After a powerful culmination to the Hawaiian Pro, which saw 3x Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Champion and 2012 World Champ Joel Parkinson earn the event win, the professional surfing world now swings from Haleiwa to Sunset Beach for the second event of the series, the Vans World Cup of Surfing, from November 25 - December 6. Parkinson leads the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (VTCS) title after his victory at Haleiwa and is in a strong position to close out his career on a high note in Hawaii.
Emotion and drama will create a high-stakes atmosphere at the 2018 Vans World Cup, as this high-rated event is the final QS competition of the year and will determine ten hard-earned spots to the 2019 CT. Athletes' careers are shaped at the year-ending Vans World Cup and those on the bubble of qualification will fight for a place atop the podium, alongside the prestige of winning at one of the most challenging big-wave breaks on the planet.
Michael February at the 2017 Vans World Cup. - WSL / Tony Heff
Twenty-five of the world's best from the CT will compete once the event is called on and, in the meantime, Vans will continue to champion community-conscious activations outside of the competition and around the North Shore (see event calendar below).
Part of this event lineup included a movie screening and talk story Q&A panel with CT athletes Patrick Gudauskas and Michael February, both of whom are heavily invested in philanthropic initiatives around the world. The film Can't Steal Our Vibe highlighted the various programs that Gudauskas and his brothers, plus February, are a part of; Waves for Change and surfboard drives in Jamaica and South Africa for underprivileged youth are prime examples of how these athletes drive positive impact through surfing beyond competing.
"In surfing, you can be really hard on yourself sometimes, especially in competition," said February. "But when I get to spend time with kids who really benefit from the simplest thing of just going into the water, and I see their stoke and how much positivity it brings, it really brings me back and makes me realize how lucky I am to be doing this for a living."
Defending Vans World Cup winner Conner Coffin is within the top 10 surfers seeded into the Round of 64 out of a 128-man field, along with World Title contender Filipe Toledo. However, over a quarter of the contestants are from Hawaii (36 total excluding CT athletes) and looking to play spoiler, and at a break like Sunset, wave knowledge is key to succeeding in the lineup and advancing through rounds.
2017 Vans World Cup of Surfing winner, Conner Coffin on the attack at Sunset Beach - WSL / Tony Heff
Sunset Beach is a world-class locale and one of the most consistent big wave venues on the planet. As if on cue, Surfline.com, the official forecast partner of the VTCS, announces the Pacific is set to deliver one of the biggest swells of the winter season for the first half of the Vans World Cup holding period. Extra-large surf is expected for the second day of the holding period with wave face heights forecasted in the 25-30ft. range. The models are showing a series of back to back swells with above average size for the last week of November and first week of December.
Also recognized as a fragile stretch of shoreline due to its susceptibility to most swell directions, Sunset has borne the brunt of severe erosion over the past few winter seasons and WSL and Vans continue to make concerted efforts to help protect the shoreline in a variety of ways.
This year, with the exception of a couple of camera towers, the Vans World Cup will operate completely off the beach and with a reduced footprint to minimize impact, while still ensuring a professional opportunity for surfers. WSL also donated time, money and resources toward North Shore Community Land Trust's Sunset Beach Dune Restoration Project, which saw over 400 native coastal species planted along the shoreline to reduce erosion and protect the dunes. They also aided in fence-building, plant propagation and wide-spread awareness. To educate both visitors and locals, WSL produced a short edit about protecting the North Shore's coastal future, which will be screened at various events throughout VTCS and available to watch at WorldSurfLeague.com and VansTripleCrownOfSurfing.com.
100 volunteers turned out for the first Sunset Beach Dune Restoration volunteer work day to help plant vegetation and set up fencing along the shoreline. - WSL / Rolland
2018 Vans Triple Crown Community Events Calendar:
December 1 | North Shore Community Land Trust Benefit for the Country
Sunset Ranch, Pupukea, 5pm - 9pm
Open to public, more info at northshoreland.org
December 2 | Plastic Free Pipeline Talk Story
SURFER the Bar, Turtle Bay Resort 7pm - 10pm
Open to public, $5 donation
December 3 | Vans Skate Jam
Banzai Skate Bowl, 2pm - 7pm
Open to public
December 4 | Nathan Fletcher Celebrates 20 Years with Vans
Turtle Bay Resort, 7pm
Open to public
December 5 | Duct Tape Festival Guest Panel
Bonzer Front, Haleiwa
Open to public
December 7 | Vans Duct Tape Festival
Custom-shaped board library for public use
South shore by day, details to come
The Salt Hangar in Kakaako by night, Honolulu
Open to public
December 8 | Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii Beach Cleanup + After Party
James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Kahuku, 2-5pm
Live music and movie screening at Waihuena Farm, North Shore
Open to public
Vans World Cup on the Horizon
Lauren Rolland
After a powerful culmination to the Hawaiian Pro, which saw 3x Vans Triple Crown of Surfing Champion and 2012 World Champ Joel Parkinson earn the event win, the professional surfing world now swings from Haleiwa to Sunset Beach for the second event of the series, the Vans World Cup of Surfing, from November 25 - December 6. Parkinson leads the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing (VTCS) title after his victory at Haleiwa and is in a strong position to close out his career on a high note in Hawaii.
