Amid allegations of an incident the WSL called “deeply serious’ after the Tahiti Pro in August, former junior world champ Noah Klapp, an ex-girlfriend of Al Cleland Jr. (who was suspended by the WSL after the alleged incident), leveled serious accusations against her ex-boyfriend. And now, she has taken the opportunity to call out the culture she says allowed it to happen.
“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 regarding the incident.
Reporting from Surfing World identified Championship Tour surfer Al Cleland Jr. as the suspended athlete and wrote that the incident involved “a female Australian surfer and at least three men.” No charges have been filed, as of this writing.
Klapp’s original Instagram post details moments she alleges happened during her relationship with Cleland.
“Alan Cleland Jr. abused me throughout most of our relationship,” Klapp wrote in an Instagram post on October 12. “He often pinned me down on the bed, grabbing my wrists with all his strength, he sexually assaulted me many times, he would call me a slut, an attention seeking whore, he would block the door to our room and wouldn’t allow me to leave if he wasn’t done with me, I had ran away from him many times, one vivid memory is him yanking the collar of my sweater to where I could hear it break against my neck and I fell to the ground, where he dragged me back inside to where I could not ask for help… I regret ever meeting him because the damage he caused me is something I’ve been healing within myself for a long time and the things I’ve endured haunt me in my sleep.”
Her post immediately went viral. Cleland Jr. has reportedly been dropped by two of his major sponsors. Cleland and the WSL have not responded to interview requests.
Klapp has now followed up on her original post, calling out “a culture that has allowed harmful behavior to continue for years because people stay silent, look the other way, or protect the reputations of those involved.”
After thanking those who supported her and asking men to stand up for what’s right, she expanded:
“Young girls grow up in this community having their surf idols, old enough to be their dads, sending inappropriate DMs to them or their friends, experiencing unwanted touching, or hearing rumors about what happens at North Shore parties without anyone asking questions,’ she continued. “…Girls should have to learn how to survive a culture that the adults around them should be changing.’
