Bernd Roediger leads the starting field of the Fiji Surf Pro as the current world number one. The Hawaiian will face Takuma Sugi from Japan, currently ranked 15th, and French down-the-line expert Camille Juban in Seeding Heat 1. Juban won the Fiji Surf Pro 2022 and knows the wave like no other.
Seeding Heat 2 brings together three athletes with extensive big wave experience. Robby Swift from Great Britain, ranked fifth in the world, will face Germany's Julian Salmonn, currently number 20, and Australia's Jaeger Stone. Stone is ranked sixth in the world. In Heat 3, Antoine Martin from Guadeloupe, ranked third in the world, will start against Takara Ishii from Japan and Russ Faurot from Hawaii. Heat 4 features Morgan Noireaux - the Hawaiian is regarded as one of the most consistent cloudbreak surfers and is ranked fourth in the world. His opponents are Federico Morisio from Italy and Baptiste Cloarec from France, the 2023 Fiji winner.
The women's field comprises four athletes who will meet directly in the final. Sarah Kenyon from Australia, currently ranked sixth in the world, will start against Spain's Maria Andres, number 11 in the world rankings. Jane Seman from Australia won the Fiji Surf Pro 2022 and is currently ranked tenth. Jessica Crisp completes the field after successfully qualifying. The winner-takes-all format promises maximum excitement on the final day.
Mega waves expected for the finale
With the reliable forecasts, the schedule for the Fiji Surf Pro has also been finalised: It starts on Tuesday with the Challenger Heats, in which all unseeded riders can qualify. The Challenger Heats described above will follow on Wednesday, before the Grand Final is expected to take place on Thursday.
Conditions will increase from 6 to 8 feet on Tuesday to 8 to 10 feet on Wednesday. Clean trade winds from the east-southeast should provide optimal offshore conditions. Conditions on Thursday with 8 to 12 foot waves forecast could make for some spectacular decisions.
The tournament will be broadcast live over three days - on the WWT YouTube channel and on the regional TV station Fijian Broadcast Corporation. Each competition day ends with a half-hour analysis session.
All information under liveheats.com
