Tyler Wright's Progress Pride flag (left shoulder) absent in Abu Dhabi.

World Surf League accused of abject hypocrisy after flags scrubbed from Surf Abu Dhabi Pro jerseys

By Chas Smith

4 weeks ago

Brazilian flag gone. Pride flag gone too.

There were many things missing from the just-wrapped Surf Abu Dhabi Pro including, but not limited to, the ocean, drama, Filipe Toledo’s sportsmanship, interest, stakes, joy and the flags that have adorned the shoulders of championship tour surfers’ jerseys for the past five years.

But who could forget the latter’s exciting addition certainly dreamt up in a fevered state of creative inspiration. Italo Ferreira’s number 15 gilded with two Brazilian flags, John John Florence’s 12 with two Hawaiian state flags, Kanoa Igarashi’s 50 with two Japanese flags and Tyler Wright’s 23 featuring Australian flag on left and the Progress Pride flag on the right.

Wright debuted the nod to her identity during the 2021 season, declaring, “Today for me feels like another step in my realisation of my true and authentic self. As a proud bisexual woman of the LGBTQ+ community as well as an Australian, I’m delighted to be able to represent both this year on my competition jersey. The number change to 23 represents, to me, a new phase of my career and my growth as a human. The Progress pride flag represents a love that opened my eyes more to who I really am.”

The World Surf League adding that it, “proudly supports Tyler in using her platform as a World Champion and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community to express a message of inclusivity. We believe surfing is for everyone and are incredibly proud of our athletes.”

But all gone in Abu Dhabi.

Pride flag replaced by phrase "Surf Abu Dhabi Pro" — Pride flag replaced by phrase “Surf Abu Dhabi Pro”

The question bouncing through the surf fan ranks: Do the United Arab Emirates powers-that-be dislike all flags or just proud flags?

And the second question: Is the World Surf League amongst the most spineless governing bodies on earth, willing to dance upon any of its trumpeted values for basically free?

Or maybe the World Surf League has decided nationalism and identity are no longer vital in professional surfing lineups.

Buy Tyler Wright’s Progress Pride/Southern Cross jersey here just in case it’s the latter.

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Tommy Peterson is the personification of the outrageous surfer, both in and out of the water. If indulgence is an art, Tommy transcended the highest levels years ago.

“Personification of the outrageous surfer” and creator of zeitgeist-shifting Fireball Fish surfboard Tommy Peterson, dead at 71

By Derek Rielly

4 weeks ago

"If indulgence is an art Tommy Peterson transcended the highest levels years ago."

There was a time in the mid-nineties when the idea of owning a Tom Peterson-shaped Fireball Fish would send you crying, with happy, into the silk folds of your kimono.

And, as fate would play it, Tom, then known as the little brother of the very famous Michael aka MP, had his shaping bay around the corner from my first job. Tom would visit every day, terrible breath but a lovely spirit, and regale with tales of his brother.

I didn’t buy one of his Fireball Fishes because, then, as today, money finds it hard to escape from my zippered pockets, much to my regret etc.

Two days ago, and shortly after his seventy-first birthday, Tommy Peterson joined big bro MP up there in the heavens, riding their dagger-sharp single fins along pale-green sandbottom points.

Surfing World ran an excerpt from an old magazine describing, perfectly, the wild man that was Tommy Peterson.

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Tommy Peterson is the personification of the outrageous surfer, both in and out of the water. If indulgence is an art, Tommy transcended the highest levels years ago. Outrageous people have always given surfing its character, so formulating the collective profile was a must to include someone a bit to the left and right of the straight line.

Though I’ve learned a few things about him, there’s no way we could possibly use anybody else to represent the ranks of the radical. Just for a bit of an update, Tom has been surfing around 16 years, always on the edge. He’s been shaping boards on the Gold Coast for a long time, but currently works at Pipedreams.

Okay, so rather than go through the usual personality ebb and flow we’ll select an antidote from the Tommy Peterson encyclopedia of Totally Outrageous Behavior for your entertainment.

Guy Ormerod tells us he was fishing off the bridge at Tallabudgera and less than straight Tommy cruised up to say hi. Upon questioning as to the depth of water there under, Guy maintained it was deep enough to dive into. Tommy, not being one to disbelieve a friend, proceeded to shed all his clothes, climb the railing and dive gracefully into the brine below.

Now it seems that Tom got quite a kick from this performance after swimming to the bank and sprinting naked up the Gold Coast Highway. He continued to repeat the whole performance with likes of high-powered real estate salesmen and middle-class southern state holiday makers.

Obviously someone was so impressed by Tom’s foray into the genitalia-flapping realms of nude ballet that they thought the local constabulary might like to observe the finer points of youth culture on the Gold Coast.

As the police car pulled up, Tom, in all his ringing wet glory, piled into the back seat and said to the boys in blue, “Got a durrie on ya?”

