Time Out For Tatiana Weston-Webb
Following three starts on the Championship Tour where something was clearly amiss, Tatiana Weston-Webb has announced she'll be stepping away from the tour for the rest of the year.
Weston-Webb has had a decade on the CT, she was Rookie of the Year in 2015 and has finished inside the Top 5 five times. She's also a dual Olympian.
“This has not been an easy time for me," said Weston-Webb. "I am incredibly grateful for everything I have achieved in surfing so far, and for the support I have always received from my sponsors, team, and fans. Every achievement has been the result of intense and collective effort."
"Recently, I realised that I needed to pay closer attention to my emotional health. As an athlete, I have always been passionate about what I do, but I also know that taking care of my well-being is essential to honouring my passion and continuing to compete at a high level."
"The emotional and physical exhaustion I have felt lately were clear signs that it was time to pause and reconnect with myself,” said Weston-Webb.
The WSL is supporting Weston-Webb in this decision. “Tatiana’s well-being comes first, and we admire her openness in prioritising her health,” said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Commissioner.
With 2025 WSL Replacement Surfer Nadia Erostarbe already filling in for the remaining pre-Mid-season-Cut events for Johanne Defa, an additional position will be open at each event. This position will be assigned to an event wildcard at every stop.
Comments
Hope she sorts her head out. Best of luck.
Does the Wozzle being "supportive" mean she gets a wildcard next season?
Really going to miss the behind the scenes with Tatti promos...
Old guard dropping like flies.
I think it shows how much of a toll the Olympic cycle puts on the athletes especially those that compete at all the ISA events and CT at the same time. There was a reason carissa was going to take a year off wsl in order to compete in Tokyo. And yes there is a whole bunch of young fresh athletes that are ready to throw everything at the tour. Not sure we will see Tati, Joanne, and Steph back.
I wonder if she'll sit the year out and get a wildcard for 2026.... Definitely opens up a can of worms here. What's to stop any other CT vet having 3 or 4 bad events before the cut and then taking a "mental health break." Obviously I don't know what she's going through (much like Filipe last year) so I hope she's doing ok. It will be interesting to see how the WSL handles this and whether mental health is treated the same as a physical injury.
Couple of running dirty turds,
Cabooschka ...mental health break back next year.....
Free reentry , no guillotine
No quey .....
She complained of burnout- but didn't she just have a 5 month off season?
I wouldn't call it an off season when your income is down, and the income ahead of you is at risk. Sounds like stress to me. I wish her the best.
Prize money would be in the on season- her sponsor endorsements would continue as monthly income through the off season.
I also wish her the best.
You would think so...there's plenty of spono' stickers on the bottom of that board.
Luckily Erin is still there to bear the cross...
@ seaDub
I'd love 5 months off every year .... to rest and recuperate
I'm lucky to get 5 minutes.
Will say airtravel and transit has probably cooked the athletes.
100%
And in terms of the financial pressure, I get that there isn't the same cash sloshing about like there was in the nineties and noughties, but surely anyone who has made CT level has both the profile and spare time available to get their side hustles in order.
marriage problems.
adriano..?
Mendez, is it not?
Maybe the 5 months off made her realise she didn’t want to do all again.
How long does mental illness last?
I’m not really a psychiatrist.
Flip seemed to know how long he wanted off .
It's a fair question to ask & tbb thanks the crew for respectfully asking.
Mental outpatient tbb has been treated for over 20 years.
Experts said tbb had previously suffered severely & deeply much longer before diagnosis.
When severe > Ward of the State 2 months in care > 4 months Review Tribunal (Repeat if needed)
During Cyclone Alfred > Qld Health stealthily readmitted tbb..for about 5 mins...did a runner!
Relived that ordeal Today at a Cyclone Reffo Hub...the Officer picked up on tbb's mental illness.
Sure it' easy for us mental outpatients to believe once inside...we're labelled & signalled out!
see Today's Notice Board...
https://www.swellnet.com/comment/1053033#comment-1053033
tbb was not surprisingly 'directed' to speak face to face with the Reffo Hub 'Lifeline counsellor'...
Sure > Can run as tbb did but ya can't hide...so tbb was offered a chair for a 'face to face' chat! Yes!
tbb was dumped from Medicare Psych Care Plan > during publicized Covid Mums+Daughters gig!
Was even bluntly told...Why a grown man would try to seek help from tbb's Doctor of 15 years...Huh!
Like Wow...that's how fast this shit happens...fuck me...was still only 4 months into a year's referral!
Huge thanks to Craig & swellnet Lifeline crew that step up to fill the Mental Health frontline gap.
