Kelly Slater, Eimeo Czermak, And Miss Teahupo’o Announced As Tahiti Wildcards

The 42 day gap between the Saquarema CT and the Tahiti event is the longest break in this year’s packed calendar. 

We’re now 32 days out from the Teahupo’o event window and the WSL has just announced the gauntlet of wildcards. 

Kelly Slater has been given the event wildcard, while Eimeo Czermak and 13-year old Kelia Gallina (@missteahupoo) earned their spots at the Local Trials event over the weekend. You can click here to read our report on the Trials (yeah, it was 8-foot, perfect, and Eimeo dropped a 20-point heat).

Aside from Pipeline, there’s no spot on tour where local wildcards harbor such a remarkable advantage over the world’s most well-rounded competitors. As evidenced by Kauli Vaast’s Olympic Gold and Vahine Fierro’s 2024 Wildcard CT triumph, Teahupo’o often rewards those who are familiar with her curves.  

No doubt the top seeds will be dreading their first round opponents, especially if Teahupo’o is doing the whole ‘wide as it is tall’ thing. 

A few months ago, John John Florence mentioned on StabMic that he was hoping to sail to Tahiti and get the event Wildcard this year. Now with Slater joining the fray, that’s seeming less and less likely. 

So, how did Kelly swipe the last spot from under John’s nose? The WSL press release sheds a bit of light. 

“11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) will compete as a wildcard at the upcoming Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA… The WSL is announcing Outerknown as Title Partner and Official Merchandise Partner for the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro Presented by I-SEA. ”

We aren’t saying Kelly indirectly bought himself an event wildcard spot by sponsoring the event — that would overlook the fact that he’s won the Teahupo’o CT more than any surfer alive (5x), has tube skills that still eclipse most in the top 34, and is arguably still the biggest name in surfing at 54 — but we won’t argue if you say he did. 

“I’m stoked to be in as a wildcard at Teahupo’o this year,” said Kelly. “I’ve been recovering from hip surgery late last year and recently got back to surfing daily. No pressure for me coming into this one, but I also haven’t competed in quite a long time, so it’ll be fun to see how I go getting in the mix with everyone. If I can relax and just focus on what I know out there, I should have a good time.”

The last time Kelly competed in Tahiti (as a wildcard in 2024), he surfed his way through event favorite Jack Robinson and Top-5er Ethan Ewing to finish with a quarter. Not bad for a 52-year-old.  

Here’s to hoping the South Pacific continues its generational run through August. And to one male CT surfer potentially falling ill so we can also see John in the mix.