The WSL has announced some major shake ups to its 2025 CT schedule which will no doubt be a crowd pleaser amongst the world’s best surfers and surf fans around the globe. The iconic right hand walls of both Snapper Rocks and J Bay make a return to the big league, while the world’s best will also compete at the new wave pool in Abu Dhabi. Trestles has been added to the regular season and the final five format will be held at Cloudbreak in Fiji.
The regular season will feature 11 events, two more than in 2024, and will begin at Pipeline on 27 Jan. The tour then heads straight to the salt water wave pool in Abu Dhabi, that is powered by the Kelly Slater Wave Company. This is where the desert combines with the wealth of the Middle East – quite the contrast to the small town vibe of Lemoore where the WSL previously held a wave pool event.
This means that Sunset has now been given the boot. Given the raw and unpredictable nature of Sunset, I doubt there will be too many qualms about its omission.
The tour heads to Peniche in Portugal in March before visiting El Salvador in April, which now falls before the mid season cut line, in comparison to last season when the event at Punta Roca was held in June.
Bells will kick off the Australian leg on 18 April before Snapper returns at the start of May, after a five year hiatus. Margaret River will once again be the last event before the dreaded mid-season cut. However, in the 2025 season there is now a total of seven events before a crew are sent back to the Challenger, giving newcomers on tour a greater chance of proving themselves.
The high performance walls of Trestles, that played host to John John’s third world title and the beginning of what is sure to be a long reign at the top for Gen-Z enigma Caity Simmers, kicks off the back end of the season on 9 June.
After Brazil, Jeffreys Bay, often dubbed a favourite on tour by many elite competitors, returns to the CT. Teahupo’o will then be the last stop of the regular season to determine the WSL final five. This could bring some dramatic action and see surfers huck themselves over the ledge at one of the heaviest waves in the world, to try and secure a place in the final five.
World Champions will then be crowned at Cloudbreak from 27 August as the WSL moves its finals day format away from California for the first time since its introduction in 2021.
