The WSL was faced with a “problem” just a week ago that they’d love to have going into every Championship Tour event. The League knew it would get waves. The only question was whether to bang out the whole 2026 Fiji Pro as soon as the contest window opened or roll the dice on a swell at the end of the window that looked promising, but wasn’t quite a lock.
Contest officials opted to let a few lay days pass throughout the week along with running heats on several shorter days. Tuesday, September 1 was one of those coin flip days when they opted to run the women’s semifinals and put the men’s round three heats and potentially quarterfinals on standby. Well, conditions held up and Cloudbreak delivered a banger of a day.
On the women’s side, Erin Brooks continued a hot streak that could end up being her second Championship Tour win in a row (and third overall). She won at Cloudbreak in 2024 and hadn’t found the same result as a full-time CT surfer until last month’s Tahiti Pro. Taking down Carissa Moore and Vahine Fierro Tuesday was certainly a statement. She’s matched up against Isabella Nichols for Finals Day.
“It feels so good to make another final. I honestly can’t believe it,” Brooks said. “That heat against Carissa [Moore] was so stressful, as she’s been surfing so well this event and had priority at the end, so I’m just so thankful that it went my way. I also just can’t believe I’m in another final. It felt impossible at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, but to get back-to-back finals, wow, I’m just so grateful. I think I’ve proven to myself that I can do it.”
Meanwhile, Kauli Vaast earned the highlight of the day on the men’s side. He delivered the event’s second perfect 10 against Miguel Pupo to set up a heavyweight matchup against Gabriel Medina (Brooks nabbed the other 10).
“I’m super happy because I always dream of having a heat like this with perfect waves,” Vaast said. “The only time I’ve had a taste of this is at home at Teahupo’o in Tahiti. So, being here in this place is amazing, and so are the people. This is my first time in a lineup with big waves, real waves that you can get big barrels and big turns on; it was amazing, this wave is world-class.
