Layne Beachley
2004
Andy Irons
Sofia Mulanovich
2005
Kelly Slater
Chelsea Georgeson
2006
Kelly Slater
Layne Beachley
2007
Mick Fanning
Stephanie Gilmore
2008
Kelly Slater
Stephanie Gilmore
2009
Mick Fanning
Stephanie Gilmore
2010
Kelly Slater
Stephanie Gilmore
2011
Kelly Slater
Carissa Moore
2012
Joel Parkinson
Stephanie Gilmore
2013
Mick Fanning
Carissa Moore
2014
Gabriel Medina
Stephanie Gilmore
The World Surf League (WSL) has been surfing's governing body since 2015. The headquarters have been moved back to California and between the battles of Carissa Moore, Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright, the introduction of equal prize money and the recent heavy water performances of Caity Simmers and Molly Picklum it's been an incredible time for the advancement of female surfing.
Caitlin Simmers's "first proper Pipe wave", timed perfectly on finals day
© Brent Bielmann/World Surf League
On the men's side of things, the 'Brazilian Storm' has been upgraded from light rain to a full blown tempest, with Hawaii's John John Florence the only surfer stopping Brazilians Italo Ferreira, Adriano de Souza, Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo from clean sweeping the past 10 years.
The smiling faces of the deadly Brazilian Storm
© Renato Tinoco
As the talent levels continue to soar, the WSL has introduced a number of controversial initiatives in recent years, including the Mid Year Cut – which reduces to the number of surfers on the Championship Tour – and the WSL Finals, a one-day event, comprising the best five men and best five women, held at season's end, to determine the world champion.
WSL World Champions
YEAR
MALE
FEMALE
2015
Adriano de Souza
Carissa Moore
2016
John John Florence
Tyler Wright
2017
John John Florence
Tyler Wright
2018
Gabriel Medina
Stephanie Gilmore
2019
Italo Ferreira
Carissa Moore
2021
Gabriel Medina
Carissa Moore
2022
Filipe Toledo
Stephanie Gilmore
2023
Filipe Toledo
Caroline Marks
02
The 2024 Championship Tour schedule
Kelly Slater in front of a full house at Pipeline
© ASP/Kirstin
Hawaii's Banzai Pipeline, on the notorious North Shore of Oahu, is the most famed and feared wave in the world. The Seven Mile Miracle, as that stretch of coast is referred to, is also known as the Proving Ground, and thanks to its incredible barreling capabilities Pipeline is the jewel in the crown. John John Florence, Jack Robinson and Caity Simmers are a handful of the CT surfers who've tasted success at Pipeline in recent years, while Molly Picklum locked in the first ever female Pipeline perfect 10 on a landmark day for women's surfing at this year's event.
Trophy time for Molly Picklum and Jack Robinson at Sunset Beach
© Tony Heff/World Surf League
Not as death-defying as Pipeline but no less challenging, Sunset Beach is a deep-water right hander that stands tall as it roars towards the beach. One of the few waves Kelly Slater has never tasted victory at, Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum claimed this year's Sunset crowns.
Supertubos does its thing
© ASP/Kirstin
Supertubos, also known the Portuguese Pipeline, is one of the world's best beachbreaks, delivering tubes as wide as they are high broadsiding to the tiny fishing town of Peniche. Griffin Colapinto took out the event for a second time this year, while in 2023 both João Chianca and Caity Simmers won their first ever CTs at Supertubos.
Bells Beach, still perfect
© Trevor Moran
The longest running surfing competition in the world, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach has been held in the small Australian town of Torquay every Easter since 1962, and the honour roll on the staircase lists every legend of the sport. Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater and Mark Richards have all rung the trophy Bell four times and Carissa Moore thrice, while Gail Couper has taken home an incredible 10 women's trophies!
Italo Ferreira took out his maiden CT win at Bells in 2018, and promptly got a tattoo of a koala and a Bell inked on his bicep. Only time will tell if Caity Simmers does the same after her first Bells win, earlier this year.