Yes! Of course..lifeline helped during transition back to non assisted-non Psych Drug lifestyle
From start of recent Cyclone tbb reached out to Lifeline about 5 times...(Climate Change see below!)
Twice by phone & 3 times at Reffo Hubs counting today's referral.
Ok to share it's not one thing or the other...
In tbb's case it usually being severely locked outta yer own city...as an outcast...often!
Bodybasher...being long term denied surfing in 98% of Surf breaks
Today reliving the complete opposite short term outcast Civic Cyborg horrors...
A 10 year Automated outpatient addicted to the power grid being denied his prescribed life source.
Lifeline counsellor was sympathetic to us unplugged outcast mental cyborgs drawing our last breath!
tbb can show an example of 24/7 Emergency Hub Outpost in each Town that flies under the radar.
When all internet is down / No Mobiles - All have run outta charge...Web sites are of no use!
Nor is a Radio if none can contact the Station with updates from growing number of Dead Cities
All are living a lie > blind to real life horrors & listeners feel outcast...but there is a beacon of hope!
Pitch black Mid Raging Cyclone @ [2.00] am Zomboid tbb was calmly consoled by Lifeline...
Also contacted National Radio 1970's style mid devastation to spin them out...Say wot...A Pay Phone!
Replying No...A free public Lifeline...even phone me bro in Townsville...clear as ya like!
Sure...can show how this emergency Psych link puts out ***** as world is coming to an end...
Lifeline Chix are stunned when tbb reveals The Real Oz 24/7 Frontline Lifeline hides in plain sight!
Free of Charge with 100% ***** Health Assist reliability in pitch black...All be dead but for Lifeline!
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/eea80c30d244e1e42bb606555b295634?...
Wanna see more...
https://content.api.news/v3/images/bin/d93e2fce3201631faf65ef2b5fae0c3c?...
This is Oz premium Emergency Care line.
tbb motioned for Aux' Beacon Lighting + Larger Lifeline # Guide to [Sign posted] Reffo Hubs
This way...all ravaged distressed Victims can be consoled at each Town Outpost Beacons
Safely secured (Phone boxes pass the pub test) Located & Mapped run to local emergency hub 24/7.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/crisis-line-sticker-initiative-to-rol...
Ok...but how does this fit into all going & retiring mad on a pro surf tour...
If ya take the time to read Emergency Links...you may come across this natural progression...
How Climate Events affect individual wellbeing...
Lifeline Toolkit [ Getting thru Extreme Climate Events ]
Free Brochure included...
Just saying wot all here know...Pro surfer's tour exploits peak devastating Climactic events...
Tsunami Warning flocks record numbers of surfers to the Beach!
When Heavy Surf Closes the beaches & pounds the coastline...Comp directors drool...Surf's Up!
WSL Pros promoting 30-40,000 overcrowded Town to Town mass sea change devastation.
Could you live with the weight of that on yer shoulders...Sportsmanlike internalizing lifelong Guilt!
Very few Pro Tours summon Goodvibes to H-TYPE the Coastline before rolling out the Circus.
Please accept a free brochure...
https://lifelinedirect.org.au/uploads/files/LifelineNNSW_ToolKit_Climate...
She did have a crack when the waves were up .
Who would've known jetting around the world surfing was such a hard life?
Maybe she needs to go work in the favelas doing 12 hour days in construction with her countrymen for her daily bread to get some perspective.
I understand where you are coming from but I don't think it's fair for members of the swellnet audience to be telling people to "go work in the favelas." Most of us live on or near a beach, work 8-9 hours max, get 11% super, time off, parental leave, overtime etc. We're as privileged as it gets. I'm certainly in no position to tell Tati to just buck up because she's not living in poverty (Even though being a pro surfer is obviously preferable to working in a slum).
I'd also say that a lot of people don't realise how much pro surfers have to do and how disruptive that lifestlye is to family life and sleep especially. Spending over half your hear getting on and off planes, then training, then competing, then doing trips, then sponsor stuff, and being expected to have a social life on the side would be seriously difficult. There's no consistency. Never get to spend more than 2 months in the same place. I get that his is what they knowingly sign up for, so I take your point. All I'm saying is that I can see why it wears people down: Hence John, Julian, Gabriel et al., taking breaks.
Yeah well said mate. Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. I'm sure tati is incredibly grateful for the pro surfing life and the opportunity to travel the world and says as much in her interviews (gives too much credit to the big man upstairs mind you). Just goes to show the pressure that sports people have on their shoulders. Look at JJF, seems as casual and happy go lucky as can be but it was abundantly clear last year the emotional pressure mounting over the year as trestles approached. All the best to her and the other competitors.
