Official: J-Bay Out, Raglan In

After a week of fevered gossip, the WSL finally came clean this morning: the rumours were true. Planet Earth’s premier right-hander is no longer part of planet Earth’s premier surfing tour.

J-Bay’s out, Raglan’s in. Manu Bay, to be precise.

“In order to maintain a 12-event CT format this season, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, will not feature on the CT schedule for 2026,” announced the WSL on Instagram. “We love J-Bay and the community there, and we’re really grateful to them for welcoming us for so many years. It’s undoubtedly one of the best waves in the world and we will continue to explore ways to return in the future.” 

Charming. The New Zealand Pro at Manu Bay will be stop number four, slotted right after the Aus leg, with a run window of May 15–25, the sweet spot for waves. And, as you’ll see below, not everyone’s tickled by the news.

Also, no real answers on why J-Bay has faced the 2026 pre-season cut. Perhaps a little wide-eyed speculation is just what the doc ordered. 

Allegedly, J-Bay is the most expensive stop on tour, costing north of $4 million USD compared to the usual $2–3 million range, due to peak season travel costs from the US (mostly) for 70-odd staff and lower tier sponsorship (think: the Baileys Ladders, Fatboy, Stone & Wood).

According to local sources that wished not to be named, J-Bay (specifically the Kouga Municipal and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism) also didn’t pay its bill in 2025, leaving the WSL hanging with a heavy list of expenses. Wavescape alleged similar fiscal shortcomings contributed to the cancellation of the 2024 event, though the WSL said it was due to a clash with the Paris 2024 Olympic schedule in the presser.   

Not to mention, South Africa is an extremely inconvenient place to hold a surf event for spectators and sponsors alike. Livestream viewership directly influences WSL sponsorship, and due to its longitude, J-Bay doesn’t lend itself to a lot of eyeballs. The Americas are the largest demographic that watch pro surfing, followed by Brazil and Australia. Major time zone disparities with South Africa mean most remote viewers are just catching event highlights the next day.

At the end of the day, the WSL is a biz, and they give us their product for free. Since Crosby took Elo’s seat, they’ve mostly been on track. A small hiccup here, perhaps, but in place of J-Bay comes something surfers have been clamouring for: a ripable left. A stage to see the screwfoots lay it down on their forehand. Raglan’s a fit, or so you’d think. But does Manu Bay actually favour the goofs?

“Historically, natural footers have always done better in comps at Raglan,” says Luke Cederman, AKA Raglan Surf Report. “Natural footers can hang in the pocket and just put it up there. Anyone with a good backhand would definitely have an advantage. It’s not a fast wave. It doesn’t race like Fiji or those down-the-line waves. Natural footers sit back in the pocket and do window wipers.” 

Contemplations? Desires? Reckonings? Who you got for the win?