BarbB, 1747518598
I watched some of the replays. The wildcards seems low-balled on some scores, I guess the WSL doesn't want them to threaten the guys trying to make the cut. Houshmand's second scorer was overscored.
Nate1212, 1747519717
I feel like Cole is often overscored. Great surfing but gets really repetitive
Nate1212, 1747519936
I know there is not the desperation in the woman’s field right now but I like that we have a very young group of women who get another go round next year and I think it will make next years competition even more interesting. It will definitely help usher in the new generation
simba, 1747520295
Well to my mind doing away with the non elimination round next year will do what the cut does but will put pressure on from the first event ........and make the process not as long and tedious as it has been.
NEGATRON, 1747520479
Come on BarbB, those higher up don't control the judges scores nor give them a a "to do" list pre event. The conspiracy take on the judging is a lazy take, just because you don't agree with the outcome doesn't make it incorrect. Personally, thought the judging was excellent all day.
blackers, 1747520757
Nice write up Steve. A compelling argument for the cut. Now if we can just get consistently fair and predictable judging....
Nate1212, 1747521111
Yes I agree! Which is definitely tough on rookies but love the pressure right from the start.
Tooold2bakook, 1747521183
Nice. I like the girl-boy comparison to a controlled experiment. Clever
Mexican, 1747521722
Found it interesting that Connor rode a squash tail in pretty solid waves and absolutely ripped. Everyone else on rounded pins.
freeride76, 1747523235
Mike Tyson was repetitive.
At a certain level big turns have to be paid.
zenagain, 1747525504
Didn't see much. Cheers for the write-up. Surf looked good.
Jack Robbo's gonna be hard to beat.
theolderIgetthebetterIwas, 1747526078
Will someone ride a board bigger than 6'6" in this event? Not needed yesterday, but Tuesday, Wednesday...
OK... bigger than 6'4"?
juegasiempre, 1747526146
So pro surfing has never been less profitable but would it be fair to say that currently there are more parents pushing their kids to be pro surfers then ever before, or does it just feel that way?
Stormborn, 1747527349
Always wondered that if the media reports on the corporation that owns Volcom, Quicksilver, Billabong declaring bankruptcy, who then is still signing cheques for any of the pros sponsored by said brand?
Nick Gee, 1747527360
i still don't like the mid year cut.
assuming we accept the cut pushes under performers to up their game i feel if you are going to contrive this sort of pressure do it either throughout the year consistently or towards the end.
it also relies on the enshittified QS being hell... so good work WSL and/or global surf industry freakonomics.
maybe have a bigger end of year cut, something that encourages CT surfers to enter more QS comps? dunno.
cut or not Cole was always a candidate for finals day here. hate the bro-punk hair but love his surfing in juice.
yumacity, 1747528263
neo libs and neo cons, sometimes these days, look like different sides of the same coin: so much soft privilege
thanks for a great write up, that also made me think!
BarbB, 1747531002
Your low quality generalisation comment is unrelated to what i posted. I specifically refer to the waves of McDonagh and Winter Vincent.
BarbB, 1747531193
I referred his second scorer. The wave at 4:55 is not a high 7
https://youtu.be/yodSR6OrfVM?si=oz6wvyXQy-J0WW3w&t=295
Solitude, 1747531740
I don’t know if more kids are surfing but it seems like the ones that are being ‘pushed’, coached, filmed and whipped into 2 footers within an inch of their lives………..it literally is like tennis.
spinafex, 1747532638
Agree, the pros have the legs to execute wobbly bottom turns through sideshore chop on the big ones but it isn't pretty.
udo, 1747534792
Anyone know if Barrons Board had Mink System on it..?
His Backup Board did.
NEGATRON, 1747538283
" I guess the WSL doesn't want them to threaten the guys trying to make the cut" That, correct me if I'm wrong implies that it wasn't their performances but something else that bundled them into the elimination round? Mikey fell on one what would've been close to an excellent score and definitely would've put him in second. Jordy was playing real safe so it was there for the taking. Mikey got one of the stand out turns in the heat but failed to get combinations of worth or find that end section on his last wave. Both Mikey and Jordy scores rightly so should've been well below Joao's as he put it way more on the line with "that" turn and just found the better waves in general. Winter looked like the grommet he is, two stage turns, fell and just played it way too safe. Mikey should easily make his elimination heat and it'll be a great heat for Winter too, if it's at the box he'll be well up against it with the two Hawaiian boys.
juegasiempre, 1747539411
If it's like tennis, then even if they make it they will hate it and their lives will be fucked (Andre Agassi details it in his book but it's a common thing, even his wife went through the same stuff).
