Today (Good Friday) the window opens for stop #5 on the world championship tour at good old, reliable Bells Beach, and, if you’ll pardon the reference on this holy occasion, thank Christ for that!
Not only can local surf fans watch in real time, but for the first time since the season opener at Pipeline back in January, we can expect to see consistently rippable waves, with a playful head-high plus for the opening couple of days, and a stronger pulse next week for the big finish.
The Australian treble – first time we’ve had three tour events, Bells, Gold Coast and Margies, for a few years – has a couple of issues, significantly the fact that TC Alfred ripped the guts out of the Snapper Superbank, necessitating a shift to Burleigh, which is not exactly Burleigh as we know her either, although the quality of performances of surfers at last weekend’s Boardriders’ Battle in messy but chunky conditions gives rise for hope. (And go you good things 2025 champs North Shore and our Lando Smales!)
Since Pipe we’ve had the less than spectacular wave pool event in Abu Dhabi, the erratic closeouts of the Sardine Factory (sorry, Supertubos) and just now the sleep-inducing half-hour lulls of Punta Rocas, which often reminds me of Agnes Point on a bad day. The surfers, the fans and most of all the WSL need a shot of energy (no, not the bloody Bonsoy) and let’s hope Bells, and the rest of the Oz leg provides it.
In the meantime, I’ve been amusing myself by working out my favourite surfers on the men’s tour. Which is not to ignore the women – it’s just that while admiring the speed and agility of Caity and Erin, the power of Gabby and the versatility of Molly, I can’t go past the speed, flow, and seamless transitions of Denmark and Sunny Coast’s Bella Nichols. End of story.
In the men’s lineup, there is some extraordinary talent, including several rookies, but in my top three favourites there is only one rookie, alongside a couple of tour vets who are starting to shine, even though they come from countries which have never produced a surfing world pro champion, even though Mexico and Indonesia have some of the best waves I’ve surfed in my life, and even Italy has produced some magic mornings and unforgettable lunches to follow.
So let’s start with Al Cleland Jr, Mexico’s first full-time WCT surfer.
A stroke of incredible luck got Alan Cleland Quinonez, the son of an Irish-American father and a Mexican mother, onto the tour for 2025, but in his young life (22) the luck has cut both ways. He was brought up on the wave-rich Colima coast at Pascuales, where his pro surfer dad taught him to master the heavy-breaking slabs of the region, but he lost his beloved mum while still a teenager, struggled to secure sponsors while establishing himself as Mexico’s most exciting young surfer and almost chucked in the dream when he surfed through 2021 without a single sponsor logo on his boards.
But Al’s talent could not be ignored, and two years later he was on the Quiksilver payroll, making ground-breaking surf videos with his mates, and becoming the first Mexican surfer to win individual gold at the ISA World Surfing Games, represent his country at the Paris Olympics (making the third round at Teahupoo) and win a WSL Challenger event (the US Open at Huntington Beach). However, that groundbreaking win in 2024 did not qualify him for the world tour, Al finishing a heartbreaking one slot below the cut-line for promotion. Then his fortunes suddenly changed, with John Florence announcing that he was taking a year off tour just days before the first event at Pipe. Al got the call, and while, four events in, he hasn’t set the WCT alight (two ninth places his best so far) he’s got me all-in with his power gouges and infectious spirit. Expect great things in coming weeks.
Next we have the Italian stallion, Leonardo Fioravanti, who is having a stellar year, currently ranked six after a second at Pipe and two ninths. But Leo’s got much more in the tank. He’s a beautiful surfer to watch and a fierce competitor. Okay, I kind of have family connections – my great mate, former colleague and Kelly Slater caddy for 20 years, Stephen Bell is Leo’s stepdad – but I back him in for a world title, if not this year then soon.
Which would be yet another first for the Italian, along with representing his birth country at two Olympics and being the first Italian on the world tour. Of course, Leo learnt his surfing chops at Hossegor rather than the Ligurian coast, when mum Serena moved there nearly 20 years ago, but, now 28, Leo is every inch an Italian, stylish all the way and a brand ambassador for Gucci since he was in his teens.
And finally, there is Rio Waida, pride of Indonesia, born in Japan but resident in Jimbaran at the foot of the wave-rich Bukit in Bali since he was five.
I first shared a lineup with him when he was about 10 or 12, at the Canggu Rivermouth, and was speechless at his speed on the face and in the air, and his ability to link everything seamlessly. But who knew how good this kid was going to get!
Quiet, polite and totally dedicated to winning, Rio scored a second in Abu Dhabi and currently sits at number eight, just behind Leo. If he makes the cut for the finals at Cloudbreak, a wave much like the big days at Uluwatu in which he revels, then look out!
