Surfing
Surfing
Jordy Smith Reloads For 2026
One of South Africa’s greatest surfers reflects on 2025’s near misses and looks ahead to new goals and possibilities in 2026
Records will show that Jordy Smith has achieved two impressive runner-up finishes on the World Title over the years, along with a notable 3rd place finish in 2025.
He came second to the legendary Kelly Slater in 2010, with an unadjusted points difference of about 16,000 points, and again to the talented John John Florence in 2016, also with an unadjusted points difference of about 16,000 points. These results were clear-cut, showcasing Jordy’s exceptional skill and dedication, even as he secured the Runner-Up title.
Jordy Smith takes on Cloudbreak waves for Red Bull Fiji 2025
© Jimmy Wilson / Red Bull Content Pool
In 2025, Jordy’s journey took a unique turn. Through the top-5 method of a world title, he finished in third place, behind world champion Yago Dora and runner-up Griffen Colapinto, despite having the second-highest unadjusted accumulated points total of the year. The sudden-death system of the top 5 saw Griffen beat him in the second-to-last elimination of the day before the finals heat, resulting in Jordy dropping to 3rd place despite having higher total points than Griff. In essence, he was the runner-up once more.
As the oldest and longest-serving surfer on the WSL tour, and arguably the most popular surfer at the same time, what’s next for Smith? Not surprisingly, Smith is diving back into the game with renewed enthusiasm. He has no intention of retiring just yet, knowing that his career, while it has an endpoint, is still his passion and pursuit for now.
“Yeah, I think those wins this season have come from having more perspective,” Smith shared in a recent interview with Daily Maverick. “Having a family really puts a different sort of perspective on life, on things that really matter. I think that’s really taken the edge off a lot of things for me.”
Still, without a world title, Jordy is entirely focused on longevity and surfing for as long as he can, competing for as long as it feels right. With two tour wins, numerous accolades for his ongoing performance levels, and officially being the third-best competitive surfer in the world, why would he stop?
“I’m just such a surf dog at heart,” he said on his ongoing and current approach to surfing in a recent interview with stabmag.com, and it is highly evident. Whether he is in Cape Town, the West Coast, or on J-Bay, when the surf arrives, he is on it. From early in the morning, with photographers and videographers capturing every moment.
“I’ve already put a big focus on how I can surf at the highest level for the longest period of my life. That’s the goal - to surf for the rest of my life.”
With the format changing next year, and with no top-five finals format, it reverts to a format that suits Smith perfectly. Well, it actually suits many people, Smith included. With this new (revisited) format harking back to the world title quest of yore, 2026 promises to be an exciting year for the championship tour. Some might call it challenging, but for a surfer who thrives on competition and loves winning, there is little that Jordy would find unpleasant, except for possibly missing his family. So Jordy is figuring out how to balance his competitive life with his family, something that he has mastered beautifully.
“For me, it’s just like, how can I surf as much as possible? Surfing’s my ultimate goal, and competitive surfing and everything else that comes around it are the tools for me to keep surfing forever.”
Still, it’s a long journey ahead, with the next Championship Tour event scheduled to start on April Fool’s Day at Bells Beach in Australia. For the 2026 season, the tour begins with the Rip Curl Bells Beach event, a tournament that Jordy knows so well, having won it in 2017, the first South African to ‘ring the bell.’
Martin Potter from Durban won the Bells event in 1989, the same year he won the world title, but he was born in the UK and was an Australian citizen when he won the event, so he was not representing SA at the time.
After Bells, it’s on to Margaret River, where Jordy won in 2025, and then on to Snapper Rocks, where he was the runner-up to Taj Burrow back in 2010. It could be a promising start to the year for the South African.
Jordy Smith conquers Teahupo'o waves for Red Bull in Tahiti 2025
© Domenic Mosqueira / Red Bull Content Pool
Kelly Slater was always that surfer who expounded the ideology that experience is the most significant and most crucial element in competing at a Championship Tour level, and he lived that doctrine throughout all of his world titles. Currently, Jordy is the holder of the ‘most experienced’ flag on the CT, alongside his still imaginative and polished surfing style and prowess. Here is to 2026 and another world title hunt.
