Eli Hanneman. Photo: Matt Dunbar//World Surf League
The WSL’s Championship Tour got slapped with a series of sabbatical announcements, injuries, and emergency surgeries in the run up to the 2025 season’s kickoff, and now it will start next week’s Lexus Pipe Pro without a lot of star power. John John Florence, Stephanie Gilmore, Gabriel Medina, Crosby Colapinto, and Johanne Defay will all be absent for the Lexus Pipe Pro (or longer for some), and the WSL announced their replacements on Tuesday.
“Recent years have seen changes in the lives of some of our iconic World Champions as they enter new seasons in their personal lives,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Commissioner said in a Tuesday press release. “While we miss them during their time away from competition, we’re excited for the doors that open up as a result. The 2025 CT schedule is packed with waves that will provide a dynamic canvas for the nine rookies, many of whom join the ranks of the world’s best surfers already backed by experience and impressive accolades. We’re looking forward to the excitement that all of our surfers, both new and returning, will deliver as they take on the CT in 2025.”
Here’s a quick rundown of everybody who’s out (so far) and everybody filling their spots at Pipe and/or beyond:
Who’s Out?
John John Florence
The 2025 Championship Tour will go down without a defending world champ for the second year in a row. Fresh off his third career world title, Florence announced he’d be taking a break from the 2025 CT.
“I intend to compete full on for another world title in 2026, but right now this idea of adventure and creatively pushing my surfing as far as possible is really exciting,” he said on Tuesday.
The WSL announced Florence will have a wildcard waiting for him to return in 2026.
Steph Gilmore
The surf world was expecting to see Steph Gilmore back in action this year after she’d taken 2025 to do what pro surfers on sabbatical do: take off the jersey, travel, and work on film projects. Well, Gilmore decided she’s not done with that quite yet and she’s not ready to return to the grind of a dozen world tour stops. She had a season wildcard waiting for her, but she won’t be cashing it in.
“This time will allow me to focus on healing some lingering injuries and redirect my energy toward continuing my adventures of surfing around the globe. I’m deeply grateful for the unwavering support of my sponsors and I wish all the athletes on tour the best of luck this season,” she said on Tuesday.
Just like John John, the WSL plans to give Steph a season wildcard for 2026.
Gabriel Medina
It’s been a tough start to the new year for Gabriel Medina. On January 9, Medina suffered a pectoral injury and was in surgery just two days later. According to the WSL, Medina has already withdrawn from the first three events of this year “before reevaluating, hoping to return to competition as soon as possible.”
In all likelihood, missing the first three events of the season (at minimum) makes qualifying for the cut an uphill battle. Probably realizing this, the WSL has already granted Medina a 2026 injury wildcard.
Crosby Colapinto
Crosby Colapinto had a great rookie season in 2024, taking Rookie of the Year honors for the men and finishing 10th in the tour rankings. That led to a lot of excitement and high expectations for a sophomore campaign, but a broken elbow suffered at Backdoor right before the season now threatens his season and it now makes his return to the CT a puzzle the WSL is going to have to solve. John John Florence has a season wildcard in 2026 and Gabriel Medina has an injury wildcard, and the league only has so much wriggle room to accommodate any other injuries to its CT roster.
Colapinto will undergo surgery this week but no timeline was announced for his return. The WSL has only confirmed that Colapinto withdrew from the upcoming Lexus Pipe Pro.
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Johanne Defay
Johanne Defay put on a strong comeback campaign in 2024 and nearly broke into the top five by the end of the season. It would have been her third appearance in the WSL Finals and first since 2022.
The WSL said on Tuesday that Defay has withdrawn from the Lexus Pipe Pro but did not offer any other details. According to Defay, she has some “ongoing little injuries” that she’s attending to and plans to be ready for Abu Dhabi mid-February.
Who’s In?
Kelly Slater
Don’t get your hopes up, all you 30, 40, and 50-somethings still living vicariously through the Champ. Slater did not get a magical season wildcard that would extend his career to its 487th year, he’s just an event wildcard for the Lexus Pipe Pro. He’ll of course be a fan favorite and it was only a few years ago that he collected his last CT victory at Pipe just days before turning 50, so there’s going to be chatter of his potential to do it once more.
Once that hysteria dies down, the CT will head off to Abu Dhabi for its second event of the season at… a Kelly Slater Wave Co. facility where an event wildcard will likely be given to (insert your wildest guess here).
Is Kelly Slater unofficially back on tour or something?
Moana Jones Wong
Moana Jones Wong will join Kelly Slater as another former Pipe Pro winner who’s well deserving of an event wildcard. The Pipe regular held the event wildcard in 2023 and 2024 as well, following her 2022 win. She earned an equal 9th in those events.
Nadia Erostarbe
Spain’s Nadia Erostarbe will make her CT debut at Pipe in Johanne Defay’s absence. After Defay’s withdrawal from the event, the WSL announced Erostrabe as the CT’s “replacement surfer.” That designation goes to the highest-ranked Challenger Series surfer who finished the previous season below the qualification line. Essentially, it’s the next woman up spot, according to Challenger Series rankings.
Eli Hanneman
Eli Hanneman missed the mid-year cut in his rookie campaign and didn’t requalify for the CT via the 2024 Challenger Series. He’s been given Colapinto’s spot for the Lexus Pipe Pro as the highest-ranked Hawaiian surfer who wasn’t already in the draw.
Ian Gentil
Ian Gentil earned Rooke of the Year honors in 2023 but missed the mid-year cut in 2024 and did not requalify through the Challenger Series. He was, however, just shy of that 2024 mid-year cut line on the CT which earned him the same CT replacement surfer designation given to Erostarbe. As the replacement surfer, the WSL has awarded Gentil Gabriel Medina’s spot(s) in the Lexus Pipe Pro, the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, and the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal.
Lakey Peterson
Lakey Peterson was given the season wildcard by the WSL in 2025. As the 11th-ranked surfer at 2024’s mid-year cut, however, she also would serve as the CT’s replacement surfer, which will now be passed on to…
Luana Silva
The domino effect of Steph Gilmore’s extended sabbatical lands with Luana Silva. Gilmore was originally given the 2025 season wildcard but now that she doesn’t need it, the league called on Silva as the next in line following Lakey Peterson’s elevation to CT replacement surfer.
Samuel Pupo
According to the WSL, “as this is a pre-season withdrawal, Florence’s spot, under the WSL Rule Book, continues down the 2024 CT rankings.” That next person in line is Samuel Pupo, who already qualified by finishing the 2024 Challenger Series atop the rankings. That means Florence’s spot falls to…
Alan Cleland
Alan Cleland barely missed qualifying for the 2025 CT through last year’s Challenger Series. There were just 330 points between Cleland at 11th on the CS leaderboard and the number 10 qualifier Jackson Bunch. That near miss has turned into Cleland’s opportunity now that Florence is taking 2025 off and he’ll no be the first-ever Mexican surfer to join the Championship Tour fulltime.
