POLLOCK BEACH, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Friday, March 14, 2025) - The World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS), the SA Open of Surfing, Stop No.4 of the 2024/2025 WSL Africa regional season is set to start tomorrow. The first call will be at 7:45 a.m. for a possible 8:15 a.m. start.
Surfers will face a challenging forecast for the weekend, with three-to-four-foot surf and strong onshore wind expected. This is all part of the sport, and these athletes are well adapted to compete in all kinds of weather.
Defending event winner, Cape Town's Luke Slijpen said he is excited to return to the SA Open of Surfing. "I don't have my expectations too high regarding the conditions, so I'm always prepared for a good grovel," Slijpen said. "I actually have a lot of fun out at Pipe and I've surfed a lot of contests here in the past, so I feel confident and excited for this contest!"
Luke Thompson is leading the WSL Africa QS men's rankings with a dominant performance this season, winning the first two events and securing a third place at the Pro Taghazout Bay QS 3,000 in Morocco last month. Thomas Lindhorst and Adin Masencamp have jumped up to second and third on the rankings after their results in Morocco, with Slijpen in fourth.
Louise Lepront enters the SA Open of Surfing arena with a solid lead on the WSL Africa QS rankings. Lepront's commendable performance in Morocco and her win at the eThekwini Surf Pro at the start of the season has provided some breathing room at the top for the young star.
"I'm feeling really good coming into this event," Lepront said. "I don't want to go into the event overconfident, because all the girls are ripping. I'll try to have fun on my waves in my heat, and hopefully I'll get a good result."
Jessie Van Niekerk and Anastasia Venter, ranked second and third respectively, will be the biggest threats going into the next three events.
The SA Open of Surfing will run from 15-16 March 2025 at Pollock Beach, Gqeberha. Visit WorldSurfLeague.com for more updates.
The SA Open of Surfing is supported by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Astron Energy, Accelerate Sport, Surfing South Africa and Red Bull.