…for Opening Days of Waiting Period

• Next Call: Friday October 6th at 7:00 a.m. PDT
• Event Organizers Eye Swell for October 7th and 8th
• Longboard Championship Top 8 Ready To Compete for 2023 Longboard World Titles

MALIBU, California, USA (Tuesday, October 3, 2023) – The Original Sprout Malibu Longboard Championships Presented by Tractor Beverage Co. has been called OFF for October 3 through 6, due to lack of contestable conditions.

Event organizers are tracking a potential swell that could light up First Point Malibu and see competition run on Saturday, October 7, or Sunday, October 8. With a promising forecast later in the waiting period, anticipation is high for the one-day, winner-take-all event that will determine the 2023 World Surf League (WSL) Longboard Champions.

“We’ve been keeping a close eye on swell activity the last few days with our forecast partners at Surfline, and there is promising swell on the forecast,” said Will Hayen-Smith, WSL Senior Manager, Global Development Tours. “The weekend of October 7th and 8th looks to be providing some potential of running competition and crowning our 2023 WSL Longboard Champions. We’re also seeing some potential swell options in the last few days of the waiting period that we’re keeping close tabs on, but there’s a lot of anticipation for what the 7th or 8th could provide.”

The Longboard Championship Top 8 are ready and waiting for their moment to shine at First Point Malibu, one of the world’s premier point break lineups. The iconic wave has crowned the WSL Longboard Champions for the last three seasons. This year’s event will feature a new one-day winner-take-all format, similar to the WSL Finals.

Defending, two-time WSL Longboard Champion Soleil Errico (USA) is back at her home break of Malibu and ready to put on a showcase for her friends and family once more. Errico was able to secure the No. 2 spot heading into Malibu, and she has her intentions set on achieving a third World Title.

“The higher the seed, the better chances you have to succeed, and for me personally, I’d rather have that high seed just to surf less,” said Errico. “It will help your odds that much more, and I’m really looking forward to surfing my home break. I’m riding strictly single-fin boards, and CJ Nelson has taught me so much about single-fin surfing and involvement surfing. It’s been really cool to progress over the years and learn about the history. I’m stoked with my surfing right now.”

Three-time WSL Longboard Champion Taylor Jensen (USA) enters the Original Sprout Malibu Longboard Championships Presented by Tractor Beverage Co. as the No. 3 ranked man. He will have to overcome the winner of Match 2, No. 2 ranked Kai Sallas (HAW), and No.1 ranked Kaniela Stewart (HAW) if he is to earn a historic fourth World Title.

“There’s a huge advantage [having a higher seed], you’re surfing a lot of heats in one day at Malibu,” said Jensen. “If you’re in that bottom part of the rankings, the Top 3 have a major advantage and obviously being first, you see what Filipe (Toledo) does every year. It’s a huge advantage. I haven’t seen anyone get four World Titles in my career span. Nat (Young) did it in the late 80s when he got his fourth, and it’d be cool to do. It’s just a goal I set, it’s kind of a crazy goal, and I’m just here trying to do it.”

Errico and Jensen will have to contend with the likes of current No. 1s Stewart and Kelis Kaleopa’a (HAW) and a hungry field of competitors, including three-time WSL Longboard Champion Honolua Blomfield (HAW), 2015 WSL Longboard Champion, Rachael Tilly, and Philippines rising star Rogelio Jr Esquievel (PHL).

About the WSL
The World Surf League (WSL) is the global home of competitive surfing, crowning the World Champions since 1976 and showcasing the world’s best surfers on the world’s best waves. WSL is comprised of the Tours and Competition division, which oversees and operates more than 180 global competitions each year; Kelly Slater Wave Company (KSWC), home of the world’s largest high-performance, human-made wave; and WSL Studios, an independent producer of unscripted and scripted projects.