Teahupo’o Provides as Kelly Slater and Griffin Colapinto Deliver Historic Performances at Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented By I-SEA

TEAHUPO'O, Tahiti, French Polynesia - The third straight day of action at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA, Stop No. 7 of the World Surf League (WSL) 2026 Championship Tour (CT), provided some of the year's finest performances. One of the world's heaviest waves, Teahupo'o, continued to deliver drama and spectacle as the world's best surfers attempted to tame the beast, which today featured trade-wind-ruffled eight-to-ten-foot swell. Out of the 11 heats run to complete men's Round Two, four rank in the Top-10 heat totals of the season, including both of the top two, courtesy of mind-bending perfection from Griffin Colapinto (USA) and yet another masterclass from the greatest to ever do it, Kelly Slater (USA).

Surfing's GOAT Kelly Slater (USA) continues to dominate Teahupo'o at the Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA. Credit: WSL / Matt Dunbar 

Slater Finds Near-Perfection to Defeat Medina in Heavyweight Matchup

A titanic face-off between 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and three-time World Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) ended in a convincing victory for Slater, though it didn't start out that way. While Medina opened with solid opening numbers in his scoreline for mistake-free surfing, Slater fell on multiple waves before finally locking in a 7.00. That was just a prelude; however, the 54-year-old Event Wildcard soon delivered a pair of deep, dramatic barrels in the 9-point range to post a near-perfect 19.06 (out of a possible 20) heat total. In a combination situation after Slater's best number, a 9.73, Medina fought back with a 7.67, before Slater's second near-perfect score placed the Brazilian right back in it with five minutes remaining. A long, less powerful barrel from Medina in the final moments earned his best number of 8.43, but the clock wound down with the two-time event winner in need of two fresh scores.

Defeating Medina for just the third time out of 11 matchups, the heat win was a meaningful one for Slater, despite only coming in Round Two, especially as one of those losses to Medina was their only previous meeting in Tahiti, the 2014 Final. Slater's heat total marks his personal highest since his last victory at Teahupo'o in 2016, which also included his second of two perfect 20 heat totals at the location.

"I definitely had to settle in. I knew going against [Gabriel Medina], he's just so savvy as a competitor. I tried to push a bit deeper," Slater said. "I started doing breathing exercises, calming down, and getting the heart rate down. Part of me was thinking he'd come back, and part of me was thinking it would be super cool if he did, because it would make the heat such a good story. But I settled back out there and went, 'Let's think about putting him in a combo situation. Let's maximize what's out here as opposed to just surfing a smart heat.' Everyone knows Gabe's been through a lot lately, highs and lows. We've become good friends, and I really appreciate his surfing and his career. It's tough to come all this way and lose to someone who's not in the Title race. I'm on the other side of that now, so I feel all those emotions, the toughness of the travel, being away from family. When you have a loss, it sucks. That was a very emotional heat. I almost started crying afterward.

"Obviously, you see the comments, a lot of people doubting me or saying they should've given the wildcard to a local, and I get why people say that. Without pressure, you've got no diamonds. It fired me up, and even after all this time, yeah, I have something to prove. I need to go out and show it went to the right guy. I think I can [win this contest]. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can."

Slater will next face another two-time event winner in Round Three, when he comes up against defending winner and Olympic Silver Medalist Jack Robinson (AUS).

Griffin Colapinto Puts on Teahupo'o Masterclass to Earn Perfect 10-Point Ride

Griffin Colapinto (USA) has put on the best performance of not only the 2026 Championship Tour season but of his career, posting a Perfect 10-point ride on his way to a near-perfect 19.60 two-wave total, the highest of his eight-year CT career. Coming up against Indonesia's Rio Waida (INA), Colapinto made his intentions clear from the get-go, turning and stroking into one of the biggest waves of the day on his second ride. The 28-year-old pulled in deep, riding over the foamball to lose his fins, sliding out sideways, before miraculously regaining control to come flying out into the channel and be rewarded with just the second Perfect 10-point ride of the year and the fourth of his career. Colapinto then went on to find another monster under priority, take off deep, then get spat out standing tall to post a 9.60 and claim one of the heat wins of his career. It was a massive win for the Californian, who is in desperate need of a major result to find his way up the rankings to be in with a shot at a World Title tilt in 2026. 

"It feels magical. This place has a lot of spiritual energy, and it's really fun to tap into that and play around with it and imagine what's possible out here," Colapinto said. "I've been doing that ever since I started coming here. You're playing on the borderline of life and death, moments where it's just so scary. You get these crazy negative thoughts, worst-case scenario, and you just have to push past it and trust your ability. To be able to do that and get a perfect 10 out here, I'm over the moon. Watching Kelly [Slater] do his thing earlier, I was having so much fun watching him. This day has been incredible."

