The World’s Best Surfers

Some surfers dedicate their entire lives to the sport and barely reach a considerable position at the competitive level, while a few manage to rank among the best surfers in the world.

In every generation there is a professional surfer whose name you may recognise, although if you are just starting out in the world of surfing you may still be unfamiliar with some aspects of the surfing classification system. For example, there are two broadly differentiated types: professional surfers and soul surfers.

Professional surfers are fully identified through the World Surf League scoreboards, while soul surfers were either professionals in their past or are so good that they stand out when compared to the participants of different surfing competitions, however, soul surfers are simply in search of the “perfect wave” without participating in competitions in an official way.

Do you want to know more about the best surfers in the world?… here are a few lists and the top surfers in the top positions.

List of the World’s Best Surfers

You can recognise the professional surfers because they are constantly participating in different events and obtain an important position in the World Surf League, that is to say, in the world surfing league with the highest scores.

Those who will have a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will be the following:

Men’s Category:

1. Gabriel Medina (Brazil)

Julian Wilson (Australia)

3. Filipe Toledo (Brazil)

4. Italo Ferreira (Brazil)

Jordy Smith (South Africa)

6. Owen Wright (Australia)

7. Conner Coffin (United States)

8. Michel Bourez (French Polynesia)

9. Wade Carmichael (Australia)

10. Kanoa Igarashi (Japan)

11. Kolohe Andino (United States)

12. Mikey Wright (Australia)

13. Willian Cardoso (Brazil)

14. Sebastian Zietz (Hawaii)

15. Michael Rodrigues (Brazil)

16. Jeremy Flores (France)

17. Adrian Buchan (Australia)

18. Griffin Colapinto (United States)

19. Adriano de Souza (Brazil)

20. Ezekiel Lau (Hawaii)

21. Yago Dora (Brazil)

22. Joan Duru (France)

23. Seth Moniz (Hawaii)

24. Ryan Callinan (Australia)

25. Peterson Crisanto (Brazil)

26. Jesse Mendes (Brazil)

27. Deivid Silva (Brazil)

28. Ricardo Christie (New Zealand)

29. Leonardo Fioravanti (Italy)

30. Jadson Andre (Brazil)

31. Soli Bailey (Australia)

32. Jack Freestone (Australia)

33 Kelly Slater (United States)

34. John John Florence (Hawaii)

Women’s Category:

Stephanie Gilmore (Australia)

2. Lakey Peterson (United States)

3. Carissa Moore (Hawaii)

4. Tatiana Weston-Webb (Brazil)

5. Johanne Defay (France)

6. Sally Fitzgibbons (Australia)

7. Caroline Marks (United States)

8. Courtney Conlogue (United States)

9. Malia Manuel (Hawaii)

10. Nikki Van Dijk (Australia)

11. Coco Ho (Hawaii)

12. Paige Hareb (New Zealand)

13. Bronte Macaulay (Australia)

14. Macy Callaghan (Australia)

15. Brisa Hennessy (Costa Rica)

16. Silvana Lima (Brazil)

17. Tyler Wright (Australia)

Biography of the Most Famous Surfers

We reviewed various sports publications, as well as official surf league websites and also found surfers with excellent scores worldwide…some of their stories will surprise you….

Robert Kelly Slater

Let’s start with one of the “idols of surfing”: Robert Kelly Slater. Maybe you recognise him simply by his surname (Slater) or by the nickname “Slats”, he is the surfer who has won the most world championships.

He was born in the USA and is one of surfing’s most iconic legends. Slater has won the world championship more than 11 times, holding the ASP Champion position consecutively up to 5 times in the 1990’s. He also won 6 Eastern Surfing Association titles and 4 US national titles before qualifying for professional surfing. In addition, he won 6 Eastern Surfing Association titles and 4 US national titles before qualifying for professional surfing.

Among the world records of this extraordinary surfer stands out for being considered the youngest and oldest world champion with a total of 51 victories in different professional circuits since his appearance, while in Spain he won the world title in 2008 at the Billabong Pro Mundaka, thus becoming the best surfer in history.

His great career took him to television in the famous Baywatch series where he starred for eight episodes and also appeared in an episode of the reality show The Girls Next Door, while his image can be found in many surf-related films.

Stephanie Gilmore

One of the most outstanding legends of women’s surfing is Stephanie Gilmore. This Australian will surprise you with her long history of success and her position in the current ranking: “She is the number 1 professional surfer” and in 2010 she was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame at just 22 years of age.

Here is a summary of the awards she has achieved: At the age of 10 she won the New South Wales Junior title (2003), in 2009 she won three major events to win her third consecutive world title and on the ASP World Tour she was a seven-time winner (2007-2010, 2012, 2014 and 2018). She also stands out for her position as best athlete for ESPN ESPY in 2011 and 2013.

A feature that we find interesting to highlight of this great competitor is her ability to recover and continue fighting for her dreams, since on 27 December 2010 after signing a millionaire contract with Quiksilver Pro she is assaulted with an iron bar suffering a serious injury to her wrist, but that did not stop her and in 2012 she wins the world title again, while in 2013 she suffers serious injuries again leaving her in fifth place but in 2014 she overcomes achieving a unique 10 in the final of the Swatch Women’s Pro achieving another world title. In 2015 she injured her leg and in 2017 she won the Roxy Pro Gold Coast (world event).

Gabriel Medina

A surprise for the new generation of surfing professionals. Like many of the most outstanding surfers, he started surfing when he was only 9 years old and at the age of 11 he won his first Brazilian national championship title, then he became champion of the Volom U-14, Quiksilver King of Groms, Rip Curl Grom Search and Paulista Tri-Champion circuits.

