According to Gold Coast local and former world champ Joel Parkinson, stop number three of the WSL Championship Tour is going to be a “barrel fest.”
“The sand is amazing, the bank is really good, it’s the best it’s been for a few years,” Parkinson said on Instagram. “You guys got such a good forecast coming. It looks like it’s going to be head-high, maybe a little bigger.”
Snapper took a five-year hiatus from the CT, and when it was brought back last year, a poor sand bank forced the event to move down the coast to Burleigh Heads. This year, the sand bank won’t be an issue, and, with the solid forecast, it looks like the event could finish within the first several days of the window.
After the opening two stops of the season were met with variable, at times sub-par conditions, and dragged on with lay-days, Snapