HUDAYRIYAT ISLAND, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Monday, February 10, 2025) — The world’s best surfers are en route to the United Arab Emirates for Stop No. 2 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, which will run February 14-16, 2025. A historic week is set to unfold in Abu Dhabi, as this marks the first CT event to be held in the Middle East. Competitors will turn their focus from the heavy, shifting peaks of Pipeline to the long, perfect waves of Surf Abu Dhabi.
Fresh from the famed North Shore of O’ahu, Hawai’i, where Barron Mamiya (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS) claimed heralded victories to start the season sitting on top of the rankings, the consistency of the waves in this event will deliver a totally new challenge to the world’s best. Surf Abu Dhabi, which features the world-leading wave technology from the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), offers competitors perfect 500-meter-long lefts and rights. It will test not only their technical prowess, but also their ability to perform under pressure and on demand.
Mastering the Pressure: The Unique Challenge of Surf Abu Dhabi
The length and pace of the wave, along with the buoyancy of the featured salt water, make Surf Abu Dhabi a truly unique venue, as does its location on Hudayriyat Island, where it is nestled between the desert and the sea. Across four previous CT events held in the KSWC technology in Lemoore, Calif., a handful of surfers have mastered the skills necessary to repeatedly rise to the top. With the added elements lending to increased high-performance surfing, it is yet to be determined if those same precious few retain their control of the contest.
Previous winners in the technology, Lakey Peterson (USA), Filipe Toledo (BRA), Johanne Defay (FRA), and Griffin Colapinto (USA), have each appeared in the final rounds multiple times, as has Olympic Gold Medalist Caroline Marks (USA), who placed runner-up in the event the same year she won her World Title. A strong selection of the current leaders in progressive surfing has also showcased moments of brilliance on their way to big results, including Italo Ferreira (BRA), Caitlin Simmers (USA), Ethan Ewing (AUS), and Yago Dora (BRA).
Nearly one-third of the combined men’s and women’s fields are yet to compete on a man-made wave at the elite CT level. It remains to be seen if the clinical precision of Rookie Erin Brooks (CAN), the mind-blowing speed of 2024 Challenger Series winner Samuel Pupo (BRA), the aggressive attack of 2024 Rookie of the Year Sawyer Lindblad (USA), or the wild unpredictability of Rookie Marco Mignot (FRA) will challenge the status quo.
Event Wildcards and Injury Replacements Announced: Macy Callaghan, Kauli Vaast, Bronson Meydi, and Mateus Herdy To Compete in Surf Abu Dhabi Pro
The 2025 Surf Abu Dhabi Pro will welcome three event wildcards to the UAE, Bronson Meydi (INA), Kauli Vaast (FRA), and Macy Callaghan (AUS).
Kauli Vaast (FRA) won the Gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games with an incredible performance at his home break of Teahupo’o in Tahiti. Vaast has proven himself at the CT level, with his runner-up finish at the Tahiti Pro as a wildcard in 2022. The man-made waves of Surf Abu Dhabi will provide a new challenge for Vaast, who hopes to qualify for a full-time spot on the CT through the Challenger Series.
“This wildcard spot means a lot to me,” Vaast said. “My aim with the Challenger Series this year, more than ever, is to qualify for the CT. It’s where I want to be, and this will taste good. I’ve unfortunately never surfed there before, but I can’t wait to get there and experience it. This technology will be used a lot for contests in the future, and I want to get more experience surfing these waves. I’m so excited for the opportunity.”
Former CT competitor Macy Callaghan (AUS) has had plenty of experience at the elite level and has competed in two events at the Surf Ranch, using KSWC technology. After finishing 2024 strong, with a win at the Corona Saquarema Pro Challenger Series event, Callaghan finished the year just outside of qualification and was the highest-ranked surfer in the APAC region on the Challenger Series.
“I’m super excited to be heading to Abu Dhabi and getting this wildcard opportunity,” Callaghan said. “It will be so fun to catch up with a lot of people I haven’t seen for so long, as well as traveling somewhere new and getting such a unique experience. I have competed at Surf Ranch several times, and it is a different experience and way to compete. There is a lot of pressure, so it will be cool to feel those feelings again. I haven’t competed since I won in Brazil last October, so it will be good to get back in the jersey.”
Less than a month ago, Bronson Meydi (INA) made history, winning Indonesia’s first world surfing title at the WSL World Junior Championships in the Philippines. Meydi’s super fast and exciting brand of surfing is an ideal match for the perfect waves of Surf Abu Dhabi. He will be one to watch when the competition gets underway later this week.
“Getting this wildcard means so much to me,” Meydi said. “This will be my first CT event, so coming up against the world’s best at the wave pool is going to be crazy. I’m excited to see my surfing up against everyone and see if it belongs on the CT. I have surfed in this facility a few times, so I feel like I’ve had some good experiences here and know the wave well. I’m stoked to be going back there. Since this is my first CT event, I’m looking forward to learning a lot, seeing how everyone at that level goes about it, and getting as much experience as I can.”
Two replacement surfers, Ian Gentil (HAW) and Mateus Herdy (BRA), will also make their way to the UAE to fill in for Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Crosby Colapinto (USA), respectively. Medina remains sidelined after surgery for a pectoral injury. The three-time World Champion will reassess his status after Stop No. 3, the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, where the 2025 WSL Replacement Surfer, Gentil, will also take his place.
An elbow injury sustained while training for Stop No. 1 at Pipeline continues to keep Colapinto out of action for Stop No. 2, opening the door for Herdy’s first CT wildcard opportunity since 2022. Herdy, who posted a Perfect 10-point ride during the final event of the 2024 Challenger season, received the spot as the highest-ranked surfer on the Challenger Series not yet in competition and enters Abu Dhabi as a serious threat. Having previously featured as a wildcard four times on the CT, including in the KSWC technology in 2019, the 24-year-old Brazilian has made the Finals Day of his two most recent appearances, peaking with a Semifinal finish in the 2021 Corona Open Mexico.
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Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Qualifying Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Brisa Hennessy (CRC) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Bella Kenworthy (USA)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Luana Silva (BRA)
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS)
HEAT 4: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 5: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
HEAT 6: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men’s Qualifying Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Connor O’Leary (JPN) vs. Edgard Groggia (BRA)
HEAT 2: Barron Mamiya (HAW) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Jackson Bunch (HAW)
HEAT 3: Jack Robinson (AUS) vs. George Pittar (AUS) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW)
HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Mateus Herdy (BRA)
HEAT 5: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) vs. Kauli Vaast (BRA)
HEAT 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Joel Vaughan (AUS) vs. Bronson Meydi (INA)
HEAT 7: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Cole Houshmand (USA) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 8: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA)
HEAT 9: Rio Waida (INA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Ian Gouveia (BRA) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 11: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Alan Cleland (MEX)
HEAT 12: Joao Chianca (BRA) vs. Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) vs. Liam O’Brien (AUS)
Watch LIVE
The Surf Abu Dhabi Pro holds a competition window February 14 -16, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Surf Abu Dhabi Pro is proudly supported by Corona Cero, Modon, Surf Abu Dhabi, YETI, Red Bull, Body Glove, Apple, Surfline, True Surf, Flexfit, Vissla, and GWM.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
