Ed Sloane

Caitlin Simmers, Oceanside's pride and joy, is the #1 ranked women's surfer in the world.

Ten Olympian surfers will compete in the Lexus World Surf League Finals, a one-day event held at Lower Trestles, north of Oceanside, sometime between Sept. 6 and Sept.16, depending on when the best waves arrive. The World Surf League holds this contest to determine the 2024 men’s and women’s world champion. (The WSL will update its website, WorldSurfLeague.com and its social channels, with the projected competition timing and issue a ‘Yellow Alert’ 24 hours ahead of the likely competition day. Once they make the call, competition will start at 7:30 a.m. and end by 4:00 p.m.)

“The Lexus WSL Finals is the most special day of the year for surfing. Fans can expect stunning performances from the world’s best surfers, all pushing the limits of what’s possible,” said a WSL spokesperson. “Every single heat impacts who will become the world champion, and there’s nothing like the excitement and emotional experience at the water's edge.”

After this year’s contest, the WSL will take a hiatus from holding Finals Day at Lower Trestles for the foreseeable future. Who knows the next chance San Diegans will have to see the best surfers in the world up close? The spokesperson said the 2025 WSL Finals location will be held at Cloudbreak in Fiji, and the 2026 location has yet to be decided. While San Diego and San Clemente surfers have always considered Lower Trestles a high-performance wave, some pros feel it has drawbacks, including not being big and hollow enough for the best surfers in the world, or what the WSL likes to call “waves of consequence.”  This may partly explain why Finals Day is being moved.

Here is a list of this year’s top five men’s and women’s surfers in the world who will be competing on Finals Day:

Men’s Top 5

John John Florence (1-seed)

A blond, curly haired waterman from Hawaii, John does his best surfing in big waves, where he can do his patented explosive layback hacks. During the 2024 season, John won one contest and earned three second-place finishes, accumulating 49,530 points over nine contests. (The humble and likable surfer recently brought a son into the world, which seems to be a theme we’re seeing among pro surfers: Jack Robinson and Kelly Slater also recently welcomed little ones into the world, all boys.) An Olympian, Florence represented America at the Paris Games at Teahupo'o in French Polynesia, Tahiti.

Men's top seed John John Florence does his best surfing in big waves.

Aaron Hughes

Griffin Colapinto (2-seed)

Another curly-haired surfer, San Clemente native Griffin Colapinto is also big into meditation, has tons of positive energy, and does some of the best above-the-wave surfing you’re going to see anywhere. There were high expectations for the Olympian going into last year’s Finals Day at Lower Trestles, with actor-surfer Matthew McConaughey endorsing him in a motivational video bordering on corny that was posted on Instagram. Some Australian surf humorists did a parody here. But he’s one of the good guys.

Jack Robinson (3-seed)

Jack Robinson is also coming back from representing Australia in the Olympic Games, where he walked away with a silver medal. He always has a good chance of winning at Lower Trestles, as he can surf proficiently in small and big waves and has a good air game.

Ethan Ewing (4-seed)

Quiet, composed, elegant — that describes Ethan Ewing on land and in the water. He represented Australia in the Paris Games and competed in last year’s Finals Day at Lower Trestles, where he lost to Felipe Toledo in the final heat.

Italo Ferreira (5-seed)

Italo Ferreira, known simply as “Italo,” is part of the Brazilian Storm that has revolutionized what was once regarded as an Anglo sport. The 2020 Olympian capitalizes on his jittery energy, using it to fly high above the wave and pull off skateboard-inspired maneuvers. Italo is a crowd pleaser comfortable in small and big waves. With one world title already under his belt, he could do it again.

Note: The first heat of the morning will feature 5-seed Italo Ferreira versus 4-seed Ethan Ewing; the winner will face 3-seed Jack Robinson and so on until they reach the first seed.   

Women’s Top 5

Caitlin Simmers (1-seed)

The #1-ranked women’s surfer in the world, Caitlin Simmers is Oceanside’s pride and joy. Last year, at only 17 years old, she had her rookie season and finished fifth in the world and fourth after finals day. She alternates between drawing smooth lines and making explosive turns combined with skateboard-inspired, above-the-wave maneuvers. She recently threw out the first pitch at a Padres game, so she’s going mainstream!

Caroline Marks (2-seed)

Originally from Florida, Marks has called San Clemente home for the past 10 years and knows Lower Trestles like the back of her hand. Marks had no problem winning last year’s Finals Day at Lower Trestles, and her ability to get her board vertical consistently on a wave is unmatched. She just demonstrated this at Teahupo'o during the Paris Games where she took home the gold for the U.S.

Brisa Hennessy (3-seed)

Hailing from Costa Rica, Brisa took most of the 2023 season off but came roaring back in 2024, representing Costa Rica in the Olympics and catapulting herself all the way to a spot in the World Surf League’s top five.

Molly Picklum (4-seed)

Molly Picklum, who surfed for Australia in the Paris Games, had her rookie season in 2022 and was taken out by Simmers in the first heat of last year’s Finals Day. She, along with Caitlin Simmers, is part of a generational shift that’s occurring in the World Surf League.

Tatiana Weston Webb (5-seed)

A Brazilian with a white-blonde mane that she puts in a pony or a bun when she competes, Tatiana is a fierce competitor who represented Brazil in the Paris Games, taking home a silver medal.

Last year's winners at the WSL finals, Felipe Toledo and Caroline Marks.

Thiago Diz

Getting to Lower Trestles

The spot is by San Onofre, about a 50-minute drive from PB. Take 5 North and exit at Cristianitos Road. There’s parking by the Carl’s Jr. or on El Camino Real.  You will see a trail that leads down to the train tracks. Walk down the trail and to the beach.