MARGARET RIVER, Western Australia, Australia (Sunday, April 19, 2026) – The action recommenced today at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro, Stop No. 2 of the 2026 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). Blustery, onshore conditions greeted the world’s best for the second day of competition, with the completion of women’s Round Two and men’s Round Three seeing the Quarterfinalists decided in bumpy four-to-six foot surf at Main Break.
With a strong weather front expected to lash the South West of WA over the coming days, the event will be put on standby for the next two days, Monday, April 20 and Tuesday, April 21, with the next call to resume competition coming before the morning of Wednesday, April 22.
Picklum Leads the Way as World Champions Advance to Quarterfinals
The four women’s World Champions left in the draw set the standard for Round Two, with Molly Picklum (AUS), Caroline Marks (USA), Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Carissa Moore (HAW) all claiming heat wins.
The reigning World Champion, Picklum’s, combined two-wave total of 15.50 (out of a possible 10) was the highest of the event for the women, and included the first excellent score for the division, an 8.50 (out of a possible 10). Having not matched up against Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) head-to-head on the CT prior to 2026, Picklum defeated the Australian veteran in the same round for the second event in a row. Picklum opened strong with a 7.00, earned largely from a driving carve on the right, before looking to the left. The 23-year-old delivered a powerful two-turn combo from her backhand vertical attack against big sections to leave Fitzgibbons in a combination situation for much of the heat.
“Out there, it’s a bit of a victory at sea, and then you get a section, and you commit to it,” Picklum said. “I just got asked about my claim. You let it all out because it feels the best, and you’re smacking lips and putting everything in there, each section and each moment, it’s like the magical moments. A lot of things are clicking in at the moment, and some of them are uncontrollable. So when those things are happening for you, you’re just loving it and taking the ride. I’m just rolling with it. I’ll take it for sure. Let’s see if it keeps going my way.”
The first surfer of the day to open up the scale was Caroline Marks (USA), who was able to find clean sections on the right to drive into from her deep bottom turns. An early 5.77 met an additional 6.50 after the 2023 World Champion delivered the single most critical turn of the heat to earn its high point and eliminate CT Rookie Francisca Veselko (POR). Marks was happy to earn her first heat win of the season and move into the Quarterfinals.
“I feel like Bells, I didn’t even surf. I feel like I finally got some opportunities to open up [today] and so I was really stoked on that,” Marks said. “It’s super tricky out there. It’s not really defined, Margaret’s; it’s kind of all over the place, and you also get washed in a lot, so a lot of cat-and-mouse. I’m stoked I found a few. I was trying not to overthink it and just ride a bunch of waves. I’m glad it worked out. I’ve been having some great free-surfs, so hopefully the next heat I can just keep opening up more.”
Moore and Simmers Set for Blockbuster Quarterfinal
Carissa Moore (HAW) and Caitlin Simmers (USA) will meet in the Quarterfinals after the pair won their respective heats. The five-time World Champion and 2024 World Champion will go head-to-head for just the second time in their careers, with Moore yet to defeat Simmers. The defending Western Australia Margaret River Pro runner-up, Simmers, posted a pair of rides in the 5-point range thanks to smooth surfing punctuated by perfectly-timed laybacks in the lumpy swell to defeat Vahine Fierro (FRA).
“I just want to surf,” Simmers said. “I feel like the last event, I didn’t really get to surf that much. So this event, I was like, there are so many waves out there, and it’s not really defined as good ones. You kind of just have to go and hope it has an end section to get a 5. That’s what you try to do, just do as well as you can with what you’ve got. That goes beyond surfing or waves or anything, but I think just for today, I’m glad to do a couple of laybacks. I wish I could get above a five. I still haven’t got above a five this year, so I’m kind of pissed about that. But next heat, next heat.”
Carissa Moore (HAW) had the trickiest road to victory, taking out a low-scoring heat against fellow former event winner Isabella Nichols (AUS). A rematch of their exciting battle in the same round at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, which Nichols won, today proved to be the opposite. The Hawaiian scraped through ahead of the Australian, with a last-second score from Nichols coming in just under the required number.