At least tennis paid well! Better to be sad in a mansion with millions in the bank than unemployed.
lostdoggy, 1747540408
I didn’t watch the whole day but my favourite turn I saw was Mikey McDonaugh’s second on his 5.97.
Power surfing at its best.
john.callahan, 1747540629
"The best way to determine who should make a living from pro surfing is through competition"
Freesurfers would disagree, people like the Florence Brothers make plenty of money as non-competitive "freesurfers"
But is a a non-competitive "freesurfer" a pro surfer, or something else?
Perhaps a "content creator" similar to the gals making money on OnlyFans - ?
Nolan, 1747541051
Be careful what you wish for. The non elimination round was introduced to encourage surfers to go for it/not safety surf. More pressure from get go does not necessarily equate with higher entertainment.
Theory didn't work because Non elim and elim rounds became tedious and created a schedule that was out of rythm with swell cycles once Mens and Womens tours were combined.
If they combined killing off the non elim round with dropping 2 surfers per comp after first 3 comps then that would spice things up. Brutal for rookies however.
freeride76, 1747542878
Different kind of competition: competition for attention, eyeballs and views.
scrotina, 1747543477
why didnt they have heats at the box? much more entertaining
ron, 1747544770
Both pro comp surfing and freesurfing are a means to the same end. The idea of both is to have the best surfers getting eyeballs and views to then sell product.
The way things are headed more and more talent will go the youtube route, other sports or the job site.
The WSL needs to build in incentive for sponsors to support these guys. Removing the mid year cut is a step in the right direction. Removing the non elim round for comps other than the pool is tough. Ocean surfing can be too fickle to have a guy travel halfway around the world, pay expenses and accom for 1-10 days unknown minimum then loose first round because only 1 good set came.
Bring back points for non 36 surfers, Bring in Challenger winners to main events. Make it easier for the cream to rise.
We need the talent on screen and flogging the sponsors more often, every chance they can, not just the specific contest sponsors. More content before and after the comp, interviews, gear talk, what ever it takes. Who wants to pay someone to travel all year when all you get is a sticker on their board that's hard to see 99% of the time.
Lanky Dean, 1747545000
Congratulations on sailing over to the best surf website !
Lanky Dean, 1747545520
Bring on the "cut" and the "box",
Or bring on Thursday big wave dave conditions!
Make it count surfers
Best of luck to Everyone .... popcorn please
Lanky Dean, 1747545734
@ john,
Professional contest surfers ,
Paid free surfers .
thermalben, 1747546680
Serious question: how many surfers pay the bills via You Tube or Instagram?
And I don't just mean short term viral exposure where there may be a brief flush of advertising income. I'm talking about the ability to pay a regular salary, plus expenses (including admin/support staff if necessary) in a manner that creates a meaningful income for decades to come.
Other than the Florence brothers, JOB and a handful of others, I doubt there are many, if any at all.
Solitude, 1747547007
Maybe that Kale Brock bloke.
But yeah as you say, probably not many
basesix, 1747547171
really good point, for all the freesurf hype,
rounded down.. zero do.
zenagain, 1747547821
Hard to strike a balance for sure but I 100% agree with the first paragraph.
john.callahan, 1747548468
Torren Martyn gets a lot of exposure and puts in the time and effort to get that exposure -
But I don't know how much money he actually makes from that exposure nor how his income compares to a traditional "pro surfer" -
thermalben, 1747548788
Torren doesn't have a YT channel and thus doesn't generate advertising income for himself. He's part of the NeedEssentials team, as per Stu's article:
https://www.swellnet.com/news/features/2025/05/15/ryan-scanlon-the-reluctant-captain
Solitude, 1747549137
I have often wondered if the likes of Torren, Bryce Young and Laurie Towner earn much?
I mean every time I’m around Angas I see Bryce kind of just chilling, surfing locally……..can’t imagine anyone is paying much for that?
basesix, 1747549251
gotta be a lifelong freelancer and do it all.. and that's the best doing that..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t5FCvwMNW0
and they're sponno'd.. youtube for income.. still zero
velocityjohnno, 1747549287
Re: competition surfer/freesurfer earnings
What does it cost to send someone around the world to do the CT, or the CS/QS these days? Would it be about 150K per year to do it, all accom, food, travel expenses etc? Then would you add coach, physio, competition entry fees? And then the requirement for a salary/earnings?
Be interesting to see what cost the sponsors would need to put up to do this.
