Outerknown Tahiti Pro 2026: Two Days of Heavywater at Teahupo’o

The Outerknown Tahiti Pro has wasted little time reminding everyone why Teahupo’o is regarded as one of the most intimidating waves on the Championship Tour.

The opening two days of competition at the End of the Road have delivered powerful surf, enormous wipeouts, deep barrels and one of the biggest talking points in professional surfing this year: the return of 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater to Championship Tour competition.

With the swell pushing hard and conditions often bordering on unmanageable, the opening rounds have been as much about survival and wave selection as they have been about traditional CT performance.

Day One: Kelly Slater Turns Back the Clock

The first day of competition was short, but it produced one of the most memorable heats of the event.

At 54 years old and competing with a wildcard, Kelly Slater paddled out against Hawaiian Eli Hanneman in some seriously heavy Teahupo’o conditions. Slater looked completely at home, building his score throughout the heat before finding a huge barrel that earned a 9.00.

He backed that up with a 7.23, finishing with a 16.23 heat total to record the highest heat score of the opening day.

It was vintage Slater.

The nine-point ride was the standout wave of the opening day, with Slater positioning himself deep and committing to the barrel while Teahupo’o threw everything at him. His second scoring wave was another clean barrel, showing that the performance was not simply one spectacular wave.

Slater's win also created one of the most anticipated matchups of the event: a second-round meeting with three-time World Champion Gabriel Medina.

For a surfer who has not been competing full-time on the CT since 2024, Slater's performance was about as convincing a reminder as possible that he remains extremely dangerous when the waves get heavy. Reuters reported that Slater's 16.23 was the highest heat total of Day One.

Eli Hanneman's Heavy Wipeout

While Slater produced the heroics, Eli Hanneman experienced the other side of Teahupo’o.

The Hawaiian was caught by one of the bigger waves of the day and took an extremely heavy fall, launching from the top of the wave and getting driven towards the reef.

The wipeout quickly became one of the defining images of the opening day and showed just how little room for error there was.

Hanneman eventually finished with 4.53 against Slater's 16.23.

Seth Moniz and Eimeo Czermak Put on a Show

Another major talking point from the opening day was the battle between Hawaii's Seth Moniz and Tahitian wildcard Eimeo Czermak.

This was one of the closest and highest-quality heats of the opening round, with Moniz eventually edging Czermak by a score of 14.50 to 14.17.

For Czermak, however, the result was still a major statement.

The local wildcard showed that he was more than capable of matching a CT-level performance in serious Teahupo’o. The Tahitian crowd had plenty to get behind, and Czermak's ability to find quality waves in the heavy conditions made him one of the surfers to watch as the event progressed.

Ramzi Boukhiam Advances

Morocco's Ramzi Boukhiam also got his campaign underway with a win over Australia's Oscar Berry.

Boukhiam posted an 8.17 heat total, while Berry finished on 3.93.

It was another heat where wave selection proved critical, with the conditions making it difficult for surfers to find multiple scoring opportunities.

Luke Thompson Wins the South African Battle

The opening round also featured an all-South African matchup between Luke Thompson and Matthew McGillivray.

Thompson came out on top with a 5.50 heat total, while McGillivray struggled to find a rhythm and finished on 0.77.

The result underlined one of the main themes of the first day: at Teahupo’o, simply getting a wave is not enough. The surfers had to commit to some extremely serious sections to put meaningful scores on the board.

Kauli Vaast Brings the Local Knowledge

One of the biggest names to watch at Teahupo’o is local Tahitian Kauli Vaast.

The 2024 Olympic gold medallist has grown up surfing the wave and has an understanding of the reef and its shifting take-off zones that few surfers on the planet can match.

Vaast was one of the surfers who looked comfortable in the difficult opening-day conditions, reinforcing his reputation as one of the most dangerous surfers in the draw whenever Teahupo’o starts showing its teeth.

His presence is particularly significant this year as he competes as part of the Championship Tour rather than simply arriving as a local wildcard.

Day Two: Teahupo’o Gets Even Heavier

If Day One was difficult, Day Two took things to another level.

The End of the Road was producing enormous, mutant waves, with long stretches where surfers were either faced with impossible-looking sets or nothing worth paddling for.

Only three heats were completed before competition was eventually called off.

But those three heats produced plenty of action.

