by SFT | Jun 9, 2025 | Surf News, Surfing South Africa
The Rip Curl GromSearch is approaching, and with the current sardine run situation, as well as some decent swell lines on the forecast, there are a few changes on the go. Here is the latest update, along with news of the St Francis Bay Surfers heading for Durban to compete.
We would like to wish all St Francis Bay surfers the best of luck in the Rip Curl GromSearch event. Also, those competing in the Ethekwini Pro and the various events in Durban. Surfers include Slayde Shooter, Summer Harding, Rylan Jarvis, David Moussouris and others.
What
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban is the third contest in a four-event series held at various locations along our coastline. The first event of the year took place in Cape Town. The second event was held in Port Alfred as part of the Port Alfred Easter Festival. The final event will take place at Seal Point, Cape St. Francis, in September.
Where
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban was scheduled to take place at Scottburgh on the South Coast. It was supported by the Cutty Sark Hotel. However, the recent and ongoing sardine run prompted the contest organisers and sponsors to decide to relocate. Therefore the contest has moved to Durban for safety reasons. The event is now scheduled to take place at Dairy Beach. The forecast looks promising, with potentially good waves spilling over from Thursday into the opening period of the event window on Friday.
When
The Rip Curl GromSearch will kick off early this Friday morning. The contest is scheduled for Friday, 13th, to Sunday, 15th. Still, the event could end early. Further to this, competitors and families are advised to keep an eye on the Surfing South Africa Live Heats app for schedules and any possible changes to the schedule. The sandbanks at Dairy have been fun lately, with fun and highly contestable waves forecast for this event.
Why
The Rip Curl GromSearch series worldwide recognises the U16 division as the premier division in this series, which takes place globally. The U16 Series Winners get invited to surf in the Rip Curl GromSearch Global Finals. Here they compete against the best groms in the world. Additionally, they are housed, coached and tutored by some of the best Rip Curl professional competitors/ Surfers like Stephanie Gilmore and Molly Picklum, as evidenced by the final event in Bali last year.
Who
The top junior surfers in the country will be at this event, in Durban for a chance to win points and prize money. While the Rip Curl GromSerch Durban is part of the 2025 local GromSearch Series, it is not just about the U16 division, though. It comprises U12, U14, U16, and U18 divisions. All divisions will be competing for contest results, prizes, and rankings on the SAST. Further, the Rip Curl GromSearch contests are all premier SAST events. Thus there are 1,000 points awarded to the winners and prize money in line with all premier events.
The top seed for the Premier U16 Boys Division, Kai Stubbs from Scarborough, has had to withdraw from the event at the last minute due to an injury. So, Ben Esterhuyse and Adam Faclier, second and third on the unadjusted ratings, will be competing in the event and could capitalise on this situation.
In the U16 Girls Division, all eyes are on Leah Lepront and Emily Jenkinson, the top two surfers on unadjusted rankings.
The Rip Curl GromSearch Durban contest is a Surfing South Africa tournament supported by Sea Harvest.
Competitors, families and friends can follow live heat tracking on LiveHeats.
Read more: Matt McGillivray Gets Third In Australia – Photo(s) Of The Day
by SFT | Jun 9, 2025 | St Francis, Surf News, World Surf League
Matt McGillivray Gets Third in Newcastlle. The South Africa surfs in Heat 2 of the Quarterfinals at the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest on June 8, 2025 at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. (Photo by Aaron Hughes/World Surf League)
JBay surfers and former Championship Tur competitor Matt McGillivray Gets Third in Newcastle in his first Challenger Series event of the year. It bodes well for his return to the Championship Tour coming up, and a good result in Durban at the ballito Pro should see him back on tour at the elite level
Matt McGillivray Gets Third
NEWCASTLE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA – JUNE 8: Matthew McGillivray of South Africa after surfing in Heat 2 of the Quarterfinals at the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest on JUNE 8, 2025 at Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. (Photo by Hannah Anderson/World Surf League)
More photos here
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Final Results:
1. Jacob Willcox (AUS) 12.30
2. Kauli Vaast (FRA) 11.56
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Final Results:
1. Francisca Veselko (POR) 14.60
2. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.20
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 13.16 DEF. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 8.83
HEAT 2: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 14.60 DEF. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 12.66
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.67 DEF. Teresa Bonvalot (POR) 10.73
HEAT 2: Francisca Veselko (POR) 15.16 DEF. Tya Zebrowski (FRA) 13.06
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 14.50 DEF. Xavier Huxtable (AUS) 12.73
HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 14.33 DEF. Winter Vincent (AUS) 6.50
HEAT 3: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 15.50 DEF. Dimitri Poulos (USA) 3.44
HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 14.43 DEF. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 14.10
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.50 DEF. Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 12.17
HEAT 2: Teresa Bonvalot (POR) 13.10 DEF. Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) 9.26
HEAT 3: Francisca Veselko (POR) 12.17 DEF. Kirra Pinkerton (USA) 6.90
HEAT 4: Tya Zebrowski (FRA) 16.04 DEF. Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 14.34 |
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Next Stop on 2025 Challenger Series
The Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill opens on June 30 and closes on July 6, 2025. |
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by Craig Jarvis | Jun 2, 2025 | Surf News, World Surf League
Image: Tour Manager Travis Logie at Pipe back in the day © WSL/Cestari
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Press Release
LOS ANGELES, Calif., USA (Sunday, June 1, 2025). The World Surf League (WSL) today announced that the Challenger Series Adds Pipeline and Newcastle to 2025-26 Schedule. This will be to help decide the qualifiers for the 2026 Championship Tour (CT). Pipeline will be added to the schedule as the penultimate event. Newcastle will return as the seventh and final event of the season.
