High Intensity Matchups Determine Finals Day for Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA

TEAHUPO'O, Tahiti, French Polynesia (Wednesday, August 12, 2026) - The stage has been set for Finals Day at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA, Stop No. 7 of the 2026 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), after another massive day of competition at Teahupo'o. The fifth straight day of heats running was the biggest yet, with 16 matchups seeing the completion of women's Round Two and men's Round Three in four-to-six-foot plus semi-clean surf to set the Quarterfinals.

Pictured: Two-time Teahupo'o Finalist Caity Simmers (USA) is through to the Quarterfinals at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA. Credit: WSL / Hannah Anderson 

The Yellow Alert for Finals Day has been issued for tomorrow, August 13. The next call will be at 6:30 a.m. TAHT for a potential 7:05 a.m. start.

2025 Finalists Jack Robinson and Griffin Colapinto Top Round to Set Rematch in Quarterfinals

The phenomenal Wildcard run of Kelly Slater (USA) hit a roadblock in the form of Olympic Silver Medalist Jack Robinson (AUS), who defeated the 11-time World Champion with some of the best numbers of the day. Slater won a tactical early tussle for priority, but Robinson soon executed on an inside runner for a 5.83 (out of a possible 10). Two unsuccessful attempts on bigger sets resulted in Slater's second broken board of the event, in the middle of which he forced the Australian two-time and defending event winner into the wave of the day. Robinson flew out of a long barrel that kept providing down the line to post a 9.17 and leave the 54-year-old in a 15.00 combination. Slater was finally able to tap into the magic that had taken him to five victories at the location at the three-minute mark, locking in a 7.83 to give himself a shot as the clock wound down, but was unable to find further opportunity to take the lead in the final moments. The matchup broke the tie of head-to-head heats the two have shared, dating back to Robinson's first-ever head-to-head on the CT as a 13-year-old Wildcard, which Slater convincingly won.

"Little Jack remembers the first heat he surfed against Kelly [Slater]. He was thirteen at Keramas. Much respect for Kelly," Robinson said. "What a blessed day, able to surf out there and get the job done. I knew we were gonna be probably finishing the event now, so yeah, just another day to rest, get better, and get more strength. See you guys tomorrow."

Robinson will next take on Griffin Colapinto (USA) for a rematch of the 2025 Tahiti Pro Final. After delivering the season's second Perfect 10 as a part of its highest heat total in Round Two, Colapinto once again earned the best two-wave total of the day, an excellent 16.67 (out of a possible 20). Colapinto went blow-for-blow with 2022 event winner Miguel Pupo (BRA) in the final heat of the day, the pair posting matching top scores at 8.50 through very different barrels; big and throaty for Colapinto, long and driving for Pupo. Though both also found solid backups, it was a foamball bounce from Colapinto that received the nod, with a second ride in the 8-point range guaranteeing his advancement.

"I started off so hot with the 8.50 in the first five minutes. It's crazy when you have so much time, and you start off like that, because then mentally it's almost easier for the other guy to adjust, like, 'Okay, I need to wait for a psycho wave,' Colapinto said. "We've got Robbo [Jack Robinson] in our heat tomorrow, which is exciting. We had the Final out here last year. We have similar mindsets but different approaches personality-wise, so it's always fun to have a heat with him and see different ways to do that."

Simmers and Boukhiam Set the Standard at Teahupo'o

Living up to her hard-charging reputation, two-time event runner-up Caity Simmers (USA) kicked off her first heat of the event with the highest single wave score of the women's event so far, a 9.00. Lining up a heavy West Bowl barrel from a long way up the point, the 2024 World Champion drove deep through a heaving section to emerge from a barrage of spit in the channel. Facing another two-time runner-up in Brisa Hennessy (CRC), Simmers was able to back her number up, while the Costa Rican struggled to find similar lines into the barrel despite multiple impressive attempts.

"Right when the heat was starting, Brisa [Hennessy] didn't want the wave, so I was about to pass it up, and then I just turned around and paddled as hard as I could," Simmers said. "I felt the wind grabbing my board, and I was like, 'Please don't fly down the face.' And then it connected, and after that I don't really remember the details. I just know I was seeing this big round blue circle in front of me, and then I made it out and just remember screaming. For the next thirty minutes, we sat out there in a hurricane, and I couldn't see anything. I really felt for Brisa because she was going for it so hard. For the people watching, it's so much harder than it looks."

Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) found the best of a tube shootout with Joao Chianca (BRA) in a rematch of their iconic battle during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The 32-year-old Moroccan earned the first excellent score of the men's action for the day, claiming an 8.00, along with a 6.00, to defeat Chianca, who had posted one of the highest heat totals of the season in his Round Two heat. Boukhiam utilised his solid frame to muscle into the deepest, heaviest barrels of the matchup and move into Finals Day for the first time since he secured the best result of his CT career when he placed in the Semifinals of the 2024 Tahiti Pro.

"It was fun against Joao [Chianca]," Boukhiam said. "We stay together at Tahurai [Henry's], always playing with each other, and even in free-surfs we run heats against each other, 'Let's go deeper, you go deeper, I go deeper.' Good energy with Joao. We had maybe the best heat of the Olympics out here, and he got me on that one. On days like this at a wave like this, you just want to have fun and put on a show. If you ask any surfer on Tour what their favorite thing is, they're gonna say barrels. So I was glad I found a good one and tried to maximize my time in there. I was in the flow state and happy."