Having said all that. Gee it'd be fucken nice to get paid to surf all the time.
Uh...They're not getting paid to just 'surf all the time'. They get paid if (if and only if) they can consistently perform against the world's best competitors, win events and attract enough money for their sponsors. Geez, if it were simply a matter of 'surfing all the time' then I don't think we'd ever see any of these athletes taking time off other then through physical injury.
True. I have a stress free job working from home that I can turn up late to when I surf early, don't have to worry about it after hours, am not under constant scrutiny, and I still feel burnt out and complain sometimes. The tour sounds fucken exhausting, mentally especially.
sounds cool. what level of government dyu work for?
I wish
How do you reckon you would go working at Centrelink, rj?
I’ve worked in government, that was no government job he was describing.
Why mentally?
It's not cognitively demanding work, and they outsource all that to coaches now anyway.
They have to be prepared to show up and surf well for 30 mins at a time, a few times a month.
The travel would be tiring, but if you have the budget for decent accommodation and food and have no dependent children, I can't see how that would not be something you'd get used to.
Sorry, in the grand scheme of things, this seems one of the easier and more stress free existences a human being could undertake..
Sure. after 10 years and with a shocking start you might get sick of it.
The cure for that malaise used to be called retirement.
Couldn't agree more FR76
Ken oath.
Wish i could take some time out from work for emotional well being.
She's welcome to come dig some holes or maybe go work in an understaffed hospital.
Poor thing.
Everyone’s assuming it’s work stress, not sure why. Could be anything.
I guess I mean that when your whole life and career revolves around competitive surfing, you're an Olympian, you have sponsors to appease etc, then the constant pressure of having to prove your worth/keep your spot on tour would be mentally taxing. Anyone who's had a job with the threat of losing it hanging over their head knows that unpleasant feeling, and it's going to amplified if it's what you've been striving for years to succeed at.
It's all relative, of course, and can seem remarkably trivial and privileged, but when even seemingly ice cold and ruthless competitors like Gabriel Medina need time away to decompress, then I can only imagine that it's no psychological picnic.
If this is just a ruse by Tati to jump ship now in case she misses the cut and is looking for wildcards next year then yeah, she should totally retire. I also agree that the cure for this malaise should be retirement, or at least not bailing so you can get a free ride (no pun intended) the next year. Take your time off then earn your way back in if you're that hard-out.
Professional surfers know what they need to do to compete at that high level.
They also know when they haven’t got it in them to keep competing at that high level.
They don’t need to be told what to do and how to do it by Mr average Joe , who has never experienced competing at that high level.
What, you think I'm trying to tell her what to do? You think Tati is checking swellnet comments for career advice do ya, ya dope.
If you're born in Australia you've really won the life lottery. No ifs or buts about that. God knows I was thinking about that just then and I'm consistently telling myself to be grateful because things are almost too good here, especially my personal situation.
My point still stands though. If she thinks her life is hard, fair enough, but she should go for a wander in Brazil, have a chat to a few people. Gratitude is important whether we're privileged Aussies or privileged Brazzos. It's what I'm going to do with my boys if they give me any shit and act spoilt. A walking tour through the barrio, have a chat to people about their life.
@juegasiempre first sentance should read..."if you are born in australia the TAX MAN has won the lottery.
^^^ Who's gonna be the one to tell him..?
Nah, juegasiempre's right. From the inside the grass might be lookin a bit brown there, but from the outside she's green as the proverbial. I grew up on the mid-north coast, but moved to Switzerland 13 years ago. The chocolate, cheese and wages are good here, but it's the nature of the society that you miss: friendly people and the laid-back nature of the Oz existence. There's a lot to be said about being in a nice environment (socially and geographically), and I can imagine life on Tour would be pretty farkin stressful. Instead of getting these bullshit wildcards, I reckon these people should just go for the commentary gig - relative to the surfing the Caitys, Pickles and Brookes are doing, the Old Guard are just not as good to watch.
hope you've got an electric raclonette grill there to make the most of the raclette cheese and charcuterie .. a swiss lady moved down here some years ago and did raclette nights at the nelson pub in winter.. tasty!
I don’t know how all these average joes can keep giving their average advice to these top level athletes, when they basically have no idea what it takes to maintain that level.
That’s why there’s so many comments, because Mr recreational surfer doesn’t quite understand it ?
Is it possible you are looking at mental health through the wrong lens?
Its no different from a back injury, a stroke or a congenital heart condition. Some people have shit luck and will develop mental health issues. Sure, life's experiences and psychosocial factors play a massive role in the likelihood of experiencing mental health issues. But your life doesn't have to be less fortunate than others to have them . Hers could also be completely independent of surfing, and be related to her normal day to day life.
