Hawaii’s Gabriela Bryan and South Africa’s Jordy Smith have emerged victorious at the 2025 Margaret River Pro, marking a significant mid-season milestone on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour.
Bryan, 22, claimed back-to-back titles at the iconic Western Australian break, delivering a dominant performance in the women’s final. With a near-perfect score of 9.5 and the highest combined heat total of the women’s event to date, she secured her second win of the season and strengthened her lead in the world rankings.
“Every heat I have with [the yellow jersey], I’m getting more comfortable,” Bryan told the WSL. “I have amazing people supporting me, and I honestly couldn’t do it without them.”
Bryan defeated 19-year-old American Caitlin Simmers in the final. Simmers, the reigning world champion and youngest ever to claim the title, had earlier eliminated local wildcard Bronte Macaulay in the semifinals.
Despite falling short of a finals berth for the fourth time at her home break, Macaulay remained upbeat, saying she was focused on enjoying what may be her final competitive appearance.
Smith Tops Men’s Field in Veteran Victory
In the men’s competition, 37-year-old Jordy Smith delivered a composed and tactical performance to defeat American Griffin Colapinto in the final, securing his second win of the season and a firm grip on the top spot in the rankings.
Smith, the oldest competitor on tour, outperformed both Colapinto brothers—Griffin in the final and Crosby in the semifinals—on a day of challenging conditions and smaller swells, following a week that earlier featured record-breaking waves at Main Break.
With the Margaret River Pro serving as the mid-season cut for the WSL, only top-ranked athletes remain on tour, while others are relegated to the Challenger Series. This format, introduced in recent seasons, has proven divisive among fans and athletes alike. However, the WSL announced earlier this year that the mid-season cut will be scrapped in 2026, returning to a cumulative points system to determine world champions.
The tour will also see changes to its scheduling in 2026, with Margaret River moving earlier in the season and the world title event concluding at Pipeline in Hawaii.
What’s Next?
The Championship Tour now shifts to California, where 11-time world champion Kelly Slater is set to return to competition as a wildcard entry. The season will culminate in August with the world title event in Fiji.