SUNSET BEACH, Oahu, Hawaii, USA (Sunday, February 11, 2024) - The momentum will continue for the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) with Stop No. 2 right around the corner. While the venue may change, the focus remains on the proving grounds of surfing, the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, where the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach opens tomorrow, Monday, February 12, and holds a competition window through Thursday, February 22, 2024.
Sunset Beach has played a large role in competitive surfing throughout the sport's history. Entering the third season of its current iteration as a combined men's and women's CT, the iconic location will once again determine the fates of the world's best surfers. Many big names fell early in the draw at the Lexus Pipe Pro and will need to start gaining ground at Sunset Beach to avoid falling victim to the Mid-Season Cut.
Caitlin Simmers (USA) and Barron Mamiya (HAW) currently sit atop the rankings after claiming victory at the Lexus Pipe Pro. Right behind them in No. 2 are Molly Picklum (AUS) and John John Florence (HAW), who placed runners-up in the first event of the season.
Next Challenge: The Power and Scale of Sunset Beach
Situated just a stone's throw from the season's opener at Pipe, Sunset Beach offers a completely different challenge for the world's best surfers. As a deep-water reef break, Sunset both delivers and requires power. Big take-offs, large carves, and the occasional barrel define high-scoring rides in the infamous lineup. Featuring one of the largest playing fields in surfing, it is a location that rewards experience.
Last year's Hurley Pro Sunset Beach victory was the very first CT event win for Molly Picklum (AUS), and the 21-year-old's powerful open-face carves will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with yet again as she attempts to go one better than her runner-up finish at this week's Lexus Pipe Pro. Two other notable names to look out for are Brisa Hennessy (CRC) and two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS), both of whom have previously found success in Sunset's large walls.
Entering the draw in the yellow jersey, Barron Mamiya (HAW) will bring the sharp forehand attack that earned him a CT event win in the 2022 Hurley Pro Sunset Beach as a wildcard. Born and raised right here on the North Shore, Mamiya backed up that inaugural victory this week at Pipeline, rising to claim the coveted Lexus Pipe Pro trophy, and he'll be looking to continue that winning feeling at home.
Event Wildcards and Injury Replacements Pose Threat The event wildcards have been announced and each will go to Hawaiian surfers. Oahu's Zoe McDougall (HAW) and Keanu Asing (HAW), along with Maui's Kai Lenny (HAW), will enter the event with a wealth of knowledge garnered from the lineup at Sunset.
McDougall, the highest-ranked Challenger Series surfer from the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui region, will enter her third CT, hoping to progress further than her Round of 16 finish in 2023. The 24-year-old will undoubtedly draw on the competitive experience gained during her 2017 Sunset Pro Junior win. It will be the second CT for Lenny, the all-around waterman internationally renowned for his big-wave abilities while Asing returns as a former Tour stalwart with a CT event win under his belt.
Additionally, North Shore's Brodi Sale (HAW) will take the place of João Chianca (BRA) while the 2023 World No. 4 continues to recover from injury. Though it will be Sale's very first CT event, it will not be the 2020 Sunset Pro Junior champion's first time in the jersey at Sunset Beach. Asing and Sale both receive their wildcards through their Challenger Series rankings as representatives of the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui region.
As a result of Filipe Toledo (BRA) taking time away from the 2024 season and Carissa Moore (HAW) stepping away from competitive surfing, Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) and Sophie McCulloch (AUS) have the opportunity to surf in each of the remaining events before the Mid-Season Cut.
Boukhiam can draw from his extensive competitive history at Sunset as he continues his rhythm from the Lexus Pipe Pro, while McCulloch's season will begin at the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach. It will be McCulloch's first event at Sunset after she withdrew in 2023 due to injury, but the Australian has proven herself as one to watch on the North Shore thanks to an impressive victory at the 2022 Haleiwa Challenger.
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Women's Opening Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)
HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA), Luana Silva (BRA), Sophie McCulloch (AUS)
HEAT 3: Caroline Marks (USA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Zoe McDougall (HAW)
HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Alyssa Spencer (USA)
HEAT 5: Johanne Defay (FRA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Sawyer Lindblad (USA)
HEAT 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), India Robinson (AUS)
Hurley Pro Sunset Beach Men's Opening Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Connor O'Leary (JPN), Imaikalani deVault (HAW), Kade Matson (USA)
HEAT 2: Jack Robinson (AUS), Crosby Colapinto (USA), Deivid Silva (BRA)
HEAT 3: Barron Mamiya (HAW), Caio Ibelli (BRA), Kelly Slater (USA)
HEAT 4: John John Florence (HAW), Jake Marshall (USA), Keanu Asing (HAW)
HEAT 5: Griffin Colapinto (USA), Seth Moniz (HAW), Brodi Sale (HAW)
HEAT 6: Ethan Ewing (AUS), Rio Waida (INA), Kai Lenny (HAW)
HEAT 7: Yago Dora (BRA), Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Frederico Morais (POR)
HEAT 8: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA), Callum Robson (AUS), Cole Houshmand (USA)
HEAT 9: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Matthew McGillivray (RSA), Eli Hanneman (HAW)
HEAT 10: Ian Gentil (HAW), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Jacob Willcox (AUS)
HEAT 11: Jordy Smith (RSA), Miguel Pupo (BRA), Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 12: Ryan Callinan (AUS), Liam O'Brien (AUS), Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR)
Watch LIVE: Hurley Pro Sunset Beach
The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach is the next stop on the 2024 Championship Tour. The competition window opens on Monday, February 12, and closes on Thursday, February 22, 2024. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the free WSL app, and the WSL's YouTube channel. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL's broadcast partners. For fans watching in the United States, coverage of the competition's Quarterfinals and beyond will continue on WorldSurfLeague.com and ESPN+.
The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach is proudly supported by Hurley, Lexus, 805 Beer, Red Bull, YETI, SHISEIDO, Bonsoy, Cup Noodles, Spectrum Hawaii, Pura Vida, Mananalu Water, Pacifico, True Surf, Eventbrite, Hawaii Tourism, and Cocomo.