Have heard if you fund it yourself you could do a year on the QS. Can you still do this?
Probably be better than Onlyfansing a surfing existence showing middle aged male nipples online...
Moonah, 1747550130
Bryce would be earning sweet f-a surely.
Seems like he doesn’t need to work though. Cruising off the fam’s wealth.
ps - I could be way off with that assertion
Joshy2000, 1747552477
I’ve always wondered how well that broccoli guy would do off YouTube alone, he also does his coaching and now trying to sell his own boards.
AndyM, 1747554024
"We need the talent on screen and flogging the sponsors more often, every chance they can,"
Sounds awesome!
ron, 1747554385
It's all so interconnected now that sepparating who makes money from youtube vs the tour is damn near impossible.
Sponsors want you on youtube long before anyone even knows if you have WSL potential. The first thing they do is check the various followers. This means surfers are making an income from youtube long before ever getting WSL prize money which might as well be Zero. 33rd pays $10,500. No one makes a profit on that after expenses. Even at equal 9th $13500 is probably a loss for allot of events. Sponsors obviously don't think gambling on guys making the tour is a good bet these days or we wouldnn't be seeing so many surfers struggling for help to do the challangers etc. Making the 36 is not paying sponsors back unless you get to the very pointy end. Compare a surfer that consistantly puts out content with modest views to a low level guy on tour. How much exposure does being on tour get a sponsor when you surf 2 30 minute heats then go home. The same guy posting a few videos a week from home will get more views. Think of a new comer or low level tour guy, try to remember who their sponsors are? Do you know it from seeing them bob around in a rashie? Or from their socials?
For any up and comer the smart move is start youtube early and build the following. You can be a decent surfer making good content and get paid whether you make it to the 36 or not. If you do then bonus.
Even the tour vets are scrambling to get youtube subscribers now and starting to post consistantly. Jordy, Kanoa, Cola bros etc.
john.callahan, 1747554637
Regardless if the monetisation of Torren's YouTube popularity is going directly into his pocket or to his sponsor, he's still very much a non-competitive "freesurfer" -
Would be interesting to see a comparison of incomes between five traditional competitive "pro surfers" and five non-traditional pro "freesurfers" - men or women, natural-born or tranny, up to you -
Is Ryan Egan/Sasha Jane Lowerson killing it with non-traditional surfing derived earnings?
AndyM, 1747555114
Surely by definition, a paid free surfer is a professional surfer.
And as Steve pointed out, "free" surfers are absolutely competing.
thermalben, 1747555140
"it's all so interconnected now that sepparating who makes money from youtube vs the tour is damn near impossible."
No it's not. You can estimate how much money someone is making off YouTube - if they have ads running - it's around $2 for every 1,000 views.
So a video clip with 50,000 views generates about $100. Give or take of course.. some high end 'influencers' have much higher rates but on average that's about what you'd expect for a middling CT surfer.
And then put of that you've gotta pay tax, plus cover all of the expenses to create the clip in the first place (can't create surf clips with your iPhone, so you've gotta employ a videographer, and then it's gotta be edited etc).
And then you've gotta pay yourself.
Of course, surfers have other forms of revenue too, but none of it is a guaranteed, long term source of income.
Greg Neverka, 1747558597
Great write up
ron, 1747558626
Sure but what are you comparing that to? Being on tour only garauntees you the $10,500 prize money 7 times. Make the cut a few more. Make a few rounds for 2k more. That's not where the surfer makes the living. It all boils down to sponsors.
The youtuber doesn't have to make that much from youtube views alone to be doing well. They still have all the sponsor oportunities the WSL guy has. The youtuber is bringing more exposure for the brand through views than the WSL.
Look at Ben Gravy, average surfer, the bulk of his content is in garbage surf most of us wouldnt go out in. Hes had catch surf pro model boards for years, about 5 different sizes plus body boards, glass boards on his own name, a wetsuit model with hyperflex, oakley and who knows what else. All that with only 208k subs on youtube. Seen the stab tour where he offers to sponsor Mateus Heardy with his own brand?
Heres a few youtube numbers:
WSL 1.12m subs 616m total views
JOB 1.3m subs 521m
BG 208k subs 78m views
Noz (not noa deane) 164k subs 45m views.
Meek 5480 subs 760k views
JOB has almost as many views as the WSL as a whole. The red Bull effect. RB buying the WSL might be the only chance it has.
Ben Gravy has more than 10% of the WSL views as a single shit surfer doing novelty videos.
Surfing with Noz channel, a no name guy has 45m views on his own just filming short sessions, moslty on his own gopro mouth mount.
