Surfing
The World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour is the pinnacle of professional surfing, showcasing elite athletes across a global stage. If you're eager to catch these incredible competitions live or plan your travel around them, buckle up - here's a breakdown of the 2024 WSL Championship Tour schedule...
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The 2024 WSL Championship Tour schedule
Event
Date
Destination
Jan 29-Feb 10
Banzai Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii
Feb 12-22
Sunset Beach, Oahu, Hawaii
March 6-12
Supertubos, Peniche, Portugal
March 25-April 5
Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia
April 11-21
Margaret River, Australia
May 22-31
Teahupoʻo, Tahiti, French Polynesia
June 6-15
Punta Roca, La Libertad, El Salvador
June 22-30
Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
August 20-29
Cloudbreak, Tavarua, Fiji
September 6-14
Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California, USA
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Event 1: Lexus Pipe Pro – January 29 - February 10, Oahu, Hawaii
Hawaii's Banzai Pipeline, on the notorious North Shore of Oahu, is the most famed and feared wave in the world. The Seven Mile Miracle, as that stretch of coast is referred to, is also known as the Proving Ground, and thanks to its incredible barreling capabilities Pipeline is the jewel in the crown. John John Florence, Jack Robinson and Caity Simmers are a handful of the CT surfers who've tasted success at Pipeline in recent years, while Molly Picklum locked in the first ever female Pipeline perfect 10 on a landmark day for women's surfing at this year's event.
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Event 2: Hurley Pro Sunset Beach – February 12-22, Oahu, Hawaii
Not as death-defying as Pipeline but no less challenging, Sunset Beach is a deep-water right hander that stands tall as it roars towards the beach. One of the few waves Kelly Slater has never tasted victory at, Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum claimed this year's Sunset crowns.
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Event 3: MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal – March 6-12, Peniche, Portugal
Supertubos, also known the Portuguese Pipeline, is one of the world's best beachbreaks, delivering tubes as wide as they are high broadsiding to the tiny fishing town of Peniche. Griffin Colapinto took out the event for a second time this year, while in 2023 both João Chianca and Caity Simmers won their first ever CTs at Supertubos.
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Event 4: Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach – March 26 - April 5, Torquay, Australia
The longest-running surfing competition in the world, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach has been held in the small Australian town of Torquay every Easter since 1962, and the honour roll on the staircase lists every legend of the sport. Mick Fanning, Kelly Slater and Mark Richards have all rung the trophy Bell four times and Carissa Moore thrice, while Gail Couper has taken home an incredible 10 women's trophies!
Italo Ferreira took out his maiden CT win at Bells in 2018, and promptly got a tattoo of a koala and a Bell inked on his bicep. Only time will tell if Caity Simmers does the same after her first Bells win, earlier this year.
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Event 5: Western Australia Margaret River Pro – April 11-21, Margaret River, Australia
"The West is best" has long been said about the waves of the Margaret River region, and local legend Jack Robinson would be the first to confirm, after twice beating John John Florence, the best ever at Margaret River, in the final. Michel Bourez claimed his first ever CT victory at Margaret River in 2015, while Carissa Moore has won the women's event three times.
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Event 6: SHISEIDO Tahiti Pro – May 22-31, Teahupo'o, Tahiti
Teahupo'o, in Tahiti, might just be the most ferocious wave in the world. Won this year by Italo Ferreira, and dominated in competitions past by Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina and John John Florence, "The Wall Of Skulls" serves up the most picture perfect, yet deadly, tubes on the planet. The women's tour rejoined the ranks at the End Of The Road in 2022, and while local standout Vahine Fierro has the wave dialled, Caroline Marks, Caity Simmers and Carissa Moore have all swung hard in recent times.
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Event 7: Surf City El Salvador Pro – June 6-15, La Libertad, El Salvador
A relatively new addition to the Championship Tour, El Salvador's Punta Roca is one of the most rippable rights on the roster. Griffin Colapinto hoisted the trophy at the event's first outing, while Caroline Marks secured back-to-back victories, this year and last, to stamp herself as the Queen Of Central America.
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Event 8: VIVO Rio Pro – June 22-30, Saquarema, Brazil
There is nowhere on quite tour like Saquarema in Brazil, as the No Contest crew detailed beautifully while surfing and hanging with local legends João and Lucas Chianca. The men's honour roll is a largely Brazilian affair, though Caity Simmers and Carissa Moore have both enjoyed recent Rio success.
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Event 9: Corona Fiji Pro – August 20-29, Tavarua, Fiji
The most welcome WSL news in a long time was the announcement that in 2024 the Fiji Pro is back on the Championship Tour calendar for the first time since 2017. The iconic Cloudbreak plays host, a wave that can serve up enormous Pacific tubes, and is as perfect at 2ft as it is at 30. Kelly Slater has won in Fiji on four occasions, while Sally Fitzgibbons is the only multiple female victor in recent times. Yet to compete at Cloudbreak, expect big things from Jack Robinson and João Chianca, who looked incredible on their first Fijian surf trip last year.
The WSL also recently announced that in 2025 the WSL Finals will run at Cloudbreak, which turns recent world title thinking on its head after a four-year run in high performance peaks of Lower Trestles.
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Lexus WSL Finals: September 6-14, San Clemente, USA
Lower Trestles, in San Clemente, California, has long been dubbed "surfing's skatepark" in honour of its perfect peaks: waves that pack enough punch to encourage progressive manoeuvres, but offer little risk should things go awry. Griffin Colapinto and Kolohe Andino are the two local heroes around these parts but Kelly Slater is king, having won at Trestles six times.
Carissa Moore, Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright all won the event in years where they went on to win the world title, foreshadowing the announcement of Lower Trestles as the inaugural home of the WSL Finals, a one day surf-off to determine the world champion.