Could Southern California get another hurricane swell before the Trestles Pro window ends? Photo: Pat Nolan//WS:
For many surfers on the Championship Tour, the Trestles Pro will determine the fate of their seasons. As the title race heats up among the rankings leaders, a parallel battle will be playing out to remain on the tour. After Trestles, the new “postseason” format comes into play. The bottom two results will be dropped, and the top 22 men and 14 women will continue to compete at Supertubos and Cloud 9.
After getting pounded by relentless Southern Hemisphere swells and hurricanes, the Pacific Ocean looks to be taking a relative breather when the event window opens. By no means will Trestles go flat, but there are no substantial swells on the radar, and pesky south winds could persist for days at a time. There is a bit of hope: The National Hurricane Center says there’s an 80 percent chance a tropical system forms off Mexico in the next seven days.
Here are five Trestles Pro heats to mark on your calendar when the event runs from September 11-20.
Caity Simmers versus the winner of Bella Kenworthy and Bettylou Sakura Johnson
After missing the Fiji Pro with an undisclosed injury, Caity Simmers is back in the heat draw for the Trestles Pro. While the injury that resulted in an early exit in Tahiti and an empty result at Cloudbreak was a setback, she’s not out of the running for a title. Remember, surfers get to drop their worst three results to determine the champion.
Simmers, who won her first world title at Trestles in 2024, will take on the winner of Bella Kenworthy and Bettylou Sakura Johnson. If Simmers is feeling any lingering pain, it won’t be an easy heat win. Sakura Johnson won the event last year with a nine-point ride in the final, and Bella Kenworthy, a San Clemente local, knows the ins and outs of Lowers as well as anyone.
Caity Simmers is back after sitting out of Fiji. Photo: Hannah Anderson//WSL
Filipe Toledo versus Liam O’Brien
Seeing Filipe Toledo at number 21 on the men’s ranking looks like a typo. After solid results on the Gold Coast and at Raglan, the two-time world champ has rallied off four clankers in a row. Another one of those and he could easily fall below the postseason top-22 qualification line.
If there is any venue to get Toledo out of a slump, it’s Trestles — the wave he called home for 11 years and where he won his world titles. But his opponent, Liam O’Brien, is no slouch. The 27-year-old Australian is performing sneakily well this year, ranked number 12 on the tour. It’ll be his first time competing at Trestles, so he’ll have to figure out a way to trump Toledo’s superior experience at the break.
The Trestles Pro will be Filipe Toledo’s homecoming. Photo: Aaron Hughes//WSL
Sawyer Lindblad versus the winner of Vahine Fierro and Anat Lelior
If you aren’t taking Sawyer Lindblad’s title run seriously, it might be time to reassess. The San Clemente local is ranked third overall after eight events, with the ninth taking place at her home break. Trestles is the perfect launching pad for the three-year tour veteran to set herself up for a run at the title. It should help her to have the support of her brother, Taj, who got the men’s wildcard.
She’ll face a fellow goofyfooter in her round two heat, either Vahine Fierro or Anat Lelior. Neither has competed at Trestles before, and both are in need of a good result to climb above the postseason cut line. For Lindblad, it’s a heat with title implications. For Fierro and Lelior, it’s about staying on tour.
Griffin Colapinto versus Rio Waida
It’s been a down year for Griffin Colapinto. While most surfers would be ecstatic with sixth in the rankings, Colapinto is used to being in the midst of a title race this late in the season. The South Pacific leg was a boost, earning third- and second-place finishes to remain relevant. He’ll need another result to really assert himself as a contender, and, just as with Lindblad, his home wave of Trestles should give him a leg up to make it happen.
Historically, Colapinto has had Waida’s number. He’s beaten the Indonesian in each of the four times they matched up. But Waida knows how to surf performance right-handers (see: Keramas) and has the repertoire to excel at a wave like Lowers. He won’t go down easily.
Yago Dora versus the winner of Joel Vaughan and Oscar Berry
Yago Dora has been consistently reminding everyone this year that he’s the defending world champion for a reason: he performs in any type of surf. He’s also the reigning champ at Trestles. Heading into the final four events, he’s looking to follow in the footsteps of Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira as the only Brazilians to win multiple world titles.
He’ll start his campaign off against Joel Vaughan or Oscar Berry. Berry still hasn’t passed a heat this season. (Surely everyone is rooting for the guy by now.) Vaughan, on the other hand, has shown that he can be deadly at Trestles. Last year, he scored two excellent-range rides in the round of 16 to take down Italo Ferreira. And he has the aerial arsenal to make Dora nervous.