Meek has only been posting consistantly for the last year and has 760k views already.
If you are a company with money to sponsor people what is the smarter move? Throw money and product at a bunch of guys showing a growing subscriber base with millions of views already in the bag or send 1 guy on tour who may not ever win a round and all you get is him bobbing around in a rashie for 30 mins here n there. No interview, nothing.
The youtube views never go away, they keep paying as they get views years down the track. A contest check is a one off and the sponsors drop them like hot potatoes as soon as they are cut.
thermalben, 1747558653
Paid free-surfers have been around for decades. I don't think there's anything new here, only that they're a diminishing species, because surf brands don't have anywhere near the marketing spend they used to.
What we've been discussing here is a new tier of paid free surfers, whose primary income is non-surf brand derived and seems to be mainly YouTube advertising.
I don't think there are many surfers at all who generate meaningful income via this method.
As a side note, Dylan Graves - one of my fav surf creators with his 'Weird Waves' series - recently lost his Vans sponsorship a few weeks ago (I believe that was his primary income stream) but despite that he's decided to go out on his own to fund his content. All power to him.. but I'm skeptical how much money he can make.
thermalben, 1747559747
You're massively simplying things and cherry picking a couple of outliers to illustrate your point.
The overwhelming majority of YouTubers - including surfers (professional and otherwise) - make bugger all from ad revenue. This has been well documented for a long time.
Simply 'creating videos and uploading to YouTube' doesn't create viable revenue streams and also doesn't guarantee the creation of a 'brand' that someone may want to leverage by way of sponsorship (surfing or non endemic).
spinafex, 1747560818
Steve, regarding your plumbing analogy. Neo liberalism and free market theory are different things. In the neo liberal scenario. A multinational corporation comes to town and undercuts all the local plumbers forcing them to quit or go to work for said corp. Then the local council makes changes to its regs that make it impossible for new plumbers to enter the market. Nobody notices until the plumbing corp increases its prices massively. People complain to the council but find they've all quit and are working as consultants for the plumbing corp.
thermalben, 1747560841
Also just to put some perspective on those number $2 per thousand views is around $2K per million.
So Ben Gravy with 77 million views is theoretically around $144,000.
Sounds impressive except.. he's had his channel since 2007. So, whilst it won't be linear, you've gotta spread that revenue over 18 years (though in reality more like the last five or ten years max).
So even over five years, $150K equates to $30K per year. Before costs.
I'd expect reality to be much different (and he has other revenue streams of course) but back of the envelope YT revenue estimates aren't very high.
freeride76, 1747560922
Copy that mate- I'm no economist, as is perfectly clear.
southernraw, 1747561115
Great stuff FR and good questions on the cut.
Personally i could take it or leave it but i see the validity in the experiment....control groups..etc ;-)
Great to see Robbo back in A1 form. Obviously 2 foot short period beachbreak/points are a little harder to get the motivation levels up. Fuck he was ripping yest. Also my highlight was seeing Bronte back in the draw and ripping!!
Something probably overlooked by those over on the East Coast is how much airtime Robbo and all our WA surfers get in the mainstream media news. Robbo is a household name over here. I could literally bump into a granny in the street, strike up a convo about surfing and she'll know who Robbo is.
Good times in the West. Robbo ripping, tBronte ripping, Willow will charge on the big days, the forecast for the comp is seriously stacked and the bloody Weagles got a win just now! The state is buoyed!!
And RIP to Adam Selwood, a West Coast Eagles premiership player and champ.
dazzler, 1747561932
Agree, straight elimination in a 3 person heat could lead to fairly safe, conservative surfing.
The old 3 to the beach & take a lead.
Tooold2bakook, 1747563403
Kale seems like a pretty switched on business guy to me. I reckon he does fine
ron, 1747564809
Talk about cherry picking. It's like you didn't read the post. The whole point was that youtube is a vehicle for exposure just like the WSL used to be. Exposure = oportunity to make $.
I was trying to explain that in both cases sponsorship, partnership, paid spots, cross promos, flogging your own product etc etc is where the money is made, not just the add revenue or prize money.
The world tour used to be a bigger slice of the surfing pie so sponsors could pay more for their portion. These days Youtube and others get more of the surfers attention, sponsors know that and allocate $ accordingly.
As an up 'n coming surfer now, where would you position yourself? Put all your eggs in 1 basket to hope you become a top 10 guy for years to come on the WSL? Or, go down the youtube/socials path from early on?