With the recently announced changes to the Championship Tour schedule and format, this season’s Challenger Series season will now run from June 2025 to March 2026. The last two events being held at Pipeline in January and Newcastle in March. It will be the first time since 2022 that a wave on the North Shore of O’ahu in Hawai’i has counted for Challenger Series points. Also, the first time since 2020 that Pipeline has contributed to a surfer’s CT qualification.
Pipeline is one of, if not the most, important waves in surfing, playing host to some of the biggest moments in the culture and the sport. Its addition to the Challenger Series schedule will give the next crop of CT surfers a taste of competition at one of the most perfect and intense waves on the planet. This will ensure each batch of qualifiers is being prepared for the intensity of the Tour.
Pipeline and Newcastle
“The WSL is super excited to announce that Pipeline and Newcastle will be the last two stops of the Challenger Series this season,“ said WSL Senior Tour Manager Travis Logie. “Pipeline is the ultimate proving ground and one of the most perfect yet challenging waves on the planet. For the next crop of CT surfers to get the opportunity to compete out there is a huge step forward for the Challenger Series. Not to mention incredibly exciting for our fans to enjoy two major events at Pipe in just a couple of months. To then finish the season and decide our CT qualifiers at the iconic Newcastle SURFEST is amazing. It’s an event with so much surf history. The whole town gets behind it. To see our CS surfers realize their dreams in front of thousands of fans at Merewether will be a huge moment.“
In 2026, the iconic Newcastle SURFEST will celebrate its 40th anniversary. This will cement the event as one of the longest-running professional surfing competitions in the world. Born from one of the most passionate and talent-producing towns in Australian surfing, Newcastle SURFEST has been won by the biggest names in the sport. This includes Kelly Slater, Stephanie Gilmore, Tom Curren, Layne Beachley, Mick Fanning, Frieda Zamba and Mark Occhilupo. With so much history to celebrate, it will be a fitting location to decide the qualifiers for the 2026 Championship Tour.
Pictured: Challenger Series Adds Pipeline and Merewether, which will host the final event of the Challenger Series. It will decide the qualifiers for the 2026 Championship Tour. Credit: WSL
2025-26 WSL Challenger Series Schedule:
- Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia: June 2 – 8, 2025
- Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: June 30 – July 6, 2025
- Huntington Beach, California, USA: July 29 – August 3, 2025 (US Open festival window: July 26 – August 3)
- Ericeira, Portugal: September 29 – October 5, 2025
- Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: October 11 – 19, 2025
- Pipeline, Hawai’i, USA: January 28 – February 8, 2026
- Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia: March 8 – 15, 2026
At the end of the season, the top 10 men and seven women from the Challenger Series Rankings will earn a spot on the 2026 CT. The best five of a possible seven results count towards each competitor’s end-of-season ranking.
Both the Challenger and CT schedules are transitioning into their new looks and seasons. Therefore, as a one-off, for the 2025-26 season, the Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST will count twice in the one season. Merewether will host the opening and closing events of this year’s Challenger Series.
The regional Qualifying Series (QS) will continue as a year-round series in each of the seven WSL regions, with a specific number of surfers from each region graduating from the top of the QS rankings to the Challenger Series each year.
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