Can Kelly Rinse The TikTok Generation At Cooking Snapper?

The Boost Mobile Gold Coast Pro kicks off tomorrow at Snapper Rocks, the first of eight Challenger Series events in 2022. More than 30 of the 51 surfers who began their year on the CT will be in the mix. According to Stab podcaster and Gold Coast native Stace Galbraith, the swell forecast is predicted to be “chest to head high with light winds, and the swell will be peaking at the beginning and end of the event window.” The sandbars have been in form of late, producing nonstop leg-burners from behind the rock past Greenmount. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Stab Magazine (@stab)

The event will have CT surfers, CT replacements, regional QS qualifiers, event wildcards, and WSL Tours and Competition wildcards. In the men’s bracket there will be 96 surfers in total, and the event winner will need to advance through six heats before taking out the final. On the women’s side, there will be 64 surfers and the event winner will need to advance through five heats before taking out the final. 

Among those who failed to make the CT cutline and will be hoping to get their requalification campaigns underway are: Owen Wright, Joao Chianca, Morgan Cibilic, Ryan Callinan, Frederico Morais, Leo Fioravanti, Imaikalani Devault, Deivid Silva, Conner Coffin, Zeke Lau, Lucca Mesinas, Yago Dora, Carlos Muñoz, Liam O’Brien, Sally Fitzgibbons, Caroline Marks, Luana Silva, Bettylou Sakura Johnson, Molly Picklum, India Robinson, Malia Manuel, and Bronte Macaulay.

Kelly Slater, Steph Gilmore, Kolohe Andino, and Tyler Wright are the prizefighters peppered into the draw who, in addition to getting to surf pumping Snapper with only three other people out, will be fulfilling part of their new contract obligation with the WSL that requires them to surf in at least two CS events. 

Stace also tipped us off to a few names to look out for. On the men’s side: Brazilian phenom and SEOTY contender Mateus Herdy, Conner Coffin (ranked 4th CT 2021), and Morgan Ciblic (ranked 5th 2021). On the women’s side: Bettylou Sakura Johnson, Malia Manuel (missed the cut by one spot) and Caitlin Simmers (dark horse), who turned down her spot on tour in 2021.  

So what kind of surfing is going to win this thing? “Flow will win the event — a combination of major maneuvers will show the full repertoire of a well-rounded surfer,” says Stace. Plus, mini subterranean tube skillz. We saw folk getting six+ kegs on one wave this week in the lead-up to the event. 

I’m no oracle, but I’d say this thing is going to pretty darn entertaining given the range of talent and the wave quality.

Proceedings kick off 7AM AEST or 2PM PST.