• Gabriela Bryan and Italo Ferreira Seek to Strengthen Positions Atop Rankings
• The Best of the West Return: Jack Robinson and Bronte Macaulay Lead Strong West Australian Contingent
• One Last Chance to Stay Above the Cut for Veterans and Rookies Alike
• First Call during Dawn Patrol 7am Saturday (18 hours ahead…or 1pm Friday HI time) 17, 2027:00 AM AWST
  

Gabriela Bryan and Italo Ferreira Seek to Strengthen Positions Atop Rankings

The current World No. 1s, Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Italo Ferreira (BRA), have found themselves atop the rankings through very different seasons. For Bryan, the build has been steady, while Ferreira came into the year in a burst of energy that has been slowly filtering out. The Yellow Leader Jersey is familiar territory for Ferreira, but its return to his shoulders this season was more delayed than expected for the 2019 World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, who last season entered Western Australia facing the threat of the Mid-season Cut. Meanwhile, Bryan’s first-ever appearance as World No. 1 was in the previous event, the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro, and she carries it proudly into Western Australia as the defending event winner.

Bryan’s arrival in Western Australia this season is a stark contrast to her previous appearances. The Mid-season Cut has loomed large for the 23-year-old on every prior crossing of the Australian continent, resulting in two of her best performances on Tour. A runner-up finish in 2022 solidified Bryan as Rookie of the Year that season, as the only one of the five fresh faces on Tour to compete in the post-Cut events. In 2023, the Kauaian was sure that her Round of 16 loss would see her relegated back to the Challenger Series, but that wasn’t to be. And when she returned in 2024, Bryan left nothing to chance, taking ownership of the event to claim her first-ever CT win, highlighted by a pod of dolphins joining her for a wave. Back-to-back Finals in 2025, with a win in El Salvador and runner-up finish in Portugal, are largely responsible for Bryan’s current status as she looks to strengthen her dominance of Main Break and further solidify her rankings lead.

“I had kind of a rough go on the Gold Coast, but it’s so good to be back in Margaret River in Western Australia,” said Bryan. “It’s like a breath of fresh air every time I come here. I love it. The waves are going to be good, so I’m excited. Some great memories here, especially with the Mid-season Cut. Every year on Tour so far, I came here under the Cut, and so this year, it’s way different. The first year I had to get second to make the Cut. I got second and then I got my first win here and rode the wave with dolphins. So this place has been good to me and I love it. It’s crazy to think it was a year ago, but it was so memorable. It’s just honestly so exciting that I got my first win here, and we’re back, and I just love the raw energy of this place.”

A difficult Australian leg has seen Ferreira lose early to wildcards at both Bells Beach and the Gold Coast. Margaret River is one of very few events on Tour that the 31-year-old hasn’t found success at, and the only event of the GWM Aussie Treble that he hasn’t previously won. With Yago Dora (BRA) and Jordy Smith (RSA) steadily gaining ground on his previously large lead in the rankings, Ferreira would love to turn that fact around this week.

“Last year was crazy because I almost fell off the Tour, and then right now, I’m No. 1,” said Ferreira. “But, last year after Margaret River, I won two times in Tahiti, and then Rio, and then finishing and second in the world. Everything changed in that moment, and sometimes you just need to reset, and then that’s what I did this year. Western Australia is a really special place. It’s beautiful. The sunrises, the sunsets, and waves are everywhere. This is the best place for the surfers to go to the beach and then surf rights, lefts, barrels, air sections, you can surf everything, whatever you want. That’s what I love to do. In one session, you can do anything, like get barrels, big turns, big airs, and that’s what I love to do, so this place is really good.”

If you ask Jack Robinson (AUS), he’s a back-to-back winner in Western Australia. Having broken through to claim his first victory at home in 2022, injury forced Robinson out of the event in 2023, before he returned to win again in 2024, leaving him undefeated at the location since his rookie season in 2021. The fact that both event wins were over John John Florence (HAW) in the Final is no small feat, as Florence had previously established an impressive reign of dominance himself. After earning his first CT win of the season in dramatic fashion at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Robinson was bundled out of the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro in last place courtesy of two Australian wildcards and now looks to rebound in familiar territory.

