Hawaii’s Barron Mamiya opened the 2025 WSL Championship Tour in dominant fashion, securing his second straight Lexus Pipe Pro title over the weekend.
The Oahu native put on a masterclass at Pipeline, delivering four 9-plus-point rides to solidify his victory and propel himself into the next stop of the season atop the rankings.
Mamiya now turns his focus to Abu Dhabi, where he will compete in the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro from Feb. 14-16, donning the coveted yellow jersey as the world’s top-ranked surfer.
“Yeah, it’s definitely a cool feeling, for sure,” Mamiya said of leading the CT rankings. “But it definitely brings pressure sometimes, you know, because you have the yellow jersey on. It’s kind of a big deal, and everyone wants it. I’m just going to try not to think about it—I just really want to focus on my surfing and have some fun.”
The Surf Abu Dhabi Pro marks a historic moment for professional surfing, as it will be the first-ever CT event held in the Middle East. The competition shifts from the heavy, shifting peaks of Pipeline to the long, mechanical waves of the state-of-the-art wave pool in Abu Dhabi—a stark contrast that adds intrigue to the early season.
For Mamiya, carrying the momentum from Pipeline into this new venue is an exciting challenge, but his roots in Hawaii remain his foundation.
“Hawaii has shaped my career—just being from there and getting to grow up in such an amazing place has created the surfer I am,” he said. “It’s produced so many amazing surfers, and I’m just so proud to represent it on the world stage.”
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Qualifying Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Brisa Hennessy (CRC) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Bella Kenworthy (USA)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Luana Silva (BRA)
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS)
HEAT 4: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 5: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
HEAT 6: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men’s Qualifying Round Matchups:
HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Connor O’Leary (JPN) vs. Edgard Groggia (BRA)
HEAT 2: Barron Mamiya (HAW) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Jackson Bunch (HAW)
HEAT 3: Jack Robinson (AUS) vs. George Pittar (AUS) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW)
HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Mateus Herdy (BRA)
HEAT 5: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) vs. Kauli Vaast (BRA)
HEAT 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Joel Vaughan (AUS) vs. Bronson Meydi (INA)
HEAT 7: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Cole Houshmand (USA) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 8: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA)
HEAT 9: Rio Waida (INA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Ian Gouveia (BRA) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 11: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Alan Cleland (MEX)
HEAT 12: Joao Chianca (BRA) vs. Ramzi Boukhiam (MOR) vs. Liam O’Brien (AUS)
Watch LIVE The Surf Abu Dhabi Pro holds a competition window February 14 -16, 2025.
The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.