This professional surfer was world champion in 2014 by quickly eliminating his competitors and in 2018 he repeated that feat with the rarest and most difficult surfing manoeuvres such as the back flip somersault.

Among the great surfers of Brazilian origin you will find Gabriel Medina with unbeatable scores. For example, he was the first from his country to win a stage in the Gold Coast Australia and also the one who has topped the world ranking for the longest time in the history of surfing. In addition, he entered what is known as the elite of world surfing (ASP World Tour) in 2011 at the age of just 17 and was crowned world surfing champion at the Pipeline Masters in 2014.

Lakey Peterson

Her name is Laura Louise Lakey Peterson, but you may identify her as Lakey Peterson. This professional surfer from the United States has been ranked No. 1 in the World Surf League and No. 6 in the ASP Women’s World Ranking.

The story of his beginnings in surfing is very particular. When she was only 5 years old she accompanied her parents on an adventure trip around the world and during that trip she learned to surf. At the age of 15 she won the NSSA women’s competition, then moved to Australia where she earned the nickname “Lakey Legend” because she caught waves effortlessly. At 16 you could see her surfing in the ASP World Series Qualifiers, then she qualified for the 2012 ASP Women’s season at the age of 17.

On a commercial level you can see Lakey Peterson in a series of sponsorships for Blenders Eyewer, Channel Islands, Homegrown Surf Shop, as well as appearing in a commercial for Toyota Tacoma.

Filipe Toledo

An excellent competitor, constant and methodical, this is how we can describe the professional surfer Filipe Toledo. His homeland is Brazil but from a very young age he has travelled all over the world competing and obtaining very high scores, which is why he is at the top of the list of athletes who will compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

In 2013 he started competing in the World Surf League Men’s World Tour. In 2014 he became the WQS champion and in 2015 he obtained one of the best professional titles achieving 3 victories in WCT events with a score of 10 in each final event in which he participated.

Carissa Moore

You may recognise her face from the issue of Glamour Magazine where she was named “Woman of the Year” and also because she was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame.

This outstanding professional surfer was born in Hawaii and started surfing at the age of 5. Now, as a representative of the United States, she has an extraordinary career. She has won 11 national titles on the amateur circuit, then began competing on the ASP World Tour, winning four times (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2019).

At just 18 years old, she won her first world title, being the youngest to achieve it, and then repeated this achievement in 2013, and has remained among the top places so far, highlighting in 2016 by finishing in third place in the world ranking.

Julian Wilson

Surfing is an essential part of Julian Wilson’s family, who live on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. Ask Julian Wilson how long he has been surfing and he will tell you that in all his memories he is surfing with a surfboard attached to his feet.

His creativity is the source of his success, so much so that in 2007 he invented a manoeuvre called Sushi Roll (a mixture of Backside Rodeo and Superman), but fame has not changed his human sensibility because in 2015 he received international recognition after rowing towards one of his rivals (Mick Fanning) while he was attacked by a 12-foot great white shark in South Africa.

From a very young age he got used to winning national and international championships, winning titles such as the 2006 ISA Junior World Champion, Rip Curl Pro, Mr. Price Pro or the Hawaiian Triple Crown. This surfer is an idol because he has been on the covers of magazines since he was very young and you will find him in the most important editions. He has also participated in films such as Scratching the Surface

Johanne Defay

One of the best professional surfers you can find on the beaches is Johanne Defay. Her history in the world of surfing at only 26 years old is a reflection of perseverance and especially stands out for the great support she received from her family.

This French-born surfer started surfing at the age of 8 on the beaches of Reunion Island where she now has her home. Champion of the Vans US Open Of Surfing 2015 and the Fiji Women’s Pro 2016.

At just ten years old he was placed in the WSL World Qualifying Series, but his struggle to find sponsorship was futile and with the support of his parents he managed to qualify for the WCT in just two years, then began to climb positions and found the financial backing he needed.

Malia Manuel

Always with a smile on her face, that’s how you’ll see her in photographs when you meet her on the beaches.

This extraordinary girl has surfing in her blood and at just two years old was riding on her father’s shoulders as he paddled out to catch waves.

Her successes start at a very young age, as at the age of 14 she was the youngest woman to win the US Open Surginf, while now at the age of 21 she has positioned herself as one of the top 10 surfers on the world professional surfing circuit.

Malia Manuel has also been featured in French director Steven Briand’s film Aloha Naul, which captured a one-day surf session on the beaches of Western Australia.

Wade Carmichael

On the central coast of New South Wales, specifically in the town of Avoca Beach you will meet Wade Carmichael, perhaps you will be amazed to see him sitting in a café or even at night with a beer and looking out to sea.

The journey to reach his current position in the world surfing league cannot be considered easy, because he had to support himself by working in other areas, but you can consider it a great job as his dream became a reality and now he is surfing among the best.

Spain’s best surfers

Spain is also known for its professional surfers who have gradually managed to position themselves in the World Surf League. Some young and others with a long career but always trying to demonstrate the great surfing talent of our country.

The Basque Country is one of the most privileged countries in terms of the excellent positions obtained by its representatives in surfing, while the Canary Islands and Galicia have also produced some names that have achieved extraordinary recognition.

We have compiled a list of the top 40 male and 10 female surfers, including professionals from Andalusia, Asturias, Cantabria, Catalonia and the Canary Islands:

If you are interested in learning this magnificent sport we give you the opportunity to try some surf lessons on the island of Lanzarote with real surf professionals, sign up for a complete surf course for beginners or advanced level in our surf school in the Canary Islands. Surf lessons for all levels, surf camp Lanzarote with accommodation in private rooms 100 meters from the beach of Famara. Without a doubt a good option to learn to surf in the Canary Islands.

Men’s category

Female categories