The WSL is struggling, sponsorship $ already hard to come by for seasoned pros and challenger surfers alike.
Youtube and socials are growing and sponsors are looking for people with the numbers.
Going all in on the tour dream has worse odds than the lottery. Get into youtube all the while still holding the ticket. Is it not an easy decision?
thermalben, 1747565665
Ron, I speak from experience.
Making money online is actually very difficult.
YouTube doesn't make much of a difference for most people.
I mean, what's the point of thousands of channels with people surfing?
Just like every other industry, a few will do well and everyone else will see zero return on their investment. Saying things like "sponsors are looking for people with the numbers" is meaningless.
southernraw, 1747566002
Great point mate and it had me baffled too.
Any theories on why the squash worked for Connor in solid powerful surf?
I can barely surf a squashtail properly unless its small over here.
Connor just sat on that thing and went WHAMMO when it suited him.
Maybe being a big strong bloke just negates the normal control most of us would struggle with on a square tail at that speed and horsepower. Perhaps there's something in that for tail design and body weight. Got me baffled to be honest.
ron, 1747567143
It's like we are talking about different things here.
Is your assertion that surfers should not bother with Youtube and socials and solely focus on a competitive career for the best chance at success?
You don't agree that would be sponsors look at online metrics?
Whether or not you made money online in a general sense is irrelevant.
thermalben, 1747568983
"Whether or not you made money online in a general sense is irrelevant."
My original comment was: "Serious question: how many surfers pay the bills via You Tube or Instagram?"
I suppose my point is: running an online media biz (which is essentially what each YouTuber is doing - they are the brand, they are the media, and they are in charge of their own marketing) costs quite a lot of money and is very time consuming. Proportional of course, but still - something they didn't have to worry about in the past.
Can athletes afford the time, money and effort to undertake this themselves (on top of being a great athlete), in the hope that they can gain additional revenue sources down the track? It take a long time to build any kind of following on social media, let alone convert it into something worthwhile.
In a few cases it works really well. For example as a counter to YouTube, Sally Fitz has almost no presence there, but a big IG following - which she monetises through a wide array of non-endemic sponsorships instead of ad revenue.
But for the vast majority, it's very hard to extract any financial benefit, other than hoping that it keeps your existing sponsors happy.
Watt Tyler, 1747571964
reading comprehension is not his strong point.
Swany, 1747574854
Interesting convo. The bigger the profile the more obscure the income guessing game gets surely? Profile equals opportunity and there must be all sorts of little hustles for these YouTubers
aaron61, 1747602358
The key is waves of consequence and edited uploads.
Would you watch real time as JJ floated around in four foot slop?
The best contests are always the ones that make wonder if you would even have the balls to paddle out.
Which is why JOB and co do well. Nathan seems like a mild mannered lunatic at places like Puetro Escondido etc.
Average conditions just don't attract eyeballs. Or endorsements.
thermalben, 1747604377
Sure.. but how much is sustainable?
If we had five hundred surfers around the world doing their own 'slab tour', would they all receive high traffic? And therefore be able to build their own audience on YouTube, to hopefully generate income?
No.. there's only space in the market for a small number of commercial viable channels, even though everyone else might be charging etc.
I'm already up to my eyeballs in surf content, every day of the week. I don't have time for much more!
burleigh, 1747607600
Robbo is now a Queenslander. WA media should be boycotting him. hahaha
batfink, 1747613038
Thanks for the write-up FR. I was travelling most of Saturday and missed it all. Will have to go YouTubing to catch up.
Great to read that Connor was sending it. Amazing to think that he, Joao and Matty McGilvray are on the cut line, all of them rip at their best. Would like to see all 3 go far in this one.
Italo, Jack and Ethan are the standouts for me though.
batfink, 1747613335
That’s a pretty good synopsis, Spinafex.
The Bunningsification of Australia.
Been a few good articles of recent times on the laziness, corruption and grasping greed of the big corporate sector in Oz (and everywhere else too). Almost certainly a major factor in productivity apparently being such a problem, again, not just here but everywhere.
But don’t get me started on productivity. Whatever it is they are measuring, it most certainly is not ‘productivity’.
Soz, very off topic.
