HUDAYRIYAT ISLAND, Abu Dhabi, UAE (Sunday, February 16, 2025) — Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) won the inaugural Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, Stop No. 2 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). The reigning World Champion, Simmers, defeated Molly Picklum (AUS), while 2019 World Champion Ferreira claimed victory over Rio Waida (INA). With their wins, Simmers and Ferreira both leave the UAE placed No. 1 in the world.
Enabled by the machinations of the Kelly Slater Wave Company (KWSC) technology, clean three-foot lines of swell reeled through the Surf Abu Dhabi arena. Though small elements of wind came into effect at different points of the day, the mostly neutral canvas provided near equal opportunity for the remaining eight men and eight women to push through the pressure in hopes of claiming the historic wins.
Simmers Back to World No. 1 with Victory in Abu Dhabi
Still only at the start of her third season on Tour, Caity Simmers (USA) appeared in her ninth Final and earned her seventh CT victory. Barely a week ago, the defending World Champion placed runner-up at Stop No. 1 of the 2025 CT season, the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, and already sits with a strong lead in the rankings.
The style and commitment of the 19-year-old’s surfing within the pressured environment of the pool was a sight to behold, reaching a pinnacle in her Semifinal match against Gabriela Bryan (HAW). The contrasting styles of the raw aggression of Bryan and the smooth flow of Simmers pushed the boundaries of performance in the Surf Abu Dhabi basin in completely different ways. Simmers earned the highest single-wave score of the event, a 9.57, after opening the wave with a winding roundhouse cutback that set a completely unique line. But the Final against Molly Picklum (AUS) was where the most tense drama played out.
“I feel like when me and Molly are out there we just laugh at each other. It’s pretty fun,” Simmers said. “The most pressure you’re going to feel is when you’re in a wave pool waiting for your wave, and you know exactly what you need, and you know you’re going to get the opportunity to get it, but you don’t know if you’re actually going to like, it’s pretty much you got to just use skill. It’s not luck, like it usually is where you’re like, ‘Well the ocean could send me this wave.’ It’s like the pool is going to send you this wave and you gotta get the score. And so I think that’s what makes it very special for me.”
In a repeat of their most recent match-up in the Semifinals of the opening event of the season, Simmers and Picklum raised the performance levels. The Australian had a decent opening but left plenty of opportunity after going incomplete on her second wave. As with the rest of her match-ups on Finals Day, Simmers started exceptionally strong and set a high bar. Picklum improved on both of her second waves putting the requirement back on Simmers to do the same. Going for broke, the Californian ripped through a phenomenal right but fell early, leaving it to the very last wave. A completed backhand blitz from Simmers left the two standing in the shallows, waiting for the score that ultimately landed in Simmers’ favor.
“All I can think of is really just how thankful I am, honestly,” Simmers said. “I’m thankful for surfing, for just being able to ride waves. It’s like the funnest thing ever, I really enjoy it. And I’m thankful for Molly because she makes me surf my best, and I feel like we both do that to each other, so that’s always fun. And yeah, I’m thankful for my friends and my family and all the love I got around me.”
Runner-up Finish for Australia’s Picklum After Defeating Fierro and Brooks
Picklum moved through the event with a renewed sense of joy that saw her perform rock solid in every heat, taking strong wins over rookie challengers Erin Brooks (CAN) and Vahine Fierro (FRA) in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively. Having won Stop No. 2 for the past two seasons, the 22-year-old is familiar with having a strong start to her campaign and will head to Portugal as World No. 2.
“Watching everyone rip this way fully to pieces was really special,” Picklum said. “It’s so different to anything I’ve ever seen in my life. I was so happy to have my boyfriend here and just share that moment and really enjoy the food, the karaoke, the people, the vibes.”
Ferreira Claims 10th CT Win, Boosts to No. 1 Ahead of Portugal
Since turning around his 2024 season with a victory at the Tahiti Pro, Italo Ferreira (BRA) has remained a force to be reckoned with. After being in danger of the Mid-season Cut, the 30-year-old placed runner-up to the World Title for the second time by season’s end and is carrying that energy straight into 2025. A Semifinal finish at Pipeline and the victory today see the 2019 World Champion reunited with the Yellow Leaders Jersey after a long absence. Having placed runner-up in the 2023 Surf Ranch Pro, today’s victory in the same KSWC technology felt like a big personal victory for the Brazilian.