Seth Moniz Finds the Wave of the Morning

Seth Moniz continued his excellent run at Teahupo’o by producing one of the standout performances of Day Two.

Against reigning World Champion Yago Dora, Moniz committed to one of the morning's biggest waves and came away with an excellent 8.17.

It was a serious barrel and exactly the sort of wave that Teahupo’o specialists dream about.

Dora responded with an impressive 8.00 of his own, finding a deep section of the barrel despite the intimidating conditions.

But Moniz was simply better on the day.

His ability to read the shifting peaks and commit when the opportunity appeared eventually saw him eliminate the reigning World Champion and move closer to what could become his best result of the season.

The WSL described Moniz's performance as a standout display of his world-class barrel hunting.

Yago Dora Shows Why He Is World Champion

Despite losing the heat, Yago Dora deserves plenty of credit.

An 8.00 at Teahupo’o in these conditions is a serious score, and Dora was willing to take on some enormous waves rather than sit on the shoulder waiting for something safer.

His elimination was one of the biggest surprises of Day Two, particularly considering the quality of his surfing in the barrel.

But this was one of those heats where one perfect wave could completely change the outcome.

Moniz found that wave.

Barron Mamiya Survives a Serious Teahupo’o Test

Hawaii's Barron Mamiya then faced 2025 Rookie of the Year Marco Mignot.

Mamiya was forced to deal with some enormous sets during the heat and took a few waves on the head before finally finding the opportunity he needed.

His patience and composure were important.

Rather than chasing every wave, Mamiya waited for something he could actually work with and eventually secured the heat win over Mignot.

It was another reminder that at Teahupo’o, positioning and patience can be just as important as explosive surfing.

Connor O'Leary Eliminates Filipe Toledo

The final heat of the day saw Australia's Connor O'Leary take on two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo.

The ocean was becoming increasingly difficult, with long periods of nothing interrupted by enormous sets.

O'Leary handled the conditions better and eventually took the win.

Toledo, one of the most technically gifted surfers in the world, simply could not find enough opportunities to build a competitive total.

The WSL highlighted O'Leary's composure as he dealt with the increasingly difficult conditions and eliminated Toledo.

Best Wave So Far: Kelly Slater's 9.00

There have been plenty of heavy waves during the opening two days, but Kelly Slater's 9.00 remains the standout scoring ride.

The combination of the size of the wave, the depth of the barrel and the circumstances surrounding the ride make it difficult to look past.

At 54, Slater was surfing against competitors less than half his age and looked completely comfortable inside one of the heaviest waves on the planet.

His 16.23 heat total remains the benchmark from the opening day.

Biggest Story: Slater vs Medina

The result everyone is waiting for is the second-round meeting between Kelly Slater and Gabriel Medina.

It is a matchup that carries plenty of history.

Slater represents one of the greatest competitive careers surfing has ever produced, while Medina is one of the defining surfers of the modern era and a three-time World Champion.

Putting those two names together at Teahupo’o, with a serious swell running, is about as good as professional surfing gets.

The matchup was created when Slater dominated his opening heat and advanced into Round Two.

Biggest Local Story: Eimeo Czermak

Eimeo Czermak may have lost his opening-round battle with Seth Moniz, but his 14.17 heat total showed that the Tahitian wildcard belongs in this conversation.

At Teahupo’o, local knowledge matters.

Czermak knows the reef, knows where the waves stand up and is clearly comfortable when the ocean gets serious.

A 14.17 total against one of the best barrel riders in the world is a performance that should not be overlooked.

Two Days Down, Plenty Still to Come

After two days, the Outerknown Tahiti Pro has already delivered everything that makes Teahupo’o such a unique stop on the Championship Tour.

There have been deep barrels, huge wipeouts, wildcard performances, world champions falling early and one of the greatest surfers of all time reminding everyone that he can still surf a serious barrel.

The biggest question now is what happens when the event gets another opportunity in clean, powerful surf.

Kelly Slater has already set the benchmark.

Seth Moniz has emerged as one of the surfers most comfortable in the barrel.

Kauli Vaast remains a major threat on home territory.

And the possibility of Slater facing Gabriel Medina adds another layer to an already loaded event.

Teahupo’o has only needed two days to make the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro one of the most talked-about events of the Championship Tour season.

And the best may still be to come.

Official results: World Surf League – Outerknown Tahiti Pro 2026 Results