Tjinguru, 1747614095
Another terrific write up FR. I agree re the Cut. Initially I didn't like it but now find it really compelling. It will be interesting to see if the elimination of the elimination round drives performance. As many suggest in the comments, it could go either way. It's a lot of travel and expense to be sent packing after losing a 30 min heat. Some good discussion in the comments about pro/'free' surfer revenues: Ben it would be good for SN to a deep dive into this with a series of articles? I agree, its hugely time consuming and very difficult to make income from social media....
southernraw, 1747614893
I thought he was Brazilian now too! ;)
Wyre, 1747615280
Insane uppercut, huge hacks on big walls, what couldn't Mike Tyson do?!
ludurigan, 1747619086
The "three divisions" system is not functional. Just make a single, open-for-all tour and add Haleiwa and Sunset because we need it
Current CS events get an AA rating (5.000 points to the winner)
Regular CT events get an AAA rating (10.000 points to the winner)
Special CT events get an AAAA rating (15.000 points to the winner)
Pipe CT event get an AAAAA rating (20.000 points to the winner)
All other events (the current QS events) are also part of the tour with an A rating (3.000 points to the winner)
Main calendar (excluding the A events) would be like this:
AAA: Bells Beach, Victoria, Austrália 10.000
AAA: Margaret River, Western Australia, Austrália 10.000
AAA: Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Austrália 10.000
AAA: Punta Roca, El Salvador 10.000
AA: Whatever Rio location, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 5.000
AAA: Saquarema, Brazil 10.000
AA: Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South África 5.000
AAAA: Jeffreys Bay, South África 15.000
AAAA: Teahupo’o, Tahiti 15.000
AAAA: Cloudbreak, Fiji 15.000
AA: Huntington Beach, California, USA 5.000
AAA: Lower Trestles, Calif., USA* 10.000
AAA: Surf Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 10.000
AA: Ericeira, Portugal 5.000
AAA: Peniche, Portugal 10.000
AAA: Haleiwa Whatever, Hawai‘i, USA 10.000
AAA: Sunset Whatever, Hawai‘i, USA 10.000
AAAAA: Pipe Masters, Hawai‘i, USA 20.000
Anyone can enter any A event
All events count for National rankings in countries that have those. For example: Brazil champion will be the best surfer considering all events held in Brazil throughout the year
ANYONE can enter an "A" event
For AA events you need to have a certain "ranking" and so on
All AAA, AAAA and AAAAA events will have XX surfers with same Top 16 / Back 14 system from the 80s.
So that leaves room to 64 "NEW" SURFERS PER CONTEST
First round: PAY TO PLAY (everyone pays to get into these except for wildcards and top-30 ranked surfers)
64 SURFERS, sixteen 4-men, 30 minutes heats, single best wave wins, 1st place and 2nd place move to the next round
(takes 8 hours, full day to have this round)
16 WILDCARDS (one per heat) on this round, including: past world champions (who will have life-long wildcards for ALL EVENTS ON THE TOUR, WHENEVER THE FUCK THEY WANT TO SURF), past location-winners (who will also have life-long wildcards for events held on THAT PARTICULAR LOCATION WHERE THEY WON) plus 4 "LOCAL TRIALS" winner wildcards, "RANKING-BASED" wildcards etc. All "vacant" wildcards will be given to the best overall ranked surfers
Second round:
32 SURFERS, eight 4-men, 30 minutes heats, single best wave wins, 1st place and 2nd place move to the next round. Seeds will be based on past round performance: highest scored surfer goes against lowest scored surfer (an so on)
(takes 4 hours to have this round)
Third round:
32 SURFERS: 16 WINNERS FROM PREVIOUS ROUND, "BACK 14" SURFERS BASED ON PREVIOUS YEAR RANKING , 2 SPONSORS WILDCARDS
same as previous round: eight 4-men, 30 minutes heats, now it's 2 best waves wins, 1st place and 2nd place move to the next round. Seeds are based on past round performance and year-ranking performance. Highest rated surfers go against lowest-scoring surfers (an so on)
(takes 4 hours to have this round)
So you have spent 2 full days to have these heats. By now you should have 1, 2 or 3 "sensations" in the event: surfers that came all the way from the very first round surfing better than everyone. There will be so many cool stories for those. It could be a teenage sensation like we had so many in the past (Wood. Occy, Pottz, Rosa) destroying everyone on their path; it could be someone well-known and well loved pro trying a comeback; it could even be aging past champion (like, say, Michael Ho at Pipe) because surfing is a fucking unique sport that allows that
From now on we will have THESE GUYS facing the best surfers in the world, the Medinas and Johns, on regular "ROUND OF 16" two men heats (one more full day for that). Once those fellas do some battle we can have a regular finals day etc
Rankings will consider 10 best results per year for every surfer
BarbB, 1747619905
reads as though you agree with me. I told u so.
freeride76, 1747620321
Wow, that sounds awesome.
