Is There a Silver Lining?

SIESTA OVER: The world tour goes to Mexico after a break for 15 years. Photo WSL / Rowland

The new format of the WSL takes the tour into the Rip Curl WSL Finals in September, when the top five surfers in the men's and women's divisions will fight it out for the world title in a single-day event using a surf-off format at the cobblestone point of Lower Trestles near San Clemente, California.

The third leg of the Championship Tour will now include a stop in Mexico for the first time in 15 years, while the women will surf Teahupo'o alongside the men for the first time since 2006.

WSL CEO Erik Logan found some positives in the change: “We’re really proud that we’ve been able to schedule a truly global tour for 2021.”

“We kicked off the season in Hawaii and we’ve just wrapped up an incredible four-event leg in Australia. The surfers are now headed to California for the sixth stop, the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe, following which, the Olympic qualifiers will travel to Tokyo.”

CROUCHING KELLY: The king knows the Barra de La Cruz barrel well. Photo WSL / Rowland

The dates for the Corona Open Mexico presented by Quiksilver have moved from the original window in July to August 10 to 20 to allow sufficient time for the Olympic qualified surfers and alternates to travel to and from Tokyo and undergo any necessary quarantines. To accommodate this change, the dates for the Outerknown Tahiti Pro have moved back by two days and the Rip Curl WSL Finals will now have a window of September 9 to 17.

The Oi Rio Pro had originally been pushed back from June to August in hopes of safely running the event. The WSL has continued to monitor the situation and made the decision to cancel the event for 2021 out of an abundance of caution for the safety of athletes, staff and the local community. The WSL looks forward to returning to Saquarema with the world’s best surfers in 2022.

The next stop on the CT is the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe, which runs from June 18 - 20 and will be broadcast live on WorldSurfLeague.com. The event marks the last stop on the tour ahead of surfing’s Olympic debut in Tokyo.

SINUSOIDAL MIRAGE: Chopes showing her sublime curves in this moody shot. Photo WSL / Sloane

The third leg of the Championship Tour calendar*

• Jeep Surf Ranch Pro presented by Adobe: Lemoore, California, USA
  June 18 - 20, 2021
• Corona Open Mexico presented by Quiksilver: Barra de La Cruz, Mexico
  August 10 - 20, 2021
• Outerknown Tahiti Pro: Teahupo'o, Tahiti
  August 24 - September 3, 2021
• Rip Curl WSL Finals: Lower Trestles, California, USA
  September 9 - 17, 2021

* All tour stops and dates are subject to change due to applicable COVID-19 related restrictions, including global travel restrictions.

COVID-19
The health and safety of our athletes, staff, and the local community are of the utmost importance and the WSL has a robust set of procedures in place to keep everyone safe. These plans are unique to each Tour stop and include measures like testing for athletes and essential staff, masks and strict physical distancing measures, temperature checks, and minimal personnel on-site.