Margaret River Pro 2025: Day 1

Opening rounds of Men's and Women's heats completed today in 4-6 foot surf at Mainbreak with premium offshore conditions through the morning, degrading to sideshore bumpy surf through the afternoon.

Straight away you could feel the impact of the impending cut as those closest to the axe ramped up their performances commensurate with the increased stakes.

We've seen this every year now since 2022 and, primarily for that reason, I think the loss of the mid-season cut is the one innovation from the Erik Logan era that should not have been jettisoned.

It also suits the tenor of the times as the number of paid slots for pro surfers diminishes. How many pro surfers can a three-tier tour support?

In 2007, newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd asked treasury boffin Ken Henry what he thought the sustainable population of Australia was.

“15 million," answered Henry.

“I agree, 50 million sounds about right,” said Rudd.

“No,” said Henry, “15. One-five."

Pro surfing is undergoing a similar reckoning in terms of its sustainable population. Despite two Olympic cycles and the promises from Erik Logan that it would flood the sport with non-endemic money which would bankroll all the kiddies with pro surfing dreams, the reverse has happened. Blank boards at the CT level, established pros simply staying home instead of competing on the Challenger Series because it's a money pit, and a collapse in support at the regional QS.

Josh Kerr made this bleak assessment of the regional QS in an interview on STAB mag in March. “Back in the day, when I was doing the QS in my 20s, there were older guys — late-twenties, thirties — keeping the younger crew honest. Aussie tradies, Brazilian lifers, that kind of thing. Now..? No-one. It’s just the state of the industry. No prize money, no support. Unless you live at home or have a rare sponsor deal, you can’t afford it. The QS has turned into a junior tour.”

I'm no neoliberal but I feel the same way about this question as I do about how many plumbers a town can support. That being, as many as can make a living from it - i.e we let the market decide.

The best way to determine who should make a living from pro surfing is through competition. And the mid-year cut sharpens that competition to an incredibly compelling point for both spectators and surfers. Everyone knows now what lies on the other side of the CT. It's not some third rail tour where you can maintain a profile and lifestyle as a pro surfer. It's a purgatory of shitty surf, four-man heats, and almost total invisibility.

You could smell that desperation today, despite the pressers where they swore blind they were focussed on the present moment, enjoying the journey, not afraid of the consequences, what is meant to be will be etc etc. No-one, now that Kelly is gone, will admit to playing chess instead of checkers. But the performances betrayed the underlying fear and they were fierce.

Connor O'Leary (Miers/WSL)

It started right out of the gate with huge backhand hooks from Connor O'Leary. Faced with opportunities on big offshore walls, O'Leary put his back into it and carved Mainbreak rights into a million tiny pieces to be blown away by the stiff offshore.

Fellow backmarker Matty McGillivray blasted past Ethan Ewing with similar commitment to big turns and belting the end section on the bricks. Matty at least admitted "the pressure was on”. He knows what happened to his pal Morgan Ciblic. A final fiver in 2021 who has now spent three years in the wilderness working a real job, despite clearly being a CT talent.

Al Cleland Jnr came out swinging and, apart from some soft judging, should have done enough to breeze past both Kanoa Igarashi and Ed Groggia. As it is, he advances. And whether he ends up at the Box or big Mainbreak there won't be any second guessing, paddling for the horizon, or suddenly checking an Apple Watch when a set comes when Al has priority. Yes, this should be selected for at the halfway point of the year. We want both the guys and gals who can do it, and the guys and gals who are desperate to be there. It's not for everyone.

Al Cleland (Miers/WSL)

Joao Chianca came to the glass and gently chided AJ McCord that he “had not much to say, because the job wasn't done yet.” He didn't need to, his surfing said everything. He launched himself like a kamikaze at the end section in a reprise of Dane Reynolds layback at Haleiwa and somehow emerged still standing, blowing his own mind. Right on the cut line at No 22, Chianca surfed like a man defending his family from home invasion. Despite having wildcard Mikey McDonagh in deep combination he scrapped a furious paddle battle with the Lennox local, just to demonstrate in public fashion the sheer force of his will. Jordy Smith sat out the back arms stretched wide like he was conducting a gospel choir. It was brilliant entertainment.

LOB backed up the Burleigh ninth place finish with a stirring heat win. George Pittar could not get past a rampaging Italo Ferreira but scrapped into an advancing position.

Only local defending champ Jack Robinson was able to stem this charge from the back field with a solid win over Marco Mignot and Ian Gentil.

Jack Robinson (Ryder/WSL)

Sixteen-point heat totals for Cole Houshmand and Sammy Pupo. Just coincidence they produced their best surfing of the year under the threat of the cut? Five points clear of Barron Mamiya, eighth in the world who was under no pressure at all. Barron can scrub this one off if he needs to - Teahupoo is ahead and his position already locked in.

