A quick video breaking down some of the reasons behind the World Surf League’s venue switch for this year’s 2026 schedule. What do you guys think of the switch?
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Inside: The WSL's Latest Venue Switch
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It’s all because of tourism NZ, pretty strategic move and will probably bring millions of visitors to Nz and Raglan area. More tourists = more business = employment = more taxes. So everyone stand to benefit.
Should have kept Jbay and scrapped one of the trash Brazilian beach breaks
Destroyed j bay……..now for some where else
WSL, as usual, is craping on professional surfing. J-Bay is one of the most traditional legs of the world tour, since the 70s.
Yes come s down to coin for sure nz may not have the hype like other well known breaks .can say start of winter here will get the pros to work in cold heavy onshore conditions if organizers let it play out place can be scary over 3 meters onshore like closing sections long as car park s coming dwn .have your fitness on point to give you best shot .kool to watch world best outhere they're eat it on a nice day .
Kinda random but looking at the drone pictures of jbay… damn those houses almost in the sand. They killed the vegetation and honestly that made the place less beautiful. Obvously they gonna pay for that in the future. I know lot of developed places are sadly like that but for such a remote place… surfing can have really bad impacts in nature
On topic Im sad for no jbay! Best right for sure, Id be more happy if they dropped the wave pool for raglan
Manu is the fatter wave of all the points available in Raglan. They shoulda run the event at Outside/Indie/Whale Bay …
Nooooooooo that's when I was going to go over
South Africa has been rated the most violent country in the world.
It's not free for the world surf tour to come to your town or county. They have to pay a lot of money for that. JB didn't pay that's why they're leaving. Good luck with that left in New Zealand. It doesn't look that great.
Cant possibly be cheaper to run in NZ? Time zone difference also not much better.
So much speculation going on here around the Government departments not giving this or that . Then on the other end, using timelines and expenditure as the excuse for being the " most expensive venue on tour " . Lets objectively review the documentation given to The Minister of Sport – This would be required to go through Surfing South Africa , as all countries deal via their sports federation should they require anything ….There is none . In a country that has so much corruption, there is nothing that is done on a handshake , their is process and the irony is, that the process exists yet was never dealt with properly . My shock to see thata league that deals with the same/similar model in the countries around the globe did not tick the boxes in South Africa ? What did they expect and what do people that throw stones in glass houses expect ? Then there is the timeline excuse . Raglan and US/ Brazil time difference is 16 to 19 hours . If SA time zone is not good, best get rid of Abu Dhabi and Peniche as they are within a few hours of each other. Fly out all the officials – HOW MUCH DOES THIS COST ? South Africa has plenty of good people, seasoned , to take on the tasks . The officials are housed in prime spots whereas a walk away are really good places . Equipment – most of it is here , plug and play every year , same / same . I have done some pretty large activations , Rugby 10's , Plett Rage , Mother City Queer Parade, which are more than enough by these standards in terms of crowds, management of stadiums .$4 MILLION seems to be a bit of a rip off to be honest . Cut overheads WSL – Your getting too top heavy . Finally, when negotiating anything local, please remember that the idea of process in SA, is scrutineered and questioned , in triplicate so just get some good people to do the negotiations that fill in the documents and process with The Ministry of Sport . There is a local office of WSL for Africa , why dont they handle it with Surfing South Africa – two very capable leaders in Surfing that are committed totally to the sport on all platforms . Enough of the blame game and look within . The market will dictate and with respect , losing Jbay , which is ensconced in the WSL is as if the League is taking two steps backwards . The surfers , i know, feel the same . Are you living vicariously through the ASP and old school negotiating because that doesnt work . Every department must take a rap for it and every excuse made, is quite frankly pretentious . Stop politicising something that is just bad business management from cradle to grave, of the situation .
Government got involved and pushed WSL away
J-Bay is a legend stop, and for it to be removed is unreal. Not only is it an iconic break, but it’s a beautiful part of the country that so many love to experience and where they get a true African surf experience. Apparently the local council didn’t pay their ‘fees’ which one can believe. Not having J-Bay part of the tour is unbelievable.
I'm so sick of wave pools. The wsl is making bank off that uae event and f El Salvador
2:05… The time-zone issue bakes no sense at all. South Africa is practically the same time zone as Portugal. And, J-Bay is a better break than Supertubos (the name is even a poor imitation of Supertubes).
The WSL is no longer the "world" surfing league, it's just becoming the "convenient time zone" surfing league. The whole European and Southern African audiences are being short-changed.
So NZ timezone suites who? Jbay is at least close to europe timezone. Its pure money and politics. Doe people watch the Ozzie one? Meh.
It's all about America these days. Fuck America and fuck them for canning j-bay! It's easily one of the best waves on the planet and definitely should be on the circuit. Wsl should ditch that mediocre wave called trestles and keep j-bay
Differ see the amount of houses now..!! GEEZE. Remember Enless Summer shots. It’s bush and paddock.. crazy to see that change soo much
the event costing 4m is totally the WSL's fault…. like who tf spends 4mil on a 2 week window. for how terrible the quality of production is i really wonder how much they waste on shit nobody cares about or uses…. another reason theyve killed the sport since buying out the ASP
"really far away from everywhere" … and NZ?
the world has sidelined south africa
unfortunate for the locals
jbay and suroundings has become a dump that looks like a suburb in joburg cbd
its dangerous and the best excuse is money problems
well done new zealand
If they could include the bar and indies it could be epic. Manu’s could easily be an average event
Alot of whinging going down. . Bring your fat cash and then leave.
Thanks for coming. NZ is awesome. Haere Mai., kapi.
Time zones excuse is BS – same time zone as Europe. Medina heat a few years back scored almost a million views
Time zones in NZ suck.
Jbay best wave in the world
what do WSL actually contribute to anything? seems to me that publicizing self-obsessed "pros" only eventuates in more fools in the line-up…
With 26 000 murders a year in South Africa who blames them. South Africa has been rated the most violent country in the world
im a kiwi live 45min from rags surfd there all my life….the jbay event was the only wsl event i watchd hahhaa…dont get it…the point as its known here is a fat wave that occasionally gets slabby on the ledge at low tide…a small chunky take off and a tricky barrel then turns to shit after that….mid to high 4-6ft pretty fun and rippable long peeling waves…..definatly has nothing on jbay…
needs to be held at indies…way better wave and links up to the valley so a longer wave with some bowly sections and alot faster….the point is full of all the euros that come to town and decide to take up surfing…so that alone kinder tells you how mellow manu bay is…
The South African government are a bunch if incompetent and corrupt fools, sucks for local business but we will be enjoying a July with less crowds at least.
Another bad move in my opinion. I love Raglin and the laid back surf community and small town vibe there, I agree with the chap below on comments-Can the wave
pool event and San Salvador-Keep Jay Bay and try out Raglan. Than take a public opinion poll with the Ragland community after this coming 1st one there. Do they want it back ? Or do they want it gone in 2027…? !J Bay South Africa getting way too dangerous. The cost of the security for the event made it not worth it.
Raglan will be good especially if its big. Its a good spot as the crowd will be able to sit on the grassy bank which is elevated about the shore and follows the point break giving awesome viewing even if it is crowded. There also plenty of other good spots in New Zealand like Shipwreck Bay, Mahia HB
On the right day the ledge at manu bay is good.
Back to the days of the ASP shit waves for a quick buck