Pro Surfing Halted: Events in Hawaii and Santa Cruz Canceled or Postponed Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Surf fans will have to wait longer to cheer for their favorite pro surfer, with upcoming contests in Hawaii and Northern California affected by coronavirus concerns.
The World Surf League announced it has cancelled the Sunset Open and is postponing for now a new event in Santa Cruz.
The news follows a short, but shaky, start of the pro surfing season with the Billabong Pipe Masters having to be paused following staff members testing positive for coronavirus. The event was allowed to eventually finish.
The women’s event, the Maui Pro, had to change venues after a shark attack on a recreational surfer near the contest site.
Hawaii suspended all surfing competitions until further notice, the WSL, which is based in Santa Monica, announced. The Sunset Open was supposed to happen between Jan. 19 and 28. The Big Wave Jaws Championship Pe’ahi has also been canceled.

With the ongoing surge in California cases, the WSL has postponed the Santa Cruz Pro, which would have run Feb. 2 through 12.
“The decision to postpone the Santa Cruz Pro, the last planned event of the US leg of the Championship Tour, is based primarily on the surge of COVID-19 cases in California,” league officials said. “The postponement is also heavily influenced by the length of time our athletes have been away from home, and by the complexities of global travel during this pandemic, which would have caused significant logistical challenges for athletes and staff to travel home and return to California for the event.”
The Sunset Open in Hawaii would have been the first time a men and women’s championship title was held there since 1991. It has also been about three decades since the world’s best competed at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz.
“It is a testament to our surfers, staff and the local community of Hawaii that we were able to successfully complete both the men’s and women’s opening (competition tour) events of the 2021 season, and we would like to thank the communities in both Maui and Oahu for their support,” the announcement said.
Still on the schedule is the Australian leg, kicking off with the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach contest in April.

The World Surf League previously announced many changes to this year’s tour, including bringing professional surfing back to Lower Trestles, one of the mainland’s best spots for waves, for the first time in three years since the Hurley Pro was last held there. It swapped for an event at the Surf Ranch, a man-made wave pool in Lemoore, near Fresno.
The Lower Trestles event is still planned, though it will depend on the state of the pandemic. The event south of San Clemente will bring together the top five men and top five women for the new surf-off format at the high-performance wave. The WSL Finals will have a window from Sept. 8 to 17, with the contest to run on the day with the best surf conditions.