Luke Thompson Turns Last Year’s Priority Disaster Into Ballito Gold
+ earns himself a wildcard into Jbay.
Last year’s Ballito Pro was a heavy one for South African surfer Luke Thompson. He was surfing well, coming in off serious training, and mentally locked in. You could see he wanted it — every single heat. From the regional QS events at Ballito to the big game of the Challenger Series, he had that look: cold, hard, and unwavering. Shades of Martin Potter, 1989. Get the fuck out of my way energy.
In the final heat of day two at the 2024 event — up against Justin Becret, Ian Gentil, and Dylan Moffat — he had that same look.
With priority and a spot to advance, he made the calculated move to block Gentil on the final wave. The horn blew mid-act.
The move backfired. Thompson copped an interference — the buzzer had gone while Gentil was riding, triggering the “priority suspended” rule. Hoisted by his own petard, he was left stunned. We called it The Worst Way To Lose A Heat.
“That was the lowest point in my career,” recalls Luke. “I went for a long walk afterwards,” he told us.
It’s a punishing rule. Ask Kolohe Andino, who was foiled in the 2018 Quik Pro France, or Sebastian Zietz at Lowers in 2015.
This year, Luke was determined to do better — and he did. Not in glamorous fashion: two grindy turns on a left at a right-hand sandbank. But it was enough to beat George Pittar, take the 2025 Ballito Pro title, collect 10,000 points and a healthy cheque (healthier still in Rand).
“Literally from the worst moment in my career to the best moment by far,” said Luke, as the warmth of victory started to sink in. “Still can’t believe it, still dreaming. It’s like, fuck, this is never going to happen, it’s too much of a fairy tale to ever happen.'”
Finals Day
It was a good day in Ballito. Sun out, crowd loud, and the locals turning up in numbers to back Luke Thompson.
South African surf fans don’t mind getting vocal. It’s a tradition that dates back to J-Bay, when Sean Holmes — The Nemesis — made a habit of howling through heats and knocking off top seeds at what was then the Billabong Pro.
Whenever Sean took off at J-Bay, the crowd went wild. It peaked when he knocked out Andy Irons twice and even bested Andy and Kelly Slater in a three-man heat — all while nursing a sore back and forgetting his watch. The fans shouted themselves hoarse. That same noise follows Jordy at J-Bay, and Matt McGillivray and Luke Thompson in Ballito.
Finals day saw a solid improvement in the conditions from the days pervious, and the sand had finally lined up much better. Some great waves were on tap to help decide the winners.
Women’s Final
The women’s final was full-tilt. Hopkins threw everything at it — sky-high falls, giant hooks, a barrel with no way out — chasing every big wave and risky move she could find.
In the end, the judges favored goofy Erostarbe — big, vertical hooks on her backhand, mostly one-offs, but enough power and spray to keep things interesting. The final had decent waves, a bit of froth, and enough reckless commitment to make it worth watching.
Men’s Final
A scrappy heat from the jump. These ous* couldn’t find a decent running wave between the two of them. A solid surge in swell size as their heat started resulted in lots of water moving, and saw both Luke and George out of position more times than not.
“I told my coach, ‘Bru,* it’s going to be 8’s or 2’s out there,’ said Luke when I asked him what happened in the final. “We didn’t expect it to get so much bigger and so much trickier, and there was so much water moving. We were both kind of lost out there. It changed so much so quickly.”
After some big turns but mostly missed chances, George led with an unremarkable 5.17 and 3.83. Luke needed a 3.8, and there was little time left.
Lefts were scarce and mostly dead — half-cooked promises that fizzled before the rocks or open ocean swallowed them whole. Still, a few had enough life for a quick two-step dance. Luke took off on one, and the beach started screaming.
“There was no way I was losing the final needing a 3.8,” said Luke. “So I gunned down the beach, scraped into a left, and luckily, I did enough to get a four. It was the first time I’ve gone left this whole trip, bru.”
His win was pure redemption on the cruel blow that last year’s event threw at him.
“There is a bigger goal, to be on the CT. Sometimes, when people win these events, they celebrate too hard and forget that they still have a job to do. So, I’m going to enjoy the win for a few days in JBay and then strap in and focus on the goal.”
A wildcard for the Corona Cero Open J-Bay is a bonus he’s not taking lightly.
“Ya, flip bru, I’m so amped. JBay is such a cool event, to get to surf with the CT crew. I’m going to try to do my best surfing and maybe mess up some title contenders. I’m just going to go out there guns blazing.”
Luke shot up 43 slots on the Challenger and is currently second in the world. See current CS rankings here.
Qualifying
So what does it mean for his chances of qualifying for the CT? A 43-spot jump and 10k points is a lekker* boost, but what does it actually signify?
From the 2024 Challenger Series, three event winners made the CT: Samuel Pupo, Ian Gouveia, and Marco Mignot. Alan Clelland Jr won the US Open, finished 11th, and got bumped up after JJF’s change of plans and Medina’s injury. Two winners, Mikey McDonagh and Jordan Lawler, didn’t qualify.
So yeah, a CS win helps — it’s a solid foundation, not a guarantee.
Saffa Translations
Ous – guys
Ya – yes
Bru – brother, bro, china, friend.
Flip – fuckit
Lekker – very nice.
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