At some point, it seems undeniable the 3 tier system will be scrapped.
Something will need to replace it.
BarbB, 1747622027
Filipe's final move in his 8.0 was wild; very Medina-like.
NDC, 1747624318
thanks tb - I'm now gunna be able to explain to my 15 yo daughter how little her mid-tier influencer heroes make, burst her bubble that she's going to get rich by postting shite about not much and try and encourage her to pusruse a more meaningful career path after she leaves school - haha
Faunt Leroy, 1747635653
As an up and coming surfer another option is get a trade early and start earning good money and pay for travel 6 months of the year. Anyone with half a brain can see this is the absolute best option, most "surf" parents generally lack that half a brain.
memlasurf, 1747639944
Reads well to me.
NEGATRON, 1747640365
Further to that the winners of every event go on an annual mobile search type event to a A+ grade wave for a "Champions League" surf off. Winner takes all $$. Points don't count to anything other than that title.
Different format over a few surfs picks out the top 4 for a end of event traditional "heat"
wally, 1747640604
Yep, that last turn which Filipe landed beautifully was epic.
[img]https://i.postimg.cc/yW41J7Gs/IMG-0643.jpg[/img]
memlasurf, 1747641003
Agree Ben I would say impossible for an 'average' pro. In the same vein of discussion, in Vic if you are any good at sports and want to make a living, footy is the way to go and even that is an incredible grind but at least if you have a contract you are getting paid and looked after if you make in onto one of the teams. Morgan Cibilc rips and he has a real job and is not on the CT. There needs to be another way to get quality into the system. In footy the clubs have a rooky lists that can fast track skilled players to the top level, often older players. Battling it out in shit waves in shitsville is not the way to get quality into the mix.
memlasurf, 1747641164
Ha, ha yes I will join you on the couch for that one....and a beer please.
Balbero, 1747641292
in my experience a drawn in tail on a squash (if done right)will get you upside down on ya backhand, let alone front side hacks and carves will be a sensation of joy, and for a long while they came with chanel bottoms for my. anywhere in the world.
having said that, did you see the size off his foot?
Somehow and I'm a fan, he makes it work with excellence.
memlasurf, 1747641624
FR do you think Tyler's training ethic is below par due to childhood abuse? Their father sounded like a nutter waking them up at 4.00 am for training every day who would want to relive that. She may be just enjoying life and if she can stay on tour whilst doing that WTF.
Balbero, 1747642196
Better to be surfin, doin the thing you love in a spor.tting context than having all the money you ever wanted, but now not able to partake
Balbero, 1747645226
No disrespect aaron61
But
Feliep Teledo?
poo-man, 1747647052
I quite like that too Ludu. Can't see the 3 tours being sustainable in any way and it seems dumb to spend millions on contest site set up only for a limited number of surfers. I personally liked the CT years ago with 48 surfers and even 64 better for me. I know there are those that only want a quick short event without many surfers but there are already so many clearly CT level guys missing out (Morgs, Baker, Sammy Pupo, etc) that I think a larger event would throw all manner of surprises. And the old champions adds so much more to an event too. I know aussies probably don't think about it much because they're always represented on the current CT but it's so tight now with country representation. I have heard the coverage in wider media has gone through the roof in Mexico with Al Cleland there and when NZ had Paige, entire events popped up that hadn't existed before and sponsorship was forthcoming. I'd suggest that without Bryan Perez in El Salvador, they'd be way less likely to stump up as much as they have. We've had a few pros change allegiance in recent years but that disguises the lack of spread of countries that a tight CT creates. They're not really Canadian or Japanese are they? Who wouldn't tune in to watch a heat at Chopes with Slater, Billy Kemper, Morgs Cibilic and Julian Wilson? I like your vision Ludu
Itsmemickyb, 1747651036
it wouldnt be many, chris bee does a video on how much he made from one of his popular bowhunting videos, but then he has income from sales of equipment , sponsorship and whatever else comes his way -
its more of an engagement thing
Watt Tyler, 1747658152
a father taking his kids for dawn patrol surf is abuse?
you sound too soft
Lanky Dean, 1747661622
Spent some time in Hawaii the in last few winters and summers, The groms parents are paying shibata to be a super coach .
Training for the qs ,ct,
Most kids are from other islands mainland parents and funds , or they somehow get the kids sponsored at 6 .
Mum john left a nasty blueprint of how to raise your kids in Hawaii.
Kinda sad , kinda Hectic, ........
Lanky Dean, 1747663297
The. Main company that owns the logos is still afloat...
