Surfing
All the top Griffin Colapinto career moments, from breakout competitions to his steady ascent in the international surf rankings.
Surfing may seem like the ultimate individual sport — it’s just you and your board, trying to conquer the next wave. However, Red Bull surfer Griffin Colapinto doesn’t see it that way. As the young surfer to watch said, the waves are no fun without a crowd to cheer you on.
"It's more fun to do it for other people," he says. "If you're just doing it for yourself it'd be an empty feeling at the end, but if you're giving everyone this awesome experience and excitement along the journey then it feels good for you too."
Colapinto has already had plenty of excitement throughout his career journey, and all signs suggest he’s still got plenty of thrills ahead. Read on to learn all about the top Griffin Colapinto career moments, from breakout competitions to his steady ascent in the international surf rankings.
01
The beginnings of Griffin Colapinto’s junior surf career
Colapinto grew up in the California coastal town of San Clemente, where he surfed his first wave at the age of 3. His passion for surfing wasn’t ignited immediately, but a good old-fashioned sibling rivalry would change that soon enough. Colapinto explained in an interview that seeing his younger brother on a board motivated him to get back in the water.
“I saw my brother getting really into it,” he says. “Crosby is out there? I gotta get out there, too.”
By 2011, the then-13-year-old surfer felt confident enough to enter the junior competitive circuit. In 2015, he snatched his first big win, placing first at the 2011 Junior Men’s U.S. Open of Surfing. His big moment in the spotlight, though, was just on the horizon.
In 2016, Colapinto earned a spot at the Hawaiian Pro, an event in the prestigious Triple Crown of Surfing. As he neared the end of his Qualifying Series heat, he landed a stunning air reverse, flying off the crest of his final wave. The hail-mary move went viral, and Colapinto went from a relatively unknown junior surfer to a rising star almost instantly.
02
World Surf League Championship Tour qualification and debut
2017: Triple Crown victory and qualifying series
One year after Colapinto first caught the junior surfing world’s attention, he returned to Hawaii for another career-defining moment. This time, he would conquer all three Triple Crown events, coming in first overall and ranking top in the Qualifying Series. The then-18-year-old surfer earned an invitation to compete in his first World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour the following year.
2018: Triple barrel at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Colapinto’s first WSL Championship Tour took him all over the world, from the Quiksilver Pro France to the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal. His best moment came at the tour’s start, though, at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast. He ended up on a wave with three barrels — a rarity for even the most seasoned surfers. Riding through three hollowed-out waves is no easy feat, but he handled all of them flawlessly. The triple barrel execution earned him a perfect 10 score and third place for the overall event.
03
Championship Tour victories
2022 highlights: Representing his country
Since his triple barrel success, Colapinto has been on the Championship Tour every year. Some of his biggest WSL standouts during this period have occurred in international waters. Four years after his 2018 MEO Pro Portugal debut, he rode his way to first place at the 2022 event, beating out John John Florence.
Colapinto’s Portugal win came after some setbacks in the North Shore of Oahu, where he experienced a disappointing start to the season. He told Red Bull that Portugal was a testament to how determined he was to learn from his errors.
“Those mistakes that I made in my heats last year are pretty much imprinted in my brain now,” he says. “That's a good thing, I learned a lot. … I told myself in Portugal: I’m not making those mistakes ever again, and all my decision-making during the contest felt really good.”
That same year, Colapinto blew the competition out of the water at the Surf City El Salvador Pro. Both first-place victories pushed him into the top 10 global surf rankings. By the end of 2022, he held the title of seventh-best surfer on the planet.
2023: Homecoming success
While Colapinto has celebrated significant wins abroad, one of his best years thus far included some incredible victories in his home state. He gave one of the best performances of his career at the Surf Ranch Pro, at surf icon Kelly Slater’s man-made complex in Lemoore, California. Colapinto’s first-place win against Brazilian surfer Italo Ferriera helped him end the WSL Championship Tour season in second place.
Colapinto’s success also qualified him for the 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals in his hometown of San Clemente. Although he ultimately didn’t win at the Lower Trestles, he still finished within the highly coveted final five, placing third.
04
Injury comebacks
Colapinto’s 2023 victories are outstanding enough on their own. But when you learn that the surfer was also battling a hip injury for most of the year, his wins seem downright miraculous.
Colapinto tore his labrum, likely mid-season 2023 in Western Australia. He surfed through what he thought was a pinched muscle all season before finally getting a doctor’s advice. An MRI revealed that it was indeed a tear, and Colapinto underwent surgery in October 2023. He’s been healing up ever since, and if his Instagram post revealing his injury is any indication, he’s eager for more triumphs in 2024.
“I’ll start a new journey to hopefully come back better than ever,” Colapinto wrote, “and ready to compete at Pipeline with my brothers in 2024!”
05
Training and signature style
Colapinto’s career has been defined by pulling off some of the most difficult and rare moves in existence. Much of his surfing style has come from watching his heroes and trying to follow in their footsteps.
“I watch footage of my favorite surfers, like Andy Irons, Dane Reynolds, Joel Parkinson and Kelly Slater,” Colapinto told Red Bull. “I find what I like in everyone’s style and pick one thing that I want to have. It’s cool, because I can try all these different lines. I’ll watch Andy before I go surf, then try to draw some of the lines he draws. Sometimes, someone’s line suits my personality and I connect with it. Then I just try to make my own formula.”
Some may describe Colapinto’s approach in the water as aggressive, but his no-holds-barred attitude comes from a very zen place. One of the most important aspects of his training regimen is making time to meditate.
“I feel like surfing is the most spiritual sport, because the ocean controls your destiny, and you have to accept that,” he told Red Bull. “Everyone feels pressure and has bad moments in heats. You have to be able to accept them and move on. I have a breathing technique I do before I paddle out that helps me focus. Meditating helps me take a step back and get a different perspective.”
Griffin Colapinto continues to make waves
Whether he’s battling it out for an international title or practicing on his home turf, Colapinto treats every wave as a learning opportunity. He may have ended 2023 on the mend, but as an athlete who always bounces back, nothing can impede his determination. Colapinto remains one to watch in the surfing world, from the Championship Tour tides to the biggest waves on the world stage.