Also, I would imagine an elite level athlete would be more acutely aware of subtle changes in their mood. If anxiety or depression are impacting performance you may be more likely to notice that than someone who puts depression down to having another shit day at work and being tired for weeks on end.
Do you know how silly people go around sport, music stars etc? even worse for a woman
To be honest,
I think I’d rather be working 12 hours in a favela , than have depression,
From experience.
Aging must be a tough call for any Sport person.
(Mentally and Physically)
Not everyone can be Slater still competing into his 40s.
Professional athletes are unique in that they die twice.
No you live twice, sometimes 3 times,
More over its not always fun on the otherside
Even though your pretty sure you know how someone else feels.
Yeah let's face facts though she did grow up on kauai with parents originally from other countries
Maybe just maybe we should let her deal with this.
Rather than send her to the favelas...
How about Safeway in Princeville with all the Ohio or Wisconsin folk ...oh wait sounds obserd also ...cause it is .
Or maybe just go free surfing , like everyone else , that might cure stress /mental illness
Does she live in Brazil these days, if so, that's a lot of flying
She's not actually Brazilian. English dad, Brazilian mum, grew up in Hawaii
born in brazil
i didn't know J Defay is pregnant.
Thanks Barbb, was wondering what happened to Johanne.
Haven’t been keeping up with surf gossip/news, been a bit busy.
https://www.instagram.com/aj_mccord/reel/DHaukrrKQsp/
I find comments that state that 'life on tour' is much easier than most jobs unfair. We see very successful people with wealth and fame who go through severe anxiety and depression, sometimes even taking their own lives.
No one else knows the beauty and ugliness of being who we are.
Well said.
Financial stability and travel maybe nice, but it’s window dressing and the mightiest fall. Happiness has fuck all to do with your pay packet. Maybe it means more to the naysayers than they’d admit.
pv , give it a break. I'm filthy rich and it's fantastic, no complaints. will give you tip, those with anxiety have wealth that's matched by their debt. Could discuss this topic all day but got a plane to catch.
Learjet?
I was thinking something a little more substantial.
Screams pretender. One piece of advice from a person who as travelled 2 Adults x 3 Children for 33 years. 0 to 12, no overseas. Noosa / Byron are your friends. But you MUST at one point shout a First Class (flights & Accom) Holiday in their late teens. it will feel like it sending you broke, but I guarantee that your partner will respect the effort .
the maths is unclear, but it sounds unenviable.
Hahahaha
More than likely just a get out of jail card after a poor start.
Anyway, that’s the world we live in now.
Thought the same. Drop off tour now while sitting well below the cut , then ask for a wildcard on next years tour. Cynical , yes but I think this is what will happen
Yeah - seems about right...
Sally Fitz - there's your plan for 2026
oooohh the burn on that one, haha
They thank God when they win, why don’t they blame him when things go pear shaped? Or is that also part of his plan?
Might have fallen out of the good books with God?
If you skip the donation basket at Sunday mass he can get pretty pissed at you
https://m.
Tati needs to sit down with Tyler over a herbal tea and have a chat
Wish Tati all the best. Can remember the excitement when she joined the tour & people we knew were helping on the Aussie leg.
With all the stress and mental health implications of the current format, I wonder if going back to the 1968 approach would be better? Far less opportunity for us to shoot the breeze in the comments, but one and done, whole world invited.
Held at Domes Beach, named after the nuclear reactor built about 100m from the contest site.Decommissioned in 1968- same year as the event. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_Nuclear_Superheater_Reactor_Faci...
Sounds like trestles.......
lol, all the speculation after someone throws in the towel. Did you know since the 1960s there have been around 80,000–120,000 total competitive surfers, dont worry she will be ok.
tati is a nice person. very friendly. most are not on kauai.
wish her the best without that dorky husband
relationship break up ??
Maybe pregnant or wants kids
A couple of months waiting tables or working in a hospital might help some of these pro surfers gain some perspective of what mentally drained is. She had a crack at the more solid stuff but her style was never pleasant on the eye. Looking forward to seeing someone new on the tour.
Tatiana had a go, at lowtide Teahupoʻo.... with the western world watching every move.
That effort for many surfers, could be the ultimate high & test. A+
Deep freefall drops with local lady Vahine
Surfing in Hawaii would be nice too
Hmmmmm.
Reckon the stress around losing your spot on tour would be significant.
Getting cut would have significant impact on your leverage with sponsors… affecting your fixed income. Probably people on SN have a better sense of how the contracts are structured than me, but I’m assuming that there are contracts incentives for performance?