Kanoa Igarashi flashes his trademark red blade at Margaret River
© Trevor Moran
"The West is best" has long been said about the waves of the Margaret River region, and local legend Jack Robinson would be the first to confirm, after twice beating John John Florence, the best ever at Margaret River, in the final. Michel Bourez claimed his first ever CT victory at Margaret River in 2015, while Carissa Moore has won the women's event three times.
Italo Ferreira, ice cold in a blown glass cylinder
© Matt Dunbar/World Surf League
Teahupo'o, in Tahiti, might just be the most ferocious wave in the world. Won this year by Italo Ferreira, and dominated in competitions past by Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina and John John Florence, "The Wall Of Skulls" serves up the most picture perfect, yet deadly, tubes on the planet. The women's tour rejoined the ranks at the End Of The Road in 2022, and while local standout Vahine Fierro has the wave dialled, Caroline Marks, Caity Simmers and Carissa Moore have all swung hard in recent times.
Punta Roca – firing in the blazing heat
© World Surf League
A relatively new addition to the Championship Tour, El Salvador's Punta Roca is one of the most rippable rights on the roster. Griffin Colapinto hoisted the trophy at the event's first outing, while Caroline Marks secured back-to-back victories, this year and last, to stamp herself as the Queen Of Central America.
João Chianca shines on the day of days at his local
© Felipe Azevedo
There is nowhere on quite tour like Saquarema in Brazil, as the No Contest crew detailed beautifully while surfing and hanging with local legends João and Lucas Chianca. The men's honour roll is a largely Brazilian affair, though Caity Simmers and Carissa Moore have both enjoyed recent Rio success.
Ian Walsh surfs big waves off Tavarua Island, Fiji
© Brian Bielmann/Red Bull Content Pool
The most welcome WSL news in a long time was the announcement that in 2024 the Fiji Pro is back on the Championship Tour calendar for the first time since 2017. The iconic Cloudbreak plays host, a wave that can serve up enormous Pacific tubes, and is as perfect at 2ft as it is at 30. Kelly Slater has won in Fiji on four occasions, while Sally Fitzgibbons is the only multiple female victor in recent times. Yet to compete at Cloudbreak, expect big things from Jack Robinson and João Chianca, who looked incredible on their first Fijian surf trip last year.
The WSL also recently announced that in 2025 the WSL Finals will run at Cloudbreak, which turns recent world title thinking on its head after a four-year run in high performance peaks of Lower Trestles.
The world's most famous A-frame
© Trevor Moran
Lower Trestles, in San Clemente, California, has long been dubbed "surfing's skatepark" in honour of its perfect peaks: waves that pack enough punch to encourage progressive manoeuvres, but offer little risk should things go awry. Griffin Colapinto and Kolohe Andino are the two local heroes around these parts but Kelly Slater is king, having won at Trestles six times.
Carissa Moore, Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright all won the event in years where they went on to win the world title, foreshadowing the announcement of Lower Trestles as the inaugural home of the WSL Finals, a one day surf-off to determine the world champion.
03
Rules and regulations
The WSL Championship Tour is made up of 34 men and 17 women, with wildcards added at each stop. Although it takes anywhere from three to five days to run an event, due to the fickle nature of waves and weather, anything up to a 12-day window is allowed in competition.
The opening round of an event features three surfers in a heat, later on only two, with the winner advancing. Heats are normally 30 minutes in length but can be extended if conditions demand. Each wave is judged out of 10 by a panel of five judges, with a criteria dependent on the type of conditions on offer. When a wave is ridden, the high and low scores from the judging panel are dropped and the surfer receives the average of the three remaining middle numbers. A surfer's heat total is made up of their best two waves, giving a total out of 20.
There are currently nine events on the Championship Tour, at the end of which the five highest ranked men and women compete in the one-day Lexus WSL Finals, which have been held at Lower Trestles in California since the format was first introduced in 2021. The last man and woman standing are then crowned world champions.
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