Cleland in El Salvador. Photo: Oscar Jimenez//WSL
The World Surf League released a statement over the weekend announcing the indefinite suspension of one of its Championship Tour surfers due to allegations of “a deeply serious nature.” Oddly, the WSL failed to name the surfer in question. However, several outlets, including Nick Carroll with Surfing World, reported that the unnamed athlete is Al Cleland Jr., a Mexican surfer currently sitting at 24th in the world, two spots out of re-qualification.
“The World Surf League confirms that a competitor on the 2026 Men’s Championship Tour has been suspended after the WSL was recently made aware of allegations of a deeply serious nature involving the competitor,” reads the League’s statement. “The allegations involve conduct in relation to a private gathering in Tahiti in August. The gathering was not affiliated with the WSL. All WSL competitors are bound by the conduct standards outlined in the WSL Rule Book, at all times. After being informed of the allegations, the WSL Discipline Committee took prompt action and issued a provisional suspension to the competitor from all WSL events.”
The Surfing World reporting says the incident allegedly involved “a teenaged Australian female surfer and at least three men.” Vaimiti Teiefitu, a Tahitian longboarder and photographer also referenced the incident in her stories on Instagram. “Recently, something extremely disturbing happened here in Teahupo’o, involving a young girl, ” she wrote. “I’m still waiting to learn more about the situation, but what I’ve heard is deeply concerning, especially knowing that the three people reportedly involved are known in the community.”
Teiefitu’s Instagram statement references photographers and does not name Cleland. “To the people involved: I know you’re watching these stories,” she said. “We work in the same place, in the water, photographing the waves. The fact I’m not sharing names yet doesn’t mean I never will. This is a very serious story, and while I have no doubt that it is real, I’m waiting for more precise information and documented facts before naming anyone publicly…..This story hits especially close to home. I’ve spent time in the water with you, as a woman, and often the only woman out there, photographing the waves.”
The incident is still clearly under investigation and Cleland has not been convicted of a crime. As of this writing, charges have not been filed with local police. We reached out to both Cleland and the WSL for response but have yet to hear back. Cleland, who has excelled during his time on tour at heavier waves, missed the post-season cut by two spots and wouldn’t have competed in Portugal or the Philippines anyway. If Cleland is in fact the unnamed Championship Tour surfer who was suspended, unless he’s reinstated before Pipeline in December, his re-qualification status is in doubt.