Then there’s the one about Tom’s venture into winemaking. At a recent presentation dinner, Tom decided the excellent cuisine deserved better than the carafes of rough red, provided for, drained one and substituted a fine vintage Peterson yellow Hock, later consumed by southern wine connoisseurs on the other side of the room.

All surfers haven’t got styled hair and satin smoking jackets. This is the real world where most surfers are looking for a nice wave and a good time. The Tommy Petersons are just as much a part of surfing as the mass media stars, and it would be bloody boring without them.

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Caity Simmers (pictured) in Abu Dhabi.

Caity Simmers tightens stranglehold on pro surfing after dramatic Surf Abu Dhabi Pro win!

By Chas Smith

4 weeks ago

Slavepools also for the girls.

I’ll be honest, I did not watch one minute of the Surf Abu Dhabi finals day nor do I plan to. The event was, of course, wonderful as farce but offered little in the way of actual entertainment for the serious minded. That aside, Italo Ferreira surprised zero people by winning the men’s side. Caitlin Simmers, though, a more interesting story with her taking out the women’s.

In trying to find a clip of the Oceanside phenom being hoisted high, I accidentally heard Joe Turpel say that she had “shown the judges something different” to which Felicity Palmateer said something about the 400 waves ridden that day and how it can’t help but look monotonous.

No way 400 waves for finals day, right? Flick must have been speaking about the entire event?

Well, Simmers came up against Molly Picklum in the last frame and appears to have walloped her pretty good. The two sit at one, two, respectively, but the future seems brighter for the carrot-topped current world champion. Simmers can win in big barreling waves, she can win on running points, she can win on high performance beachbreaks and she can, apparently, win in slavepools. At just 19 years of age, how many titles do you imagine she has in her? Or is the new thing to win three and then “take a break” forever?

In any case, Tyler Wright did not get stoned but she did fall to third place after dropping out early and it can only be imagined that she will continue to fade away.

The future of professional surfing is, truly, in Simmers grasp and if the World Surf League had any smarts, it would run a specialty heat featuring her versus Philip Toledo at Pipeline a la Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs’ “Battle of the Sexes.”

How good would that be?

Full event recaps from Jen See and JP Currie coming soon.

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Comment live Finals Day Surf Abu Dhabi Pro!

By Derek Rielly

4 weeks ago

Talk really is cheap!

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Thiago Diz and Filipe Toledo reconcile after collision. @peopleontour

Surf icon slams Filipe Toledo for “shameful, unforgivable sportsmanship” after collision with official photographer

By Matt George

4 weeks ago

"Filipe runs this guy down and doesn't even check on the bloke. That photographer could have been bleeding to death."

(Editor’s note: As y’might’ve read, seen or heard, Filipe Toledo collided with the WSL’s official photographer Thiago Diz on his penultimate wave in his round of 16 heat against Kanoa Igarashi. Pip had been having a shocker and the collision, on the meaningless end section, took out a fin. Thiago looked freaked out by the hit and Filipe lit up at everyone, Thiago, the man, injustice etc. It wasn’t a real good look. Thiago, as the WSL’s main shooter, has been responsible for capturing Pip’s biggest moments. Earlier today, Matt George, whom you know well, wrote and starred in In God’s Hands, wrote the best-ever profile of Kelly Slater, even with its notes of a platonic boy-man love “The Seduction of Kelly Slater” emailed this to kick off debate below the line.)

After reviewing the WSL coverage of Filipe Toledo running down a photographer in his last heat, I was reminded of the first thing Julian Wilson did when Mick was attacked by a shark at J-Bay.

He immediately paddled to Mick’s aid. This is the surfer’s code. In any body of water.

Filipe Toledo runs this guy down and seemingly doesn’t even check on the bloke. That photographer could have been bleeding to death.

If that was an Aussie surfer that ran that photographer down, the first thing he would have done was to check if that photographer was ok and then assist if he wasn’t.

This display of lack of empathy was shameful, unforgivable sportsmanship.

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As a certified Emergency Medical Technician, I am absolutely shocked.

EMT or lifeguard or just a bloke out for a surf at your local, you take care of your brother in the water first. And then argue later if need be.

It seems to me that there were far more important matters immediately afoot than slapping one’s surfboard and hopping on a jet ski to go bitch to the judges about the unfairness in one’s self-centered world.

(There was a reconciliation between Filipe Toledo and Thiago Diz in the back rooms afterward, see below, but Pip’s dad Ricky was still screaming injustice on the post, “I just don’t understand WSL not recognizing what happened and, at least, deciding to offer it another wave, as it has happened countless times on the tour. Although we know that maybe that won’t change the outcome. And nobody here is taking credit of the opponent, who played his role. But I thought this was missing…”)

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Eat beach grit spam!