LOS ANGELES, Calif/USA (Monday, March 28, 2022) - Today, the World Surf League (WSL) announced the 2022 World Longboard Tour schedule. Manly Beach, Huntington Beach, and Malibu will host this year's Longboard competitions for the men's and women's divisions. The first two events of the season in Manly Beach and Huntington Beach will be worth 5,000 points each, while the final event in Malibu will have 10,000 points on offer. The World Titles will be determined by the highest points in the best two of three competitions.
The competitions will host 20 surfers for the men's division and 20 surfers for the women's division. Each field will be made up of the Top 10 from the 2021 rankings, seven surfers selected from the regions, one WSL wildcard, and two event wildcards.
"We're looking forward to kicking off the World Longboard Tour and crowning World Champions later this year at the iconic break of First Point, Malibu," said Devon Howard, WSL Longboard Tour Director. "We're also excited that this year's Tour will start at Manly Beach then continue on at Huntington Beach. All of this Tour's breaks are steeped in longboard history spanning back to the 1960s, where champions were crowned and surf culture as we know it today entered the world stage."
"We're very excited to bring back the World Longboard Tour in 2022," said Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL SVP of Tours and Head of Competition. "The Longboard community is very passionate, and we appreciate all the feedback we got from them as we were planning the future of this important division in professional surfing. This year, the World Longboard Tour will have three events, and we can't wait to crown World Champions at the iconic First Point, in Malibu."
2022 WSL Longboard Tour Schedule:
- Manly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: May 16 - 24, 2022
- Vans Duct Tape Invitational, Huntington Beach, California, USA: August 3 - 7, 2022
- WSL Longboard Championships, Malibu, California, USA: October 3 - 13, 2022
The 2022 World Longboard Tour will kick off at Manly Beach, Australia as part of the Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series event from May 16 - 24, 2022. Considered by many as Sydney's most popular surfing beaches, Manly Beach has a very long and celebrated history with surfing. Not only was it on the next beach over that Duke Kahanamoku introduced surfing to Australia, but it was in Manly Beach in 1964 that Phyliss O'Donnell and Midget Farrelly were crowned the first surfing World Champions. Manly Beach will host the world's best longboarders as they try to earn as many points as possible to establish their World Title campaigns early in the season.
Competitors will then head to California, where the next two events of the 2022 season will take place. The Vans Duct Tape Invitational in Huntington Beach will host the first California event from August 3 - 7. Huntington Beach has served as the stage of several professional surfing competitions throughout the years. The break is also set to host the Vans US Open of Surfing, the fourth stop of the Challenger Series, from July 30 to August 7. The World Longboard Tour will conclude at one of the sport's proving grounds, the iconic First Point in Malibu, California from October 3 - 13. Surfers' two best results will be used to determine the World Titles and final 2022 Rankings.
Watch LIVE
The World Longboard Tour will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and WSL's YouTube channel, as well as the free WSL app. Check local listings for coverage from the WSL's broadcast partners.