Best Friends Turn Rivals as Boukhiam Delivers Excellence at Teahupo'o

There was never any doubt that a Round Two matchup featuring best friends Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) and Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) would deliver fireworks, especially with their current trajectories at opposite ends of the rankings; Fioravanti in the Yellow Leaders Jersey for the first time as World No. 1, Boukhiam virtually at the bottom at No. 33. A relentless battle for priority resulted in a heat restart before first attempts were unsuccessful. From there, the fight to deliver the most critical execution on the heaviest of the beastly barrels on offer resulted in an intense back-and-forth that peaked with Boukhiam converting one of the biggest waves of the morning into an 8.17. So big that the barrel was virtually unachievable, Boukhiam's late drop into precise navigation of the foamball turned in excellence. Combined with a 7.50 for a 15.67 two-wave heat total, the Moroccan is hoping to back up his 2024 Semifinal finish with another big result to turn his season around.

"It's one of the biggest waves I've paddled into out here, my 8," Boukhiam said. "It felt pretty big. Not deep, but I just liked the ride. I landed and had to put my hands there and stall when it was that big and hollow; it was not easy. The foam came out, and I was holding onto the face to not fall. It was a hectic ride. I loved it with my best friend [Leonardo Fioravanti], and I'm always his number one supporter. He told me, 'Bro, I'm super proud of you, you killed it, and I'm really happy for you, keep it up.' That's brotherhood. Everyone wants it, but definitely in waves like this, I honestly love it. I'm scared, but I love it. I love the energy here. I'm just stoked to be here. We're getting barrelled alone. What else?"

Robinson Fights Back to Defeat Robson in High-Scoring All-Australian Showdown

Defending event winner Jack Robinson (AUS) fought his way back to a solid heat win over fellow Australian Callum Robson (AUS) after Robson opened their matchup by emerging from a heaving barrel for a 9.57. Though it took some time for Robinson to find a notable response, it came in the form of his own version of a surprising reemergence for an even better 9.70. Sitting at an even scale, Robinson and Robson tussled over priority, eventually seeing the pair take off together on the same wave. Sitting on the outside and ultimately holding priority, Robinson converted the wave into his backup of an 8.50. A late charge from Robson was also well-rewarded with a 7.83, but ultimately his massive 17.40 heat total was unable to match Robinson's even better 18.20.

"It was a battle on the land just to get out there. I've been in bed for a few days just waiting, and luckily I had some rest days," Robinson said. "Callum [Robson's] really good out there, but once I got the first good wave, it felt like I got my confidence. There was no fear after that. I was like, 'All right, let's go,' and got the ball rolling. It was a tactical heat as well, but got the job done even under those circumstances. I've been coming here since I was a young kid and have a lot of friends and close people here. It's a really special place. You always have to respect that wave. She's the boss."

Also finding excellence on their road to Round Three were Ethan Ewing (AUS) and George Pittar (AUS). Ewing drove deep on a flaring barrel to defeat fellow Aussie Joel Vaughan (AUS), while Pittar found a cavernous barrel under the priority of Cole Houshmand (USA) to earn an 8.33 and the heat win.

Chianca and Cibilic Trade Excellence in Fierce Teahupo'o Battle

Escalating exchanges between Joao Chianca (BRA) and Morgan Cibilic (AUS) resulted in a tight battle for the duration of the 40-minute heat. The pair held nothing back as they took on everything Teahupo'o threw at them, seeing multiple excellent scores build to a 17.83 heat total for the Brazilian. Chianca peaked with a 9.50 for a long, wide barrel with a bonus section, turning around to see Cibilic tackle his best, an 8.73 that saw him emerge long after a barrage of spit. With Chianca's backup of an 8.33 also besting Cibilic's 7.17, it was the 25-year-old from Saquarema who moved into Round Three, having battled all kinds of pitfalls both in the lead-up to the event and during the heat.

"Three days ago I stepped on a stonefish and went to the emergency, and didn't know if I was going to be able to compete the next day," Chianca said. "I knew Morgan [Cibilic] was sending it on the swell, so I knew I would have to perform. I cut myself on the reef and was in some pain during the heat, broke my board, but everything is working out. That 9.50 was towards the south, and I knew it was the shallowest part of the reef. I knew I would have to risk it to get some ledge over Morgan, who wasn't with priority and had the turn on the bigger waves. I've been spending so much time at this reef, and I was confident riding long barrels. I'm so glad it worked out in my favor, that 9.50 felt sick. I just love to come out of barrels and look at the mountains and how pretty this place is."

Former event winners Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Miguel Pupo (BRA) also claimed heat wins over 2026 Rookies Luke Thompson (RSA) and Mateus Herdy (BRA), respectively, while Alejo Muniz (BRA) defeated Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) to guarantee his best-ever finish at Teahupo'o in his final appearance in the event.