Surfing | On top of the world: SA’s Jordy Smith heads into home waters as WSL championship leader 

South African surfer Jordy Smith will look to solidify his position at the top of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour rankings when the global competition returns to local waters this month.

Jordy Smith RIO pic: Camila Othon

The WSL Championship Tour heads back to the iconic right-hand point break of Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape from 11–20 July for the Corona Cero Open J-Bay. The event returns to the calendar after a one-year absence due to a scheduling clash with the 2024 Olympics.

Smith, from Durban, is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, despite being one of the oldest surfers on the tour at 37 years old. Two event wins so far in 2025 have launched him to the top of the rankings and into serious contention for his first world title.

After victories in El Salvador and Australia, Big-Bru, as he is affectionately known as, will head to J-Bay with the yellow leaders jersey in his grasp. Smith has been drawn in Heat 4 against US surfer Crosby Colapinto, who Smith triumphed over in the semi-finals in Australia, and the yet-to-be-confirmed number 24 seed.

“Coming home is the best part of my entire year”, says Smith. The fact that I get to be with my family in J-Bay during the event is really special. It is my favourite event of the year. To come in wearing the yellow jersey is epic. It is a testament to a lot of hard work and sacrifice this year and we’ll just keep going for it!”

The town is expecting over 70,000 visitors during the almost two week period of the Corona Cero Open J-Bay and the J-Bay Surf Festival. Despite the large crowds expected in the town and a narrow lead at the top of the table, Smith says that surfing at home takes the pressure off him.

“There is not a lot of pressure when I come home because it feels like I am just surfing in front of my friends and family, people I have been around my whole life. So very low pressure.”

J-Bay is stop 10 on the WSL Championship Tour and is the only African event on the Championship Tour calendar. It features the 24 men and 12 women, including Eastern Cape local Matthew McGillivray who is up against Smith’s championship rival Yago Dora and Connor O’Leary in Heat 3.

WSL Media Manager, Bianca van Aardt, says the championship is looking forward to returning to J-Bay.

“It's so exciting to have the WSL Championship Tour back in J-Bay. The world's best surfers are back at the world's best right-hand point break, and this town really comes alive during this time; it's the place to be this July.”

With the Championship Tour nearing its conclusion, pressure is mounting on surfers to deliver strong results in J-Bay. The Corona Cero Open J-Bay marks the penultimate stop of the season, with only the Lexus Tahiti Pro in August remaining before the top five rankings are locked in for the final.

A higher ranking heading into the final is crucial. The top-ranked surfer advances directly to the title match, while those ranked lower must battle their way through multiple elimination heats. The fifth seed, for example, must defeat every surfer above them to claim the crown.

The 2025 season will wrap up with the WSL Finals, a one-day shootout in Cloudbreak, Fiji, where the top five men and women will compete for the chance to be the 2025 WSL Championship winner.