‘Unbelievably perfect’ final day for Raglan surf champs

Tuesday, 26 May 2026

Raglan’s world surfing competition reached an ‘incredible’ nail-biting finale, after delays pushed the event to the edge of the competition window.

A surprise attack by a mystery sea creature threatened to derail the World Surf League Corona Cero NZ Pro, which also struggled with unusually flat conditions at Manu Bay earlier in the competition.

Surfers were cleared to hit the waves again several hours after a photographer suffered minor bite wounds in the water on Monday morning, possible from a seal, while the long-awaited swell gave the pros ideal conditions to show their skills on the final two days.

Renato Hickel, WSL vice-president of tours and competition, said he “loved every minute' of the Raglan competition — except the animal encounter.

Marine life was simply part of the nature of surfing, he told the Waikato Times shortly before competition resumed. Cancellation was rare, but had happened before, and Hickel said this was in the back of his mind.

The event had already reached the final day of the 11-day competition window after several days of unsuitable conditions last week, ruling out a postponement.

'In South Africa a few years back, we had to stop and we couldn't resume the event, so we couldn't run the finals. We're really happy that in this case here, the incident was a minor one, and, we're going to be able to crown two new champions.'

He praised the quick action of the water patrol team, who had responded in 'under 18 seconds' after WSL photographer Ed Sloane was bitten, as well as the medical team who treated him on-site and then whisked him to hospital.

'I just spoke with him, he's in great spirits, completely stable. Obviously a few stitches on the foot, but he will have his scars to be proud of.'

The surfers were keen to get back in the water, and Hickel was keen to return to Raglan.

'If it depends on WSL, we want to come back and we want to… have Raglan as a fixed stop on tour.'

Support from other parties was needed, including the Government, but if given the green light, the WSL could be back as soon as next year, he said.

The surf was small as recently as Sunday morning, but by Sunday afternoon the quality of the waves was 'incredible', and surfers gave a stand-out display of skill.

This included the 'first perfect 10' of the season, scored by reigning world champion Yago Dora, who stunned the crowd with his aerial moves. American Carissa Moore also pulled off a rare feat, scoring 19 out of a possible 20 over two runs.

Monday’s conditions were also great, but overall the forecast had posed the biggest challenge throughout the event.

As the competition window began, a “big high pressure system parked on top of the Tasman Sea”, bringing with it incredible weather, but also blocking the swells that usually came up from the South Island.

It was the fourth stop on the 12-stop world tour, and the next segment would be held in El Salvador, he said.

Local surfing great Daniel Kereopa said the “mystery animal” that delayed the event was very unlikely to be a shark — they were rare, and he had only seen three in 40 years, he said.

He thought it was more likely a sea lion or seal. A seal had been seen at Manu Bay in recent days, and may have thought the area was a good place to settle in.

He told the Waikato Times on Monday morning he was confident the surfers would be back in the water that afternoon.

It was an “unbelievably perfect” day with the kind of conditions surfers lived for, despite the risks of the sport.

The event had gone well, he said. As competitors dropped out, nearly all of them stayed on in New Zealand to enjoy the scenery and the atmosphere, rather than taking off overseas right away as they often did when a competition ended.

This year’s event was good practice for the town if the WSL returned next year, he said, as people now have a better idea of what was involved.

Raglan locals Lorraine, Bud and Paula Hassard were among the crowd who came to watch the finals, and did not mind having to wait until the afternoon for the competition to start up again.

Bud had his binoculars with him to get a good view — although he hadn’t caught a glimpse of the mystery animal.

They had already been out to see the competition earlier in the week, and said it was great for Raglan, a small town, to be able to host such a big and positive event.

They would be in favour of the WSL returning, they said.

Among those queuing for a coffee early in the day was Wānaka resident Victoria Wells.

She grew up in land-locked Colorado, but her husband was a big fan of surfing. They were lucky to have friends living in Raglan, so they had made the trip from down south.

Compared to wintry Wānaka, it still felt like summer in Raglan, and she was enjoying watching the surfers.

“It’s great, we’ve really enjoyed it so far and everyone’s really friendly.”