“I don’t think Bella [Isabella Nichols] or I would like to put on performances like that too often,” Moore said. “I’m luckily on the other side of the whole thing, and I made it through, but I was this close to walking up the beach and not smiling. So I’m just grateful it worked out, and Margaret River was on my side today. I’m just really enjoying this place. It’s one of my favourite places in the whole world. I’m a huge fan of Caity [Simmers’] surfing and her as a person. Getting to sit back and watch as a fan the last two years has been really cool. She’s a world champ, and she’s someone who is really inspiring me and pushing me. I feel super honoured and fortunate to get to put a jersey on with her again.”
Crosby Evens the Score Against Griffin as Colapinto Brothers Meet Again
The Colapinto Brothers (USA) met head-to-head on the CT for the second time in their careers in Heat 3 of Round Three. This time, the younger brother, Crosby, evened the score against his older brother, Griffin, who claimed victory in their first matchup at Bells Beach in 2024. A quick start for both surfers saw Griffin get the better of the first exchange, thanks to a bigger wave featuring more critical turns, earning a 7.83 to a 6.00 from Crosby. Maintaining the lead for the majority of the heat, Griffin stayed busy, catching double the amount of waves as Crosby, but Crosby’s patience paid off. The final exchange saw Crosby drive hard through a vicious end section hit to earn a 7.17 and steal the win by just 0.24.
“It’s such a crazy one because I believe I’m standing here right now today and on this Tour and competing here, with all my mindset and things, all that because of Griffin [Colapinto].” Crosby Colapinto said. “He’s my older brother, he’s my biggest role model, he’s my biggest fan, every time, he’s always my biggest supporter, always there for me. Even at Bells, he was the first person I came to on the stairs, and we broke it down. Going into that heat was such a funny feeling because today we were going like, well, someone loses today, when we both want to go on and meet up in the Finals. But that’s just what it is and what it came down to. He got me in Bells, I got him here, so now it’s 1-1.”
Medina Rains on Robinson’s Parade at Main Break
A battle between two former winners went the way of three-time World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA), who moved into his second Finals Day in a row after his defeat of Jack Robinson (AUS). Competing in their first head-to-head heat on Robinson’s home turf, Medina, the 2023 event winner, was able to find more critical backhand hits in the shifting lineup and take the lead in a locked head-to-head history after six previous matchups. The second early loss in a row in events he has previously won marks a major blow for Robinson, while Medina continues to build on a good start in the first event of the season at Bells Beach.
“[Jack Robinson] is one of the best here,” Medina said. “It always feels good to win a heat like this. He’s an amazing surfer and person. I’m a big fan of Jack, and I’m happy with the win. It’s hard when it’s windy like this; it looks like we are snowboarding or something, even the snow is glassier. Hopefully, we’ll have clean conditions so we can put on a good performance. But we’ve got to go through these tough conditions as well. It’s already a good result, but I want to go more.”
Reigning World Champion Yago Dora (BRA) and 2019 World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA) also moved into the Quarterfinals after their defeats of Connor O’Leary (JPN) and Joao Chianca (BRA), respectively. Joined by Samuel Pupo (BRA), it marks the second event in a row that Brazilians make up half of the men’s Quarterfinalists.
Redemption Runs Continue for Pupo and Pittar
Samuel Pupo (BRA) once again posted some of the highest numbers of the round, today earning the only excellent score of the day for the men, an 8.00, in his defeat of Kanoa Igarashi (JPN). Having led for much of the heat that featured searing railwork from both surfers, Pupo allowed Igarashi the chance at a score on the buzzer, which ultimately fell just shy, seeing the Brazilian into his second Finals Day in a row. After making the Top 10 to claim Rookie of the Year in his debut season of 2022, Pupo failed to survive the Mid-season Cut across the ensuing three years, leaving the 25-year-old with mixed emotions in his return to Margaret River. In 2026, however, Pupo is experiencing the best start to a season yet as he looks to improve on his current rankings position at No. 5.
“It was always gonna be a tough one, on paper it was already a big heat,” Pupo said. “Kanoa [Igarashi] is such an amazing surfer. Both mistakes I made really showed how good he is at reading the waves and how focused he is. He looked at the waves that I didn’t look at, and he got big scores. That shows a few things that I should be improving on to get better in the future. It’s a good feeling to be here without all that stress and that pressure that everyone was having all these years. To be here and turn that around is a big deal for me mentally to get me stronger for bigger matches and bigger heats.”
A back-and-forth battle between George Pittar (AUS) and Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) went right down to the wire. With scores arriving after the buzzer from a late exchange, the lead flipped from Pittar to Fioravanti and back again, after a huge end section hit from Pittar earned a 7.33, the highest number of the heat. Having fallen off Tour at the Mid-season Cut at Margaret River in 2025, the 23-year-old CT sophomore from Sydney’s Northern Beaches has come out of the gates firing in 2026, with big wins over Ethan Ewing (AUS) and Filipe Toledo (BRA) already under his belt across the opening two events of the season.
“Last year I shied away when there were those moments where I was really on the back foot,” Pittar said. “That’s something I was working a lot on last year after the Tour, and then coming into this year as well. To be at this level, you need to be able to be clutch in those moments. It’s definitely been something that when I get in that stage where I’m really on the back foot, I’m like, alright, this is it, this is what I’ve been working for. I had it with Filipe [Toledo], and I had it then as well, so I’m frothing. I just love this place, to be honest. Everything about the West is so sick, it’s so raw. I’ve just been having a really good time. My biggest goal for this year was to win a CT, so yeah, we’ll see.”
Ewing turned his season around in the final heat of the day with a win over current World No. 1 Miguel Pupo (BRA). The result delivered mixed fates for the Yellow Leaders Jersey holders, Pupo and Gabriela Bryan (HAW), after Bryan claimed victory in the day’s opening matchup. The back-to-back Western Australia Margaret River Pro winner, Bryan, will continue her charge towards a third straight victory in Margaret River as she looks to extend her rankings lead even further.
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Women’s Round Two Results
HEAT 1: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 9.67 DEF. Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 8.44
HEAT 2: Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 9.60 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 7.60
HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA) 12.27 DEF. Francisca Veselko (POR) 10.17
HEAT 4: Lakey Peterson (USA) 10.10 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 8.34
HEAT 5: Molly Picklum (AUS) 15.50 DEF. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 9.30
HEAT 6: Luana Silva (BRA) 10.97 DEF. Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 10.07
HEAT 7: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 11.40 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 7.40
HEAT 8: Carissa Moore (HAW) 9.16 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 8.47
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Round Three Results
HEAT 1: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 14.00 DEF. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.80
HEAT 2: Joel Vaughan (AUS) 9.33 DEF. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 6.34
HEAT 3: Crosby Colapinto (USA) 13.67 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 13.43
HEAT 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 11.90 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 10.63
HEAT 5: Yago Dora (BRA) 10.34 DEF. Connor O’Leary (JPN) 7.03
HEAT 6: George Pittar (AUS) 13.53 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 12.46
HEAT 7: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 13.40 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 12.80
HEAT 8: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 11.40 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 10.73
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups
HEAT 1: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sawyer Lindblad (USA)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA)
HEAT 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Luana Silva (BRA)
HEAT 4: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW)
Western Australia Margaret River Pro Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups
HEAT 1: Samuel Pupo (BRA) vs. Joel Vaughan (AUS)
HEAT 2: Crosby Colapinto (USA) vs. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
HEAT 3: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. George Pittar (AUS)
HEAT 4: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Ethan Ewing (AUS)
The Western Australia Margaret River Pro will run at Main Break Margaret River from April 16 – 26, 2026. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Western Australia Margaret River Pro is proudly supported by Tourism Western Australia, Shire of Augusta Margaret River, I-SEA, Red Bull, Surfline, True Surf, YETI, Florence Marine X, Surfboard Empire, Hydralyte, Bonsoy, Boost Mobile, Stone & Wood, Bioglan, Bond University, Fatboy Bikes, GWM, YETI, eero, Relationships Australia, Spudshed.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfing. The WSL oversees surfing’s global competitive landscape and sets the standard for elite performance in the most dynamic playing field in all of sports. With a firm commitment to its values, the WSL prioritizes the protection of the ocean, equality, and the sport’s rich heritage, while championing progression and innovation. For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Image Credit: WSL / Hannah Anderson
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