Giant surf, high stakes: Pro Men's Semi-Finals locked in at the Aloha Classic

by World Windsurf Tour 28 Oct 12:05 PDT 19–30 October 2026

Bernd Roediger (Hawaii Hotsails Flikka) © Fish Bowl Diaries

Towering four- to five-metre wave faces and light winds greeted the Pro Men at the Aloha Classic today. The result was a day of spectacular, high risk wave riding, with three of the world's top four sailors booking their places in a crucial semi-final showdown.

With light winds forecast for the rest of the competition period, the pressure was on: anyone who failed to finish in the top two of their four-man heat was out of the competition. This meant do-or-die action all day, with Pro Men completing the last five heats of round one, followed by their quarter-finals.

The first quarter-final quickly became a two-man battle for first place between Morgan Noireaux (USA, NeilPryde) and Marcilio Browne (Brazil, Goya), with the lead changing hands several times. Noireaux combined his signature surf-style flow with perfectly timed hits to score a near excellent, 7.82 wave plus a 6.40. But Browne finally overtook him with strong rail work and an incredibly late punch through the lip to finish with a higher heat total of 14.22. World number two Philip Köster (Germany, Severne) was the first major casualty finishing third, and is likely to slide down the rankings, as several fellow world title contenders progressed.

Morgan Noireaux (Hawaii Neil Pryde JP) - photo © Fish Bowl Diaries

Thomas Traversa (France, Gaastra) was one of the day's standouts. He thrived in the heavy conditions and posted the day's highest heat total of 15.05. His big-wave experience showed from the outset as he rode deep in the pocket and hit the most critical sections with confidence and ease. Despite breaking a mast midway through his quarter-final, he had already banked enough points to hold second place and advance.

"The swell was bigger than expected, some waves were over mast high, peeling and perfect." - Thomas Traversa

Antoine Martin (Guadeloupe, Goya) overtook Traversa in his down time to win quarter-final two, posting the day's second-best heat total of 14.95. Martin was among the most consistent performers on the water, with several rides accruing more than seven points each. He picked some of the biggest peeling sets and attacked the lip all the way down the line.

Marcilio Browne (Brazil Goya) - photo © Fish Bowl Diaries

2026 Maui Pro winner and early tour leader Bernd Roediger (Hawaii, Hot Sails/Flikka) had a nail-biting finish to his first-round heat, climbing from fourth to first in the final five minutes of the 30-minute heat. After some uncharacteristic early errors, he held his nerve on his last counting wave, landing a towering aerial and a series of sharp snaps on a large set. His quarter-final win was far more assured. It produced some of the day's most thrilling moments, with incredibly late, under-the-lip hits and one of the top single-wave scores, an 8.08.

"I'm not trying to make this into more drama than it already is, but it's the nature of competing when it's light and the waves are big and there's a lot of current and the other sailors are really good. It was very, very challenging and I was super lucky to get that final wave. But then everything started to click and started to feel good." - Bernd Roediger

Bernd Roediger (Hawaii Hot Sails Flikka) - photo © Fish Bowl Diaries

In perhaps the biggest upset of the day, a hard-charging Boujmaa Guilloul (Morocco, Goya) knocked out former Aloha Classic champion Camille Juban (Guadeloupe) with a heat total of 13.47. Guilloul used his deep knowledge of Ho'okipa to choose waves that offered several scoring opportunities, then made the most of them with beautifully timed airs and powerful snaps. Juban still threw down some huge aerials, but he looked slightly underpowered and couldn't quite get past the section for a second move.

Compatriots Liam Dunkerbeck (Spain, Duotone) and Marc Paré Rico (Spain, Simmer) fought an exciting tussle for the all-important heat win, with Dunkerbeck edging out the reigning world wave champion by just 0.6 points and a heat total of 13.88. Dunkerbeck applied smart wave selection to perform consistent aerials, surf-style carves and one-handed cutbacks. Paré Rico answered back with tweaked airs, critical hits and a goiter, proving he is a world title threat at every venue.

Boujmaa Guilloul (Morocco, Goya) - photo © Fish Bowl Diaries

Several others missed the semi-finals but deserve a mention for their committed performances:

Federico Morisio (Italy, Severne/Starboard) landed some impressively high aerials.
Arthur Arutkin (France, Gun Sails/Flikka) attacked the lip with power to beat two leading Ho'okipa specialists, Levi Siver (USA, Goya) and Graham Ezzy (USA, Ezzy).
Rising talents Ryu Noguchi (Japan, Severne/Starboard) and Gregory Stathopoulos (Greece, Goya) both reached the quarter-finals, showing they are fast becoming real contenders in the Pro Men's fleet.
Takuma Sugi (Japan, Gaastra) was unlucky to have the heat he was leading abandoned as the wind faded. In the re-sail, he couldn't recapture the same rhythm or find sets of the same quality.