During the recently wrapped Tahiti Pro, Caity Simmers treated surf fans to a barrage of barrels at Teahupo’o, including a 9-point ride in her heat against Brisa Hennessy.
But Simmers, AKA, “Oceanside’s pride and joy,” also gave surf fans cause to worry, suffering a back injury on the last day of the contest, in her quarterfinal heat against Yolanda Hopkins. (Erin Brooks won for the women and Seth Moniz for the men).
How serious is the injury? It’s hard to know since neither the World Surf League nor Simmers has said anything publicly about the issue. Seems safe to assume it wasn’t a fracture but it was serious enough that Simmers couldn’t complete her heat against Hopkins. We can only hope that she has enough time to rehab and recover before the next Championship Tour contest: Cloudbreak in Fiji, which could start as early as Aug. 25th.
Simmers’ back injury occurred on the heels of a knee injury, a medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain, which wasn’t widely publicized. Her physical therapy team gave her six weeks of rehab, without which she wouldn’t have been strong enough to surf formidable and physically demanding Teahupo’o.
In the wake of the Tahiti Pro, Simmers is 6th in the world, amazing but even more so given the physical discomfort she’s apparenty been surfing with. Sixth, of course, isn’t enough for Simmers; she wants the whole enchilada.
Let’s take a look at how our other San Diego surfers competing on the Championship Tour fared at Tahiti’s Teahupo’o.
Encinitas’ Jake Marshall, on the heels of winning the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach, was defeated in Tahiti by Australian Liam O’Brien and now finds himself 26th in the world, facing the possibility of being cut from the tour. To avoid that scenario, he needs to make it to the quarterfinals or better in Fiji.
Though from Pascuales, Mexico, Alan Cleland, Jr., is regarded by S-REPORTER as an honorary San Diegan because his dad is from Imperial Beach and was himself a competitive surfer (In 1987, Alan Cleland, Sr. was featured on the cover of Surfer magazine). After a quiet beginning to the season, Cleland is now riding a late season surge, propelled by a fifth-place finish at the Tahiti Pro. He is currently ranked 22nd in the world, which, if he can maintain that position, would automatically earn him a spot on the 2027 Championship Tour.
On the women’s side, Encinitas’ Alyssa Spencer, ranked 16th in the world, can re-qualify for the 2027 Championship Tour by finishing the regular season in the top 14. By doing so, she would avoid being sent down to the Challenger Series, akin to a Major League baseball player being sent down to Triple A.
After Cloudbreak in Fiji, the final stop on the WSL Championship Tour will be held in September at Lower Trestles, just north of Oceanside. After that contest, the season will end for all the surfers except the top 24 men and 16 women who will move on to the post-season. The pressure is mounting, especially for Jake Marshall (No. 26), Alan Cleland (No. 22) and Alyssa Spencer (No. 16). Caity Simmers, ranked 6th in the world, doesn’t need to worry about early elimination; if she stays healthy, she still has a shot at becoming 2026 World Champion.
The event window for contest No. 8, the Fiji Pro at Cloudbreak, opens on Aug. 25. Watch our San Diego surfers in action via the World Surf League website/app or YouTube.
Editor’s Note: Read “Titus got milk…and waves.”
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