Tahiti Pro 2026: Moniz & Brooks Win at Teahupo'o — Fiji Pro Up Next
Seth Moniz claimed his first-ever CT victory at the most consequential wave on tour. Erin Brooks staged a comeback for the ages. Now the tour heads to Cloudbreak.
Teahupo'o delivers on Finals Day
Clean four-to-six foot hollow barrels greeted competitors on Finals Day at the 2026 Outerknown Tahiti Pro — Stop No. 7 of the WSL Championship Tour. What followed was one of the most emotionally charged days in recent tour history: a first CT win for Seth Moniz after seven seasons on tour, and a breakthrough title for Erin Brooks after a season spent doubting herself.
Men — Moniz finally gets the monkey off his back
Seth Moniz (HAW) has waited seven seasons for this. The 28-year-old Hawaiian had to battle from Round One through six opponents — including reigning World Champion Yago Dora, World No. 1 Italo Ferreira, and lifelong friend Griffin Colapinto in the Final — to earn the win he has been chasing his entire career. His Final heat total of 18.17, capped by a 9.07 and a 9.10, was his personal best ever. Newly married and with a baby on the way, the timing couldn't be more perfect.
"I've been waiting so long for this. We put a lot into this, you know? Surfing's such a hard sport, and only one guy wins every time. I put so much work into this, and it finally paid off." — Seth Moniz
Notable: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) posted the highest single-wave score of the event — a 9.57 — in his Semifinal win over George Pittar. Griffin Colapinto scored a Perfect 10 and the highest heat total of the entire event (19.60) earlier in the draw.
Women — Brooks stages an all-time comeback
Erin Brooks (CAN) looked beaten. Put in a combination situation by Israeli rookie Anat Lelior in the Final, needing two big scores in the dying minutes of a 40-minute heat, she found them. An 8.27 and an 8.93 from the deepest barrels of the heat — stylish, controlled, and fearless — overturned the deficit and handed Brooks her first CT win as a tour member, and the confidence injection she needed after a season of early exits.
"I haven't had a win in so long, so it feels really good. The season has been really hard. I've kind of lost out in the second round of every event, so to get a win gives me so much more confidence, because I was almost doubting myself." — Erin Brooks
Notable: Anat Lelior (ISR) became the first Israeli surfer to reach a CT Final, continuing a remarkable debut season. She sits at No. 14 on the rankings heading into Fiji.
Moniz & Brooks — 2026 Tahiti Pro champions
Up next: Fiji Pro at Cloudbreak
Stop No. 8 · August 25 – September 4, 2026
The tour now heads to one of the most anticipated stops of the year — Cloudbreak, Fiji. A left-hand reef break that swings between long, grinding walls and violent, vertical slabs depending on the swell, Cloudbreak rewards surfers who can read a complex, shifting peak and commit to heavy barrels over a shallow reef.
After Moniz's win in Tahiti, the CT title race tightens. World No. 1 Italo Ferreira (BRA) will be desperate to respond after his Semifinal exit. Griffin Colapinto, now back in the Top 10, has history at Cloudbreak — he won the Fiji Pro in 2024 and knows the break intimately. Jack Robinson (AUS), a regular at heavy reef breaks worldwide, will be dangerous.
On the women's side, Gabriela Bryan (HAW) leads the rankings heading in. Bryan was eliminated in the Quarterfinals at Tahiti by Lelior — Fiji will be her chance to reassert control. Brooks, fresh off her Tahiti win and overflowing with confidence, could be the one to beat.
WSL on Instagram — Fiji Pro
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