Question: In comical aftermath of Surfline’s “cartoonish” wave-height calls during Outerknown Tahiti Pro, will World Surf League turn to Swellnet as official forecast partner despite damning accusations of “creepy voyeurism?”

Out of frying pan into fire?

A dark cloud of deep shame and embarrassment has, officially, descended upon Surfline. The World Surf League’s “official forecasting partner” has been riding high-ish over the past two decades, transforming itself from a telephone call-in service to robust internet prognosticator to monopoly-adjacent beach video n advice one-stop-shop. To surf media powerhouse without peer.

Impressive.

Though the chicken, “the bigger they are, the harder they fall,” has come home to roost during the currently stillborn Outerknown Tahiti Pro.

Surfline opened its pre-event communiques traditionally, promising initial small swell quickly growing to five-to-seven feet then double-overhead+ toward the end of the waiting period.

Who was there to dispute?

Second largest forecasting site Magic Seaweed?

Surfline purchased in 2017 so no.

Panic may have clawed at current number one Filipe Toledo’s mind, making its way to his lion-adorned heart. Then again, Surfline has been known to exaggerate and Toledo has possibly slept easy, taking a well-advised wait and see approach to very scary, when medium sized, waves.

Well, with a complete and utter lack of swell bumping up against Teahupoo’s famed reef, Surfline has looked more and more foolish by the day. Comical, even, as the company’s senior forecaster lashed out at reality/BeachGrit, insisting that the waves are, in fact, robust and tricks/#fakenews is being utilized.

Cartoonish.

The World Surf League, clearly paying attention, has done its best to divert attention from the clown show with CEO Erik Logan prancing around onstage wearing the world’s largest lei, but inside the Santa Monica headquarters blood must be boiling.

Hot enough to drop Surfline?

Who would replace as “official forecasting partner?”

Early rumors suggest Swellnet may be a front-runner.

Even though the Australian site suffered an embarrassing slap, months ago, by being fingered an un-repentant voyeur by the government, could it be a better choice than buffoonish Surfline?

The Outerknown Tahiti Pro has just been called on.

Let’s see if Joe Turpel can single-voicedly alter reality.