Emotion and drama will create a high-stakes atmosphere at the 2018 Vans World Cup, as this high-rated event is the final QS competition of the year and will determine ten hard-earned spots to the 2019 CT. Athletes' careers are shaped at the year-ending Vans World Cup and those on the bubble of qualification will fight for a place atop the podium, alongside the prestige of winning at one of the most challenging big-wave breaks on the planet.
Twenty-five of the world's best from the CT will compete once the event is called on and, in the meantime, Vans will continue to champion community-conscious activations outside of the competition and around the North Shore (see event calendar below).
Part of this event lineup included a movie screening and talk story Q&A panel with CT athletes Patrick Gudauskas and Michael February, both of whom are heavily invested in philanthropic initiatives around the world. The film Can't Steal Our Vibe highlighted the various programs that Gudauskas and his brothers, plus February, are a part of; Waves for Change and surfboard drives in Jamaica and South Africa for underprivileged youth are prime examples of how these athletes drive positive impact through surfing beyond competing.
"In surfing, you can be really hard on yourself sometimes, especially in competition," said February. "But when I get to spend time with kids who really benefit from the simplest thing of just going into the water, and I see their stoke and how much positivity it brings, it really brings me back and makes me realize how lucky I am to be doing this for a living."
Defending Vans World Cup winner Conner Coffin is within the top 10 surfers seeded into the Round of 64 out of a 128-man field, along with World Title contender Filipe Toledo. However, over a quarter of the contestants are from Hawaii (36 total excluding CT athletes) and looking to play spoiler, and at a break like Sunset, wave knowledge is key to succeeding in the lineup and advancing through rounds.
Sunset Beach is a world-class locale and one of the most consistent big wave venues on the planet. As if on cue, Surfline.com, the official forecast partner of the VTCS, announces the Pacific is set to deliver one of the biggest swells of the winter season for the first half of the Vans World Cup holding period. Extra-large surf is expected for the second day of the holding period with wave face heights forecasted in the 25-30ft. range. The models are showing a series of back to back swells with above average size for the last week of November and first week of December.
Also recognized as a fragile stretch of shoreline due to its susceptibility to most swell directions, Sunset has borne the brunt of severe erosion over the past few winter seasons and WSL and Vans continue to make concerted efforts to help protect the shoreline in a variety of ways.
This year, with the exception of a couple of camera towers, the Vans World Cup will operate completely off the beach and with a reduced footprint to minimize impact, while still ensuring a professional opportunity for surfers. WSL also donated time, money and resources toward North Shore Community Land Trust's Sunset Beach Dune Restoration Project, which saw over 400 native coastal species planted along the shoreline to reduce erosion and protect the dunes. They also aided in fence-building, plant propagation and wide-spread awareness. To educate both visitors and locals, WSL produced a short edit about protecting the North Shore's coastal future, which will be screened at various events throughout VTCS and available to watch at WorldSurfLeague.com and VansTripleCrownOfSurfing.com.
2018 Vans Triple Crown Community Events Calendar:
December 1 | North Shore Community Land Trust Benefit for the Country Sunset Ranch, Pupukea, 5pm - 9pm Open to public, more info at northshoreland.org
December 2 | Plastic Free Pipeline Talk Story SURFER the Bar, Turtle Bay Resort 7pm - 10pm Open to public, $5 donation
December 3 | Vans Skate Jam Banzai Skate Bowl, 2pm - 7pm Open to public
December 4 | Nathan Fletcher Celebrates 20 Years with Vans Turtle Bay Resort, 7pm Open to public
December 5 | Duct Tape Festival Guest Panel Bonzer Front, Haleiwa Open to public
December 7 | Vans Duct Tape Festival Custom-shaped board library for public use South shore by day, details to come The Salt Hangar in Kakaako by night, Honolulu Open to public
December 8 | Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii Beach Cleanup + After Party James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, Kahuku, 2-5pm Live music and movie screening at Waihuena Farm, North Shore Open to public
Michael February
The European QS heads to the idyllic Azores archipelago.
Portugal's Frederico Morais captures victory at the QS 6,000 Azores Airlines Pro and breaks into the Top 10 on the Qualifying Series.
The swell filled in for the Azores Airlines Pro and competitors had to put it all on the line to make the Final 16.
Competition resumed in beautiful conditions at the Azores Airlines Pro but was unfortunately cut short by gale-force winds.
The bump in swell came as expected, but the wind came with it and competition was forced to go on hold in the Azores.
Vans World Cup
Why, after 35 years, this is still the trophy every surfer wants to own (next to a World Title).
Jessé Mendes foi vice-campeão para garantir sua permanência na elite e Jadson André também confirmou o seu retorno ao CT.
The Hawaiian claims the title over Jesse Mendes, Joan Duru and Griffin Colapinto in the the last QS event of the year at Sunset Beach.
Waves absolutely pump and paint an incredible picture for a dramatic finals day at Sunset.
Upsets and Qualification Hopes Aplenty for Day 3