Jack Robbo and Gabriela Bryan Win Margaret River Pro; Hawaiians Rally Amidst Cut Chaos

His ability to find barrels but also manufacture exits is peerless on Tour and hard to comprehend at times. The judges lapped up his command over the biggest and best waves, and his execution of radical, spontaneous surfing throughout the event. Though he would be forced to dig deep into his kit bag to get past the form surfer in the men’s draw, John John Florence, who returned to the groundbreaking form that netted him two event wins at this location previously (’17 and ’19) along with a runner-up to Jack in 2022.

On a pure performance level, John was untouchable at this event, securing the only perfect ten, and laying down signature tracks and arcs that are now simply known as “John carves.” He clinically dismantled Sammy Pupo in the quarters, killing off the young Brazilian’s hopes of avoiding the cut (a result that gave Yago Dora a reprieve from relegation). The Main Break lineup resembled a driving range at times for John, as he hacked, bashed and hooked the most futuristic carves, arcs and lip line demolitions with ease. His upside down lay-back finner, launched into the teeth of a descending closeout against Pupo, was the turn of the event up until that point but a mere entree of what was to come.

Against the red hot Aussie wildcard, George Pittar, in the semis, John got the jump with a 7.83 for a pedestrian loosener by his standards. Pittar kept pace with a solid three turn combo for a seven, before John turned on the afterburners with the deepest of bottom turns to open up an impossible angle for the tightest and highest of arcs in the pocket. He swerved out of the turn with maximum speed, flowing down the line into two more section demolitions for an 8.4. And then the perfect ten.

Finding a smaller cleaner wave, John came off the bottom with all the confidence and conviction in the world before exploding into a descending lip, sending limbs and fins everywhere. It’s unlikely even John had thoughts of what would happen after he collided with this hunk of Indian Ocean juice but he needn’t as he regathered his board instantaneously, flowing straight into another vertical stab, and an end section “John carve,” for a perfect score. He looked untouchable heading into the final but curiously his record is anything but against Jack Robinson. In fact, John has never beaten Jack at this level (0-3), including losing to him at Pipe to start the season, as well as the final of this event in Jack’s last start here back in 2022.

John fired the first real shot to open the heat; a 7 for a signature hook to swerve and a couple more hacks. Only for Jack to again show his command over the conditions and find the biggest waves of the day for a huge open face carve, wrenched so hard into a rebound he nearly got barreled before getting straight up and into a big awkward end section floater for a near-perfect 9.1.

In classic Robinson style, he then found a massive back up score on the paddle back out, spinning and going under John’s priority and projecting out of the bowl into a big frontside grab aerial – the first of the day and a virtual replay of his last win against John here. A buttery landing straight into a closeout hit gave Jack an 8.17 and a combined total of 17.27 – the second-highest of the event – all in the space of two waves and two minutes.

With the pressure now on John, needing a perfect ten to take the lead, he closed the distanced with an 8.77 setting up a dramatic finale. Holding priority, Jack shadowed John into a small wave clearly without the scoring potential required, though the Hawaiian still tore it apart to the tune of a 6.33. As time counted down, John conceded defeat, leaving Jack out the back as the final set waves approached with time still remaining and more than likely the potential for John to reign in Jack’s total.

While Robinson’s win prevented a clean sweep for the islands, the 2024 Margaret River Pro still belonged to the Hawaiians. Seth Moniz’s string of buzzer beaters to secure his place on Tour will go down as one of the great clutch performances. Needing a solid score to keep his Tour career alive against sublime North Stradbroke rail master Ethan Ewing in their Round of 16 heat, Seth got it done in the dying stages, dropping an 8.17 for a big slice to snap, and a closeout floater. To prove it was no fluke, he did it again heat following against South African Jordy Smith, dropping an 8.73 on his final wave to progress to the Semis, where he was narrowly defeated by Jack Robinson.

Imaikalani Devault was another Hawaiian with it all to do at Margs to avoid the cut. After condemning fellow Mauaiian Ian Gentil to relegation in their round of 32 heat, Devault overcame in-form Californian Jake Marshall in a pressure-cooker Round of 16 heat before going down in the quarters. The result saw the Hawaiian rocket eight places up the ratings into safety.

In a contest that resembled a twisted Japanese game show at times, Sammy Pupo was forced to end his brother Miguel’s World Tour run in their Round of 16 heat, before Sammy too was sent back to the Challenger Series the following heat.

It was San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad who pulled off one of the great performances to secure her spot on tour for 2024. Needing to make the final to stay on tour, that’s exactly what she did–but it didn’t come easy. Up against a surfer in the exact same position in the Quarters, Aussie veteran Sally Fitzgibbons, Lindblad got the nod by just 0.5 in a heat breaker of a heat that saw Sally fall just short on her final wave.

She now faced two-time world champ and former event winner Tyler Wright in the semis to keep her dream alive. If there was pressure she wasn’t showing it, telling the broadcast she felt no nerves–just excitement about the world-class conditions on offer. In an event that favors regular footers, where only one goofy made it to the Quarters, Lindblad was a clear underdog against Tyler Wright–yet the result never looked in doubt.

After opening with a 7 for a smooth combination of moves, including a vertical blast in the pocket, she closed the heat out with 15 minutes still remaining on the clock. On the biggest wave of the heat, Lindblad flew off the bottom into a perfectly timed snap before readjusting and ripping off a critical backside hanger-to-air-drop on a big closeout section for a 9.40 and the highest combined total of the women’s event.

The final with Bryan was close fought but it’s safe to say when your opponent drops a near excellent ride–a 7.83 for a nice hack to critical-end-section snap–while surfing alongside a pod of dolphins, she’s in a good rhythm with the ocean. Despite keeping pace with the Hawaiian and setting up another tense finale, Bryan closed out the event with one of the best turns in it–a vertical foam ride to snap on a big section for an 8.10.