“It’s nice to be in my bed and back home,” said Robinson. “I am feeling all the love and support when I get back, it’s really great to be here. This is where it all started for me. John [Florence] is super inspiring. He kind of set the benchmark for that time, and I’m a bit younger than John, so I always was really inspired, and I just wanted to beat him, so it was cool to do that. Everyone’s so good, and I am really looking forward to a good event. I’m just happy to be here, not really thinking too much about the rankings. Everyone’s really close together, so, that’ll sort itself out at the end of the year.”

A long, impressive career for Bronte Macaulay (AUS), which included six seasons on the CT, came to a close when she announced her retirement from full-time competition at the end of last season. That didn’t mean the 31-year-old wasn’t still game to push the current Tour surfers at her home event as a wildcard. The Macaulay name is synonymous with the region, featuring in more Margaret River events than not since its introduction to the CT in 1985. Bronte has competed for the past eight years running, while her sister Laura featured as a wildcard in 2014 and 2017, and her father Dave helped define the early years, including taking a win in 1989. Bronte has carried the family tradition well, placing in the Semifinals in three out of the last four events. With a long-sought inaugural CT win still in her grasp, Macaulay will be a serious threat to the current CT field.

“I guess I didn’t really think I’d be back, to be honest,” said Macaulay. “But I got a phone call from the WSL a month or so ago saying I was next in ranking from the Challenger Series last year, so I could get a Wildcard, so it was a really nice surprise and I was like, ‘I better start surfing a bit more and go on to Main Break!’ Over the summer I coached a lot of the girls that were in Rising Tides this morning, which was really cool. They all went out at huge Main Break today and were charging. I just did a bit of coaching over the summer and I’m at University at the moment, so not as much time to surf but still trying to squeeze a few in.”

Robinson and Macaulay will be joined by two fellow Western Australians with extensive history competing at home. Jacob Willcox (AUS) and Willow Hardy (AUS) won the Think Mental Health WA Trials to join the main draw. It will be the eighth Margaret River Pro for Willcox and the 27-year-old has unfinished business at home. Having joined the CT as a rookie for the 2024 season, Willcox fell victim to the Mid-season Cut at last year’s event and will be looking to redeem himself this year. Hardy received her first taste of the CT in 2021 at the age of 14, when she last won the trials. Now 18 and freshly qualified for the Challenger Series, Hardy will be leaning on her local knowledge and gained experience to push deeper in the draw in 2025.

“I’m so lucky to compete at home here, and I’ve had some pretty memorable moments in the last few years, so I’m glad to be back and there’s not much pressure, but I just wanted to enjoy it and just soak it all up,” continued Macaulay. “That was so epic seeing Willow [Hardy] winning the Trials again. She’s so impressive. She’s an absolute charger, and she was surfing really well, so I think she’s going to be a real threat in this contest, as well as Jacob [Willcox] and Jack [Robinson]. We have four Margies surfers through, so it’s pretty cool.”

One Last Chance to Stay Above the Cut for Veterans and Rookies Alike

For the past three seasons, the Western Australia Margaret River Pro has been the last opportunity for those sitting lower in the rankings to hold onto their standing on the CT, and this year is no different. Veterans like Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Ryan Callinan (AUS), and Brisa Hennessy (CRC) are in need of a big result to avoid falling victim to the Mid-season Cut, as are rookies George Pittar (AUS), Bella Kenworthy (USA), Jackson Bunch (HAW), and Vahine Fierro (FRA).

While prior seasons have seen some large point spreads, this year is tighter than ever. Three surfers currently sitting on the men’s Cut line, Alan Cleland Jr. (MEX), Joao Chianca (BRA), and Liam O’Brien (AUS), all share equal points. A similar situation has played out for the women, where there are eight women competing for three remaining positions above the Cut and all are within striking distance.

A total of 12 men and six women will be cut, leaving 22 men and 10 women to compete in the back half of the 2025 season. In 2026, however, the number of women on Tour will increase to 24, allowing 14 women to re-qualify through the CT. As a result, the four women who place No. 11-14 on this season’s rankings will qualify for the 2026 season but won’t continue on Tour in 2025. Due to the status of the three lowest ranked surfers on Tour, who are already unable to make the Cut, the only woman left to be relegated to the Challenger Series will be the No. 15 ranked surfer, which is currently Fitzgibbons. The Australian veteran is currently on a hot streak though, and carrying momentum from a runner-up finish on the Gold Coast.

With virtually every heat carrying large implications for the careers of many of the surfers on Tour, all eyes will be on Margaret River.

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

Watch LIVE
The Western Australia Margaret River Pro will hold a competition window from May 17 – 27, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.