Surfing
Surfing
6 reasons why J-Bay is the diehard surf fan's favourite event
As the world's best surfers descend on South Africa, salt-encrusted eyes turn to Jeffreys Bay and the legendary pointbreak that has hosted some of the Championship Tour's most memorable performances.
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Jeffreys Bay is a place of pilgrimage in the surfing world. One of the most perfect pointreaks on the planet, J-Bay is a wave that rewards speed, style and commitment to the rail. As the 2025 WSL Championship Tour hits the business end of proceedings, there's no better place for surfers to put their foot down and accelerate towards a world title.
Here are six reasons why J-Bay captures the imagination of surfers and fans alike, and why it remains the surfing purist's favourite event on the WSL calendar.
J-Bay corduroy never goes out of fashion
© Kelly Cestari/World Surf League
01
Jeffreys Bay is the world's best right-hand pointbreak
At the core of J-Bay’s magic sits Supertubes, the jewel in the crown of a long stretch of points that cover over a mile in distance from Kitchen Windows to Albatross. Running between Boneyards and Impossibles, Supers offers high-speed walls, endless lips to hit and the occasional long tube to pull in to over a span of more than 200m.
Carissa Moore putting her foot down on surfing's fastest straight
© Trevor Moran
Julian Wilson squares up to tackle J-Bay at its biggest and best
© Trevor Moran
Kelly Slater has been coming to J-Bay for 20 years and is not slowing down
© Trevor Moran
Caroline Marks, the youngest surfer on tour, has power beyond her years
© Trevor Moran
J-Bay traditionally favours regular footers, but goofies have carved out iconic moments, with greats like Mark Occhilupo and Gabriel Medina two leading examples. But when the swell aligns and Supers starts rifling down the reef, regular footers from Tom Curren to Filipe Toledo turn from world-class to untouchable.
In an era where aerials can often steal the spotlight, J-Bay brings everything back to fundamentals and the judging has seemingly fallen back in love with classical surfing, too. Competitors who can link high speed maneuvers with bulletproof style shine brightest and that’s why names like Jordy Smith, Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning are woven into the wave's DNA, and why J-Bay will forever remain one of the most revered stops on tour.
Jordy Smith posting up in his happy place, the J-Bay tube
© Alan Van Gysen/Red Bull Content Pool
02
J-Bay is steeped in history and flooded with drama
Competitive surfing in Jeffreys Bay dates back to the 1980s, when the ASP first thrust the African pointbreak onto the world stage. In the years since, J-Bay has become a theatre for unforgettable performances, career-defining victories and the occasional moment of total chaos.
Flawless Supertubes warms even the coldest of hearts
© Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League
Mick Fanning full speed at J-Bay
© Ryan Miller
From comeback wins to career bests, it's a place where reputations are made and legacies are etched. In 2015, the world watched in disbelief when Mick Fanning was bumped off his board by a great white shark during the final. Miraculously unhurt, Fanning's bravery and composure made headlines around the globe and the event was famously called off mid-final with he and fellow finalist Julian Wilson sharing the points on offer.
And then there's Filipe Toledo, whose wins at J-Bay in 2017, 2018 and 2023 helped redefine him not just as an aerialist, but as a complete and composed rail surfer. His ability to mix progression with classic power has set the standard for what modern J-Bay dominance looks like.
8 min
Jordy Smith. Jeffreys Bay. Game on!
South Africa's favourite son returns to the wave that changed his life, shaped his career.
Meanwhile Jordy Smith has long been the local favourite. He's already won the event twice – in 2010 and 2011 – and his position atop the J-Bay totem, in or out of competition, won't be challenged for a longtime to come. In 2017, Smith delivered one of the great performances of his career, locking in J-Bay's first and only perfect 20-point heat against Leonardo Fioravanti.
The performance included a dream combination of committed turns, deep tuberides and highline speed runs that brought the home crowd to its feet. A third win would be the stuff of South African surfing legend.
Hands up if you've surfed a perfect heat
© Craig Kolesky
03
The crowd are surf savvy and stoked salt dogs
While Brazil's Rio Pro crowd brings carnival chaos and the Australian leg delivers diehard devotion with a side of parochial patriotism, J-Bay is home to some of the most wizened surf fans on the Championship Tour. Jeffreys Bay is a small town compared to most CT events, but when the contest is on the point it gets gridlocked with spectators soaking up every moment.
The J-Bay crowd in full force
© Alan Van Gysen/World Surf League
The buzz around town as swells build is tangible and when perfect conditions coincide with competition run days, spectators set up with their binoculars and camp chairs, packing out the beach and boardwalk to enjoy the show. The locals know good surfing when they see it and a vicious turn or deep tube will draw roars from the assembly, while any surfers from the host nation are given a royal reception.
