The Tahiti Pro is on. Photo: Beatriz Ryder // WSL
Sometimes you don’t have to wait for good things. It’s only the first day of the contest window for the Tahiti Pro, and the competition already received the green light.
The first rumblings that the competition would run right out the gate came just a day ago, when a Surfline forecast predicted an oncoming swell that was in the “ballpark of last year’s finals day and will likely be a touch larger.” The WSL wasted no time in firing up the hype train, and alerted fans that the competition was likely to start imminently.
The event is the 11th and penultimate stop on the World Surf League’s 2025 Championship Tour, adding competitive drama to the already life or death stakes of attempting to paddle in to a wave like Teahupo’o. The event will decide the Final Five men and women who will battle it out for the world title in Fiji later this month.
Molly Picklum, Gabriela Bryan, and Caity Simmers are essentially locked in for the final five, leaving only two women’s spots available. The men’s competition is a little more of a free-for-all, with only Yago Dora having clinched a spot.
“This is definitely one of my favorite waves on Tour,” Dora said. “It’s so perfect that you know it’s going to give you the barrel of your life if you commit. I’ve always had good results here, but would love to win it for sure. It’s one of those ones that is so important in our sport, so to win here would be special. I’m excited to be in the yellow jersey, and I’m really going to try and keep it before Fiji.”
“I’ve been here for a little while now, so I’m feeling in the groove,” explained Picklum. “It was nice to have some days of smaller, fun surf to get re-acquainted before it went super massive. It looks like we will have more good days coming, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I love how much this wave challenges you and how awesome the reward is if you commit. I am keen to fix any strategic mistakes I’ve made because I know when I’m surfing my best, my opponents will have to surf their absolute best to beat me.”
In the end, there’s only one way to find out who’s going to make it, and it all starts now. Check out the live stream below.
You can watch the event live, here.