More wins from the back and mid-field with Joel Vaughan getting up in a scrappy heat and Ian Gouveia triumphing over Brazilian battlers Alejo Muniz and Miggy Pupo.

There couldn't have been a sharper contrast in what stakes and pressure do for compelling competition than between the Men's and Women's rounds today. Men facing the cut are literally seeing the end of their dream. Women facing the cut get an eight month holiday and a fresh clock next year on an expanded tour. They surfed like it. There were no tears and very few hail mary hits on the end section. Polite surfing for 6's in the opening two heats were won by wildcard Bronte McCauley and Sawyer Lindblad.

Vahine Fierro surfed with much more to lose - a shot at her home break in August where she would start as red hot favourite. Vahine threw big heavy hooks at the Mainbreak rights but was just shaded by some vicious gouging from Gabby Bryan. There were no weird priority battles this time - Gabby let her surfing do the competing. It did make a lot of the other girls look very flimsy.

Gabriela Bryan (Ryder/WSL)

A perfect indication of the current vibe was Tyler Wright who surfed a solid but safe heat and admitted on the glass that the reason she had come over to Team Dog Marsh was that she was sometimes lazy and didn't want to do the work. She wanted someone to hold her to a standard.

I mean, great, that's honest - but shouldn't the level of performance required hold you to the standard? You make the standard or you get cut. That's probably too harsh.

Sally Fitzgibbon could end up in last place and back on the Changa and that would be something to fight for. It produced another confused chaotic performance from Sal. She tried to free surf, then scrap it out, and both approaches failed to deliver the result. Off to the ER for Sal.

"Driven" was the way new gal commentator Jess Starling described Erin Brooks approach. She did not take the sedate, safety surfing approach. Erin threw her diminutive frame into the biggest sections that Mainbreak could offer and went down. That will put her into the danger zone of an early exit, along with Burleigh winner Bettylou Sakura Jonson who also could not back her way out of a tight cul-de-sac after a bad wipeout.

Bettylou Sakura Johnson (Miers/WSL)

The difference between the men's and women's approach is giving us a wonderful real-time experiment on the value of this mid-season cut.

One group, our experimental cut group, surfing with immense urgency and intensity.

The other, our control group, taking a chill pill and surfing as if there is not much on the line.

Time servers don't make for thrilling entertainment and that is what grows the pie.

Unless the taxpayer or Ziff himself is ready to directly sponsor pro surfers with a living wage the fiercer the competition and the higher the stakes the better.

Otherwise, get your tickets and ply a trade.

// STEVE SHEARER

Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Opening Round Results: 
HEAT 1: Connor O'Leary (JPN) 15.80 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.10, Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 14.43
HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 14.33 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 13.77, Ryan Callinan (AUS) 13.10
HEAT 3: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.26 DEF. Alan Cleland (MEX) 14.17, Edgard Groggia (BRA) 9.80
HEAT 4: Joao Chianca (BRA) 16.00 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 12.87, Mikey McDonagh (AUS) 11.47
HEAT 5: Liam O'Brien (AUS) 15.33 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 12.73, Winter Vincent (AUS) 9.40
HEAT 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 14.10 DEF. George Pittar (AUS) 10.33, Jacob Willcox (AUS) 5.00
HEAT 7: Jack Robinson (AUS) 15.56 DEF. Marco Mignot (FRA) 12.36, Ian Gentil (HAW) 11.33
HEAT 8: Cole Houshmand (USA) 16.43 DEF. Samuel Pupo (BRA) 16.23, Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.26
HEAT 9: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 13.23 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 13.13, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 11.44
HEAT 10: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.07 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.80, Crosby Colapinto (USA) 9.63
HEAT 11: Joel Vaughan (AUS) 9.16 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 8.33, Deivid Silva (BRA) 7.33
HEAT 12: Jake Marshall (USA) 14.90 DEF. Jackson Bunch (HAW) 13.53, Seth Moniz (HAW) 10.34

Western Australia Margaret River Pro Women’s Opening Round Results: 
HEAT 1: Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 11.00 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 10.20, Nadia Erostarbe (ESP) 7.90
HEAT 2: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 13.13 DEF. Caitlin Simmers (USA) 12.33, Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.03
HEAT 3: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 15.00 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 14.83, Willow Hardy (AUS) 8.66
HEAT 4: Luana Silva (BRA) 13.77 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 8.90, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 8.67
HEAT 5: Tyler Wright (AUS) 11.37 DEF. Brisa Hennessy (CRC) 10.54, Erin Brooks (CAN) 8.00
HEAT 6: Caroline Marks (USA) 12.50 DEF. Bella Kenworthy (USA) 9.60, Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 8.34