Surfing
Surfing
7 superstars who are taking surfing into the future
These seven incredible athletes are already making their impact felt on the global surfing scene and will be reshaping the sport for years to come – get to know them here.
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For years and uninspired years the surfing media tried to predict who might become the next Kelly Slater.
From Slater and his momentum generation pals, the balance of surfing power was passed on to Australian trio Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow before Hawaiian wunderkind John John Florence stepped into the breach. And while Florence might be the closest we'll ever see to Slater in terms of all-round freakish surfing talent, a history of knee injuries and the arrival of the all-conquering Brazilian Storm – take a bow Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira and Filipe Toledo – have dampened his hopes of challenging the record books, never mind the fact that Slater is still on tour all these years later.
In 2023, another changing of the guard is imminent. Is Slater finally on his way out? Is Florence keener to sail the seven seas than chase another title? Has the Storm been weathered? Early WSL Championship Tour results might suggest so…
On the women's side of proceedings, is the 15-year run of world title dominance from Stephanie Gilmore, Carissa Moore and Tyler Wright under threat? A young breed of female rippers would argue that this is only a matter of time.
Surfing is progressing faster than ever and the next crop of rippers is set to take the sport to places we can barely begin to fathom. The international pool is teeming with talent, and we've cherry-picked a handful who we think will propel surfing into the future.
Molly Picklum
Molly Picklum sending it into the future
© Trevor Moran/Red Bull Content Pool
Young Australian Molly Picklum took our her first WSL Championship Tour win in February at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach in Hawaii, but did the number one ranking that came with the trophy phase her? Not one bit. "It’s fuel for the fire, it doesn’t feel like a relief, it feels like go time," she stated ominously soon after.
All smiles as she wins the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach
© Tony Heff/World Surf League
None of this matters if you can't match your preparation with pure ability, and in the water Picklum has shown time and again she's got what it takes – and that she's more than prepared to put in the effort to grow her talents further still. She's hungry to tackle big waves, grow her aerial repertoire and do everything she can to become the most rounded surfer on the planet, and it would be a fool who'd bet against that translating to world titles down the line.
Kauli Vaast
Kauli Vaast on home turf in Tahiti
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Frenchman Kauli Vaast first gained the surfing world's attention when he turned a wildcard start into a runner-up finish at the 2022 Outerknown Tahiti Pro, but the goofy-footed ninja is anything but a one-trick pony. Hailing from Tahiti, the 21-year-old has won three European junior titles in Europe, and he's as adept at launching high above the lip as he is pulling in behind the heaviest curtains that his beloved Teahupo'o has to offer.
Griffin Colapinto
Griffin Colapinto, casual as can be
© Trevor Moran/Red Bull Content Pool
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Reckless Isolation
Kolohe Andino and his best friends score perfect waves during the summer of 2020.
Colapinto has wasted no time in delivering on the hype. He'd already qualified for the WSL Championship Tour in 2017, winning Hawaii's iconic Triple Crown of Surfing along the way, but in 2021 he finished in the Top 10 for the first time before twice touching the top of the podium in 2022, winning the MEO Pro Portugal and Surf City El Salvador Pro to lock himself in as America's number one and swing world titles and Olympic medals squarely into his sights.
Caitlin Simmers
Caitlin Simmers carving her own path
© Ryan Miller/Red Bull Content Pool
Caitlin Simmers, from Oceanside, California, is the future of women's surfing. In 2021 she won the US Open but then declined a spot on the 2022 Championship Tour despite qualifying, a move not seen since similarly talented teen phenom Taj Burrow did the same in 1997. In the following year, Simmers released Toasted, arguably the best women's surf profile movie of all time, right as she qualified for the Championship Tour again. After finally accepting her place in just her fourth-ever Championship Tour, Simmers won the 2023 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal to put her name up in surfing's brightest lights and announce her arrival to the world.
Caitlin Simmers charging beyond her years at The Box
© Trevor Moran/Red Bull Content Pool
Simmers is a product of the modern digital era. She's grown up watching her favourite surfers and skaters from around the globe online, then built her incredible style by replicating and combining the attributes she likes best. Simmers, Molly Picklum and Sierra Kerr took that attitude to the next level recently, surfing Margaret River's infamous Box at every possible opportunity, alongside some of the Championship Tour's hardest-charging males, and showing the rest of the world the excitement that lies ahead for the women's tour.
Eli Hanneman
Eli Hanneman standing tall in Tahiti
© Domenic Mosqueira/Red Bull Content Pool
Maui's Eli Hanneman has got it all. Whether working his way up the pecking order at Pipeline, launching monstrous airs into his home island's perfect winds or competing around the world, the 20-year-old Hawaiian has an act that belies his tender years. While Hanneman's surfing might be loud, his demeanour on dry land is anything but.
"I'd love it if I was a kid's favourite surfer," said Hanneman, before confessing he wouldn't know how to respond if someone told him that. "I don’t want to come off like I don’t care, but I just really don’t know how I'd react. I’m still a grom myself."
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Eli Hanneman
Enjoy the technically adept skills of Maui's teenage surf sensation, Eli Hanneman.
As he grows out of his grom stage, however, Hanneman is going to have to learn to deal with more and more kids coming up to talk to him. From podium finishes at Red Bull Airborne and World Junior Championships, and event wins on the Qualifying Series and Challenger Series success up ahead, the future shines bright for Hanneman.
Jarvis Earle
Jarvis Earle going hard in West Oz
© Trevor Moran/Red Bull Content Pool
Jarvis Earle might be the surfer on this list you know the least about but don't let that be your gauge for future success. The current WSL World Junior Champion is starting to step into the spotlight on the global stage, but back home in Australia the ever-smiling 18-year-old's story has long been a matter of when, not if, he reaches surfing's upper echelon.
A lightning-quick goofyfooter with an incredible aerial repertoire, Earle has showed he's no slouch in powerful open ocean waves either when he handled himself with aplomb while competing in his first-ever WSL Championship Tour event, the Western Australia Margaret River Pro in April 2023. As he continues to his way up the Challenger Series rankings it's surely only a matter of time before he joins the long list of goofyfooters from the Sydney suburb of Cronulla – Mark Occhilupo, Richard Marsh, Conor O'Leary and others – on the Championship Tour in his own right. Watch this space.
Jack Robinson
Jack Robinson is on top of the world
© WSL/Heff
While it might seem strange to include Jack Robinson in a list of up-and-coming talent, the defending Billabong Pro Pipeline champion is still only 25 and, scarily for his rivals, a long way from the finished product. Jack grew up away from the spotlight in rural Western Australia, but by the time he turned 10 the world knew who he was. Travelling on the Quiksilver team with Leo Fioravanti and Kanoa Igarashi, and seemingly turning up at every Championship Tour event, it was hardly a surprise when Robinson started running through the field in wildcard performances at home and in Tahiti.
What was a surprise was when Robinson finally qualified for the Championship Tour with a reputation as a heavy-water specialist and attained the same level of success in smaller, more high-performance waves. With four Championship Tour wins to his name, an event or two ranked number one in the world, and his confidence growing by the day, Robinson is the world's in-form surfer right now, and he's only getting started.
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