Jaeger Stone took part on the third day of the Fiji Surf Pro Contests 2026 broke his foot at Cloudbreak. The Australian had just surfed one of the best waves of his life shortly before, and went on to win his heat, but injured his foot whilst landing a big aerial. He has been diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury. Stone has already undergone surgery in Perth and is planning his return to the water in Western Australia. The 35-year-old retired from the PWA Wave World Tour after the 2019/2020 season, but continues to take part in selected events. At the Fiji Surf Pro, it was clear that the fire within him is still burning brightly, even if his priorities have shifted. Stone now focuses more on the experience and the quality of the waves he surfs than on results and rankings. In conversation with his sponsor Severne Stone provided some fascinating insights.
The first few days at Cloudbreak Reef
Cloudbreak proved a challenge for Stone right from the start. On the first day, he was washed over the reef three times and spent half an hour being dragged across the notorious ‘Shish Kabobs’ section of the reef. “I didn’t feel great out on the water, but I was positive about the experience and saw it as a benefit to learn how to navigate different parts of the reef and get myself out of tricky situations,” says Stone. The second day brought progress. There were moments that showed what Cloudbreak is capable of, but the waves were few and far between. Stone wanted more.
The wave of his life
The morning of the third day was the first day of competition, and Cloudbreak had been completely transformed. “The conditions were incredible and you could already see the potential from the boat,” says Stone. He rigged up his 4.4 sail and decided to do a warm-up run. The plan was simple: check the settings, catch a wave, surf it easily to get a feel for the conditions, and save his energy for the heat. Then a set approached. Stone began cruising along the crest of the wave. “I could see the long wave face building up, and the first section looked solid – too good to pass up,” he says. Within seconds, he completely changed his approach and decided that he was there to windsurf as hard as possible and ride waves in a way he would remember forever, whether it was a warm-up or not. What’s more, he also had Paul van Bellens' I caught a glimpse of a drone out of the corner of my eye.
It’s definitely one of the best waves I’ve ever ridden. (Jaeger Stone)
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“Without a doubt, it’s one of the best waves I’ve ever ridden,” says Stone. “Margaret River has its moments for big hits, but I can’t remember ever doing an aerial over such a heavy section. I kicked out and knew that this was the sort of wave I wanted to surf before the trip was over. My trip had already been worth it at that very moment.”
The injury
Stone headed straight back to the boat. Bernd Roediger, Julian Salmonn and the others welcomed him back with the same energy. “It was so cool to share that moment and cheer each other on,” says Stone. “I was on a high and knew I wanted to carry on surfing with that approach.” But this approach carries risks. The heat got off to a rough start. “I started with two crashes and got caught on the inside; I worked really hard to get back out, and then turned the heat around,” he reports. From then on, he went all-in. A big aerial, straight into another, and just before landing, the massive whitewater caught his sheet end and flung him forwards over the mast foot – with his foot still in the strap. He won the heat, but broke his foot. Cloudbreak gave and took. “I’ve had so much respect for Cloudbreak right from the start, but I feel I have even more respect and appreciation for it now,” says Stone. “It gave me a massive high and then a massive low, so it’s hard to put into words how I feel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up heading back to Fiji.”
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A look at the tour
A lot has changed since Stone left the tour. The traditional PWA-led World Tour is now accompanied by the World Windsurf Tour, which adds new events of various levels to the calendar. When asked for his views on the World Tour, Stone remained cautious. “It’s interesting,” he says. “A lot is being worked through at the moment, but for spectators, events like Fiji offer great entertainment when there’s enough exposure and enough top riders taking part to showcase the highest standard.” His view on the current state of the World Tour offers a pragmatic, rider-focused approach. “I’m sure I understand very little of what goes on behind the scenes for both the PWA and the WWT to comment much,” he says, “but I believe that one of the most important things for growth would be for riders to trust that they’ll get value from an event. That comes from credible judging, high-quality videos and photos, and a live stream or broadcast. If you have that and prioritise these things, especially in locations that offer incredible windsurfing, then I think you build excitement from within, which will hopefully enable growth.”
Outlook and recovery
What began as a broken foot was confirmed to be a significant Lisfranc injury. Stone has already undergone surgery in Perth and is on track for a full recovery. He’s taking a level-headed view of it. He knows what he’s up against. “I love travelling to new places, and I love filming amazing windsurfing footage,” he says. “It would be nice to carry on doing that from time to time. Chile is a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time, and it might be off the cards this year, but time will tell.” First, his foot needs to heal. “I’m going to prioritise getting better, getting back to my full-time job, and rebuilding my confidence windsurfing at my home spots in Western Australia,” he says. “I’ll take it from there.” The motivation is still there, even if it burns differently now than it did during his time on the tour. Stone is no longer chasing rankings, but moments like that wave at Cloudbreak.
