Photo: Cait Miers // WSL
Today was unlike any other at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro. For one thing, competition moved from the Margaret River Main Break to the slab known as The Box for the first time since 2019. For another, there was some pretty standout surfing on display.
One of the biggest moments came from Griffin Colapinto in the round of 16. The San Clemente native handily won his heat against Australian Mikey McDonagh, no small thanks to one insane barrel he almost didn’t make it out of.
When the moment went down, Griffin was already well ahead. A 7.00 ride right out the gate, bolstered by a 5.83, dwarfed McDonagh’s 1.93 total. However, the wave that came in with just over eight minutes to go certainly slammed the door shut behind him – an air drop into a preposterously deep barrel that seemed all but impossible to emerge from…until he did, arm held aloft.
The WSL’s dip into slab surfing proved short-lived, however, as competition returned back to main break to finish the round and lock in the quarterfinals. Not before Barron Mamiya put on an absolute clinic as well. Luckily we still have all the footage to prove it happened. Check out the full clip below.