Picklum Poised to Strike as Top Three Seeds Bow Out in Round Two at Teahupo'o

Reigning WSL World Champion Molly Picklum (AUS) comes into the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA as the defending event winner, and her performance today reflected that as she was able to post one of the highest numbers of the women's event, an excellent 8.17 for a long, deep backhand tube. Although she wasn't able to back it up, the excellent score was enough to separate her from Alyssa Spencer (USA), who leaves Tahiti with an equal 9th-place finish. Picklum, who is yet to claim an event win in 2026, now has a huge opportunity to cement herself in a position to defend her World Title as she is the only competitor remaining of the Top 5 entering the event.

"Getting barreled is a technical part of our sport and also one of the best things. The more barreled I can get, the better," Picklum said. "I love coming here no matter the conditions. There's always a little chance to practice getting barreled. I love it. The preparation is all kind of done now. Your sails are set, and you're just gliding through the event. For me, that's the most enjoyable part. I work so hard to always try and get myself in the best position possible to compete and surf well, and then when you get that moment to put the jersey on, it's like I'm free from there."

Facing Picklum in the Quarterfinals will be Erin Brooks (CAN), after the CT sophomore secured her first Quarterfinal berth of the season courtesy of a victory over Carissa Moore (HAW). Their second generational clash in as many events evened the score for 19-year-old Brooks, who lost to the five-time World Champion in Round Two in Brazil. A pair of forehand barrels provided Brooks with a 6.50 and a 5.33, while Moore struggled to find a completion until late in the heat. Locking into the heaviest barrel of the matchup ahead of the 5-minute mark for a 7.67 saw the 33-year-old in easy striking distance of cracking Brooks' lead. However, Moore was unable to find the requirement as the clock wound down, allowing Brooks to finally break through to Finals Day.

"I was definitely not calm out there," Brooks said. "I was praying the whole time because Carissa [Moore's] is someone I've looked up to my whole life, and I really wanted to beat her. She got me in Brazil, and it was kind of lingering in my mind, so I really wanted to get the win, especially out here. She made me really nervous at the end when she got that 7, but I'm just so thankful to the Lord that it went my way. It's kind of unbelievable to me that this is my first quarter of the year. I've definitely had a super hard year with a lot of really close heats. The girls are surfing so amazingly, and almost every heat I've had, someone's put up excellent scores against me. The level's going up, and that's what I love to see. But I'm just so happy to be in a quarter. Hopefully we get some fun waves next time, and it just keeps getting bigger and better."

Wildcard Kelia Gallina Takes Down Another World Champion at 14 Years of Age

The Tahiti Trials winner, Kelia Gallina (PYF), has continued to play spoiler for the world's best, taking down yet another World Champion today, this time Caroline Marks (USA), who won an Olympic Gold Medal at Teahupo'o in 2024 to add to her 2023 Tahiti Pro victory. Appearing in her fourth-ever CT heat, Gallina delivered her best performance yet, finding clean exits from difficult barrels, along with a near-make that would have rivalled the best waves ever surfed at Teahupo'o in the women's event.

"I don't even know how I made that heat, honestly," Gallina said. "I was just going into it wanting to get some barrels and wasn't really thinking about making it, so I'm super stoked. After the trials, I was just thinking about surfing a heat with Tyler [Wright] and not even winning, but just trying to catch some waves out here. To keep going will be hard, but I think tomorrow is going to be a little better in terms of waves, so that will be fun. To be in the Quarterfinals here is crazy. It feels great."

Major Upsets Continue as Local Favourite and World No. 1 Go Down

Alan Cleland (MEX) delivered a major upset when he defeated Kauli Vaast (FRA), who experienced his earliest exit from the event since his first of four Wildcard appearances in 2019. Having placed runner-up in the Tahiti Pro in 2022 and also won an Olympic gold medal at his home break of Teahupo'o, Vaast was a heavy event favorite. No stranger to big barrels himself, however, Cleland found the heaviest option of the heat early on to post a 7.67, which Vaast was unable to match. The Tahitian controlled much of the matchup with two mid-range scores keeping him in the lead, before a late backup from Cleland secured his second Quarterfinal of the season.

"Kauli [Vaast]'s my really good friend. We've spent a lot of time on the Tour, and even beforehand in Hawaii, so we've become really close," Cleland said. "I know how gnarly he is out here. He's one of the best surfers in the world, especially at his home break. He knows this whole reef like the back of his hand, so I was pretty scared when I saw him in the draw. I'm just stoked it worked out, and I got to come out on top. It's been super rad hanging out and watching [Kelly] Slater and everybody get 10-point rides, 9-point rides. It makes you love surfing, and I feel like that's what it's all about. This Tour is what we surf for and what we live for. I'm just stoked to be a part of it."

The women's Rookie charge continued through Round Two, with Nadia Erostarbe (ESP), Anat Lelior (ISR), and Yolanda Hopkins (POR) claiming big wins over CT veteran Lakey Peterson (USA) and current World No. 1 Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and World No. 4 Luana Silva (BRA), respectively. Lelior opened with an exceptionally clean forehand barrel on the West Bowl to place Bryan in a tough position from the start. While the Hawaiian hunted for barrels that wouldn't quite let her in, Lelior continued to build her backup with turns before a second hollow tube left Bryan in a combination situation with a minute left on the clock. The win sees Lelior into the second Quarterfinal of her career and opens wide the World Title race as Bryan's Yellow Leaders Jersey hangs in the balance.

"Gabriela [Bryan] is someone I keep telling how big a fan I am of her surfing, her commitment to the sport, how much better she gets every time. But I'm happy to take her down; it's definitely a boost in confidence," Lelior said. "I'll be completely honest, the last three days were not a big boost to my confidence. I was falling, not catching waves. It was quite big out here, and I hadn't had a complete wave until this heat. So it's a tap on the back. I'm just grateful. It's one and done, you have a long way to go, everybody wants to win the event, so let's keep on getting barreled."