Maybe that has more to do with it than the impact of ‘being on tour’. Wouldn’t be fun turning up to an event under pressure then getting a 33rd. Again.
The lifestyle / travel is no more stressful than a lot of jobs. I travel a lot for work. And don’t have time for free surfs between flights.
Anyway, best of luck to Tati
Not really sure why anyone feels they have a take or opinion on her mental health?
MH does not discriminate - in fact research would suggest anxiety and depression is higher in the developed world.
Take care Tati and get healthy.
Probably more sour grapes that most of us don't get the choice to opt out of work when the going gets tough.,and have no choice but to battle on..through much more trying 'jobs' and life situations, lest we lose our income and can't survive at all.
Agreed though, wish her all the best for whatever it is she needs a break from.
So say she battles on then, but the going gets tougher and she has a proper break down or worse.
Ya never know what’s going on inside someone’s head. Until sometimes it’s too late.
No matter how big or small - ‘our’ problem is our problem. It can get real big in our head despite what the outside seems like.
True true and mad respect even more so to the ladies and gents who don't have the luxury of a safety net and 5 months a year of holidays from a seemingly dream lifestyle of a surf 'star'. The unknown faces out of the limelight that have to get up every morning to be a cog in the machine..the ones that have no choice but to soldier on while dealing with their emotional stress while trying to survive and make ends meet. Sure bet those crew wish they could work 6 months a year for a few days at a time playing in the ocean for a few whacky points and a tonne of cash. There's problems, and then there's problems.
I agree, with sentiments above...she probably should just retire if it's that distressing.
Choices... some aren't so lucky to have them, so if she's not up for it any longer, let someone else have a go. First world problems really.
Pro surfers, under more pressure, or faced with similar choices/sacrifices than every other 'Joe Bloggs' with their work and family commitments... imagine, really? Most of us have been in a similar situ, but not so fortunate (or talented :) )
Always enjoyed watching her charge the big stuff.
Used to be called retirement. Now it's pulling the mental health card because that's untouchable and it keeps your options open.
Maybe the pressure from know all critics ,
who actually have no idea!
The winning , losing, roller coaster,
And the expectations of a fanatical nation, and the religious beliefs,
Would all produce pressure and stress,
Which over long term contributes to depression/anxiety / mental illness,
Which wouldn’t occur to the causual observer.
"I'm an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." - Mark Twain.
"There's no difference between a pessimist who says, "oh, it's hopeless, so don't bother doing anything," and an optimist who says, "don't bother doing anything, it's going to turn out fine anyway." Either way, nothing happens." - Yvon Chouinard.
I.... myself... prefer the great,..
"Many a false step was made by standing still." -Fortune Cookie.
Yes Tatiana might have realised that winning a
World Title with depression, might not be that much fun ?
What did Mark Twain know about the WSL ?
That's about it, mate.
No-one wants to read every thought that goes through your head.
Supposition: a belief held without proof or certain knowledge; an assumption or hypothesis ( Oxford language).
So it should have been could cause stress And there is proof for that .
Instead of would cause stress
Or in your case, couldn’t cause or wouldn’t cause stress,
Sorry @ Oxford
I think this whole thread seems to be supposition and assumption, based on some personal experiences and some prejudice and what someone else might have said and some logic.
So what’s your theory @Einstein ?@nicker
She said physical and mental exhaustion and time to reconnect with self.Good enough for me
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a persistent one." - Albert Einstein.
If you sometimes feel a little useless, offended or depressed...... Always remember that you were once the fastest and most victorious little sperm out of millions.
Interesting article, is Olympic surfing to blame for athletes burning out on the championship tour?
https://www.theinertia.com/opinion/olympic-surfing-championship-tour-bur...
A lot of pro surfers have said that being in the WSL washing machine is a lot more stressful than it might appear on the outside. It’s not just swanning about and doing the occasional very intense 30 minute heat. They talk about how you have to be single-minded and selfish all day every day. Every day of the year you are working on your surfing and fitness and health, trying to get better. Obviously, some temperaments handle it better than others, but years on the tour can be a real grind on the psyche for many.
When pros retire and are asked what they are going to do now, they often say they are particularly looking forward to being able to surf a variety of boards.
That’s pretty telling, There have been no fun board sessions for them. Because, every day, every session has been on a comp board working on their heat performance.
I know that you shouldn’t complain because there is someone worse off than you. But gee whiz, that one person in the world who is allowed to complain must be having a real shocker.
no human is immune to headnoise despite what anyone from the outside thinks how successful their life looks.