Lanky Dean, 1747684404
Memlasurf, I'm coming up on 9 years no alch
I'll take a cup of tea though !
Lanky Dean, 1747684532
So Good !
TEAM CUT !
Moonah, 1747686139
Hey Lanky what do you mean by the mum John thing?
Lanky Dean, 1747692106
No thanks ludu,
I'd like to point out that every ct has a trailist event. is anybody stopping pros, former champs ect for entering the trials at each event or is someone stopping them ?
Can a surfer enter the local trails at each event , then pull a curren ?
BarbB, 1747693098
what a shot! so sick & epic!
memlasurf, 1747696662
Ahh every day in winter 4.30 in the dark. I bet you live up north somewhere that is soft.
memlasurf, 1747696762
Weak no milk, no sugar.
Mexican, 1747719103
Be interested to see if he was riding a squash today. Anyone see?
Blingas, 1747732284
I think the main issue is low surfer numbers globally means low eyeballs for consuming surf content online.
john.callahan, 1747735198
Not at all - post pandemic numbers boom, etc
"There are an estimated 35 million surfers worldwide, with projections suggesting a rise to 50 million by 2025. This number includes both casual and dedicated surfers, reflecting the global growth and popularity of the sport. Surfing has also become a significant cultural and economic phenomenon, with an industry valued at approximately $3.1 billion"
thermalben, 1747735368
There is no way in the world that there are 35 million surfers, let alone 50 million.
AndyM, 1747737224
Where'd you get those figures from John?
john.callahan, 1747746509
Google doesn't lie -
AI Overview
Learn more
How many surfers are there in the world?
"There are an estimated 35 million surfers worldwide. This number includes both casual and core surfers, according to the International Surfing Association (ISA). Some sources also suggest that there may be as many as 50 million surfers worldwide, with estimates rising after surfing's inclusion in the Olympics"
Ask a question, get an answer -
Not the opinion of some random grizzled old Nimbin stoner in the carpark!
southernraw, 1747747165
I just googled where do most of the 35 million surfers live and google spat out, 95.33% of 'surfers' live between Stradbroke Island and Byron Bay, 2% in Chiba Japan. Fascinating.
Interestingly and unrelated of course.... Brazils national population dropped by 34 million over the last 5 years.
john.callahan, 1747747605
A feeble attempt to cast aspersions on the results of a Google AI answer -
DuckDuckGo, beloved of libertarians worldwide due to its lack of tracking, gives pretty much the same answer -
How many surfers are there worldwide?
Open menu
All
Images
Videos
News
Maps
Assist
Chat
Search Settings
Always protected
Singapore
Safe search: moderate
Any time
Assist
"Estimates suggest there are between 20 to 35 million surfers worldwide, with significant populations in the U.S. and Australia. However, exact numbers can vary due to differing definitions of what constitutes a surfer"
southernraw, 1747749331
Actually it was just a joke Johnny boy.
There's actually 15billion Brazillian surfers currently let loose on the world.
Be afraid!
edit: 15 brazillionmillionbillion!! Fuk me!
wavie, 1747775068
yea Ive read the owen wright book, the dad defintely was a loony
wavie, 1747775722
whats it going to take to get Jordy in the yellow jersey ? would love to see it seems to be the only surfer with form this year
thermalben, 1747776544
There are not 35 million surfers worldwide.
There were similar claims of 3 million surfers in Australia back in 2012 - around 10% of the entire population! - and I can guarantee you that the reality is much, much smaller.
Ask yourself, what is the source of this information, and do they have a vested interest in inflating these numbers?
AndyM, 1747795288
Hahaha, the ISA.
Cheers John :)
bbbird, 1747821002
I surf powered by bananas per hour, good bunches when the rains & swell cometh, slim in the spring / summer bummer droughts... play weddings, partys, anything... even technoiDJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaRJ1c_pfoY
bbbird, 1747822297
Above ....540k Utube subscribers: 838k veiws.... x $2...= $16.7k. plenty of bananas ...if... your not threatened by poachers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poaching
john.callahan, 1747830173
Nothing personal, but once of legal age, she would likely make more money getting her kit off on OnlyFans like those Coffey Sisters than she ever will surfing in competitive surfing events -
Alana Blanchard makes far more money from a sponsored Instagram posting featuring her butt than she ever did from competitive surfing - considering she did an entire year on tour without winning a single heat, that's enough to convince a skinny white gal to sell their backside rather than rely on their athletic skills to make a living.
john.callahan, 1747830359
Are you clairvoyant? Ha-ha