3 min
No Contest Heads to J-Bay
Jacob Wooden stays on the No Contest trail and takes us inside the J-Bay Pro
South African fans are fiercely proud of their homegrown heroes, from all-time great Jordy Smith to CT warhorse Matthew McGillivray and up-and-comers like Luke Thompson. In days gone by, Sean Holmes was known around the world as the giant killing wildcard to top them all. His battles with Andy Irons were legendary. In 2010 he made the quarters, but even more noteworthy was the fact he beat both Irons and Kelly Slater on his way to a fifth place finish. Legendary stuff from the underground powermonger.
Visiting J-Bay is a surfing rite of passage and what better time to do so than during the event? Every year, fans travel from all corners to experience J-Bay first-hand and on top of an incredibly favourable currency for foreigners, the mix of cultures and the unmatched beauty of the Eastern Cape make this one of the most special stops on tour.
3 min
Sessions: the J-Bay freesurfs
Before the contest began, the world's best surfers took advantage of the epic conditions at J-Bay
04
J-Bay can make or break a title campaign
As the Championship Tour season’s second-to-last stop, J-Bay is a late-season pressure cooker that has serious Final 5 implications. With only one event to follow, Africa is where contenders sharpen their blades and pretenders fall away – and with the 2025 world title race tighter than ever, a strong showing at J-Bay will be essential.
Jeffreys Bay in all its glory
© Roy Harley/ASP
As well as simply results and points, J-Bay, with its long walls and minimal crowds, is a wave that allows for surfers to fine tune their game like nowhere else. From working on equipment to reading the ocean, and even blocking out the noise of competition and simply surfing, a deep run at J-Bay will see competitors log long hours in the water and put serious mileage into their boards. It's practice, but of the most enjoyable kind.
A win here doesn't just earn points, it sends a message. And with the cut-throat Final 5 looming large, every heat could shape the showdown in Fiji.
Victory in the J-Bay Open helped Moore towards her 2019 overall title
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
05
Style shines at Supers
J-Bay is the ultimate canvas for surfers to showcase their form. It's a wave that rewards clean lines, smooth transitions and the ability to match down-the-line speed with precisely placed turns. It's is a place where good style becomes great, and great style becomes unforgettable.
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© Red Bull
Jordy Smith at J-Bay in 2017, en route to the event's only perfect heat
© Kelly Cestari/World Surf League
Think of Tom Curren's legendary first-ever wave, Joel Parkinson's memorable wildcard win as a teenager in 1999, Mick Fanning's laser-sharp arcs on his way to twin victories in 2014 and 2016, or even Ethan Ewing's searing run to victory in 2022. On the women's side, who can forget Stephanie Gilmore's graceful lines etching her name onto the trophy when the event returned to the women's schedule in 2018, or Carissa Moore anchoring her 2019 world title with a big win at J-Bay.
J-Bay is where rail surfers get their flowers. While aerialists have found ways to score big – Filipe Toledo's three wins the obvious example – it's big open face turns, elongated carves and seamless combinations that burn brightest in the memory banks.
Molly Picklum hits J-Bay ranked first and ready to rock 'n' roll
© Kody McGregor/World Surf League
2025 sees two-time event winner Jordy Smith roll into town atop the rankings, while fellow-yellow jersey wearer Molly Picklum seems the next woman most likely to add her name to the honour roll.
06
J-Bay is raw, wild and unapologetically real
J-Bay might be one of the most perfect waves on the planet, but don’t be fooled: it's also cold, windy and unforgiving. This is no tropical dream. The water is icy, the prevailing westerlies can blow hard up the point and the lineup sits on the edge of a vast, open ocean known for its power, unpredictability and wildlife.
An empty J-Bay racetrack
© Ryan Miller
When Supers is on, it’s moving fast and heavy and not at all the place for hesitant surfing. Duckdiving alone can be a workout, especially on the bigger days. Wetsuits are essential, so is grit.
Then there's the elephant in the room. Ever since Mick Fanning's 2015 encounter with a local heavy, the presence of apex predators has loomed large in the J-Bay mythology. Shark spotters are stationed on the cliffs, safety protocols are in place and the WSL takes every precaution. It doesn't feel risky at all, but it still adds a layer of tension and rawness that no other event can match.
J-Bay's brisk offshores chill the bones while grooming perfection
© Kelly Cestari/World Surf League
It all adds up to something beautifully old-school. No tropical ease. No softened edges. Just cold, powerful surf in a rugged setting that demands the best and bravest surfing in the world. Watching a surfer commit full-throttle to a bottom turn at overhead Supers, with winds roaring and kelp swirling in the shallows, is as real as this sport gets.
J-Bay doesn’t just test your technique, it tests your mettle, and it's for that reason that hardcore surf fans love it more than any other stop on tour.
What's in store in 2025?
With title ambitions burning, form lines colliding and Supertubes ready to deliver, the 2025 Corona Cero Open J-Bay shapes up as one of the year's defining events.
Can Filipe Toledo extend his dominance? Will Gabriela Bryan or Caitlin Simmers land themselves in the winners circle? Is it times for Jordy Smith to deliver another fairytale home performance? Or will a dark horse rise from the middle of the pack and shake up the Final 5 picture?
One thing's certain: when J-Bay turns on, it offers the purest surfing spectacle on Earth and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action.
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