“Wow, I was super excited,” Ferreira said. “I woke up today and I was like watching, moving, like, preparing my mind for those runs. In a wave pool it’s always super exciting when I have a wave or have a chance to perform. You’re always going harder and bigger and that’s what I did, you know. I was so glad to have those moments and have all my team behind.”
Ferreira’s 10th CT win seemed inevitable throughout Finals Day. In a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Gold Medal Match, Ferreira, the Gold Medalist, took a dominant Quarterfinal win over Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), the Silver Medalist. Jack Robinson (AUS) brought a stronger challenge in the Semifinals, but Ferreira seemed unflappable, powering through every run with higher and higher scores, building to a 17.37. His speed and attack through the lip earned high numbers on nearly every wave, and it only took his first two waves of four to leave Rio Waida (INA) in an impossible situation in the Final.
Waida Returns to Podium, Inches Towards Top 5
Proclaiming from early in the event that he would appear in the Final, an extremely confident Waida never felt like that statement would be challenged, even when coming up against event standouts, Jackson Bunch (HAW) and Ethan Ewing (AUS). After appearing in his first Final in the last regular-season event of 2024, where he also defeated Ewing in the Semifinals, the 25-year-old Indonesian has now made two Finals out of his three most recent events and is hungrier than ever to claim the first CT victory for his nation. Waida’s result sees him sitting at World No. 6, as he continues to increase his standing on the CT.
“I feel like happy and sad, you know,” Waida said. “Of course I was stoked that I made the Final but at the same time I was like, ‘Damn it, I lost.’ I’m happy the fire is there. I wasn’t satisfied, so I feel like I will go back home and train harder for Portugal. I’m excited and I’m happy to be here. Abu Dhabi is so beautiful and everyone’s welcoming and stuff, so I’m just blessed.”
Fierro and Robinson Shine at Surf Abu Dhabi, Fall Short in Semifinals
Vahine Fierro (FRA) was the first woman to post an excellent score in the event, earning an 8.00 in the Quarterfinals to defeat Caroline Marks (USA). After two match-ups on the CT, the 2017 World Junior Champion, remains undefeated against Marks, the 2023 World Champion. Fierro’s stylish backhand bottom turn into the barrel provided a critical point of difference and allowed for extra depth and time behind the curtain. Combined with a sharp attack to the lip, Fierro, who is primarily known for her forehand barrel expertise in waves of consequence, was able to showcase her broad versatility and was rewarded accordingly.
Over the course of the competition, Jack Robinson (AUS) continued to put past experiences at CT wave pool events in the rearview. The 27-year-old’s last-place finishes in his two Surf Ranch Pro appearances faded further after his Quarterfinal defeat of event standout Yago Dora (BRA). It was the sixth time Dora and Robinson had met head-to-head in the past two years, many of those critical heats for one or the other. The Australian furthered his lead in a rivalry heightened by the fact that Dora’s father, Leandro, is Robinson’s coach.
For highlights from Finals Day at the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Final Results:
1 – Caitlin Simmers (USA) 16.10
2 – Molly Picklum (AUS) 15.70
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men’s Final Results:
1 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.27
2 – Rio Waida (INA) 14.50
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS) 13.77 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 10.53
HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 15.14 DEF. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 14.53
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Rio Waida (INA) 15.93 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.70
HEAT 2: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 17.37 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 15.03
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS) 14.50 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.03
HEAT 2: Vahine Fierro (FRA) 14.27 DEF. Caroline Marks (USA) 10.73
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 14.73 DEF. Bella Kenworthy (USA) 11.73
HEAT 4: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 12.34 DEF. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 11.54
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 14.50 DEF. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.20
HEAT 2: Rio Waida (INA) 14.90 DEF. Jackson Bunch (HAW) 11.67
HEAT 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 16.80 DEF. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.30
HEAT 4: Jack Robinson (AUS) 13.83 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 13.20
Up Next: MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero
The next stop on the 2025 WSL Championship Tour will be the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero. The event will hold a competition window from March 15 – 15, 2025, and 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 Watch, Surfline, True Surf, Flexfit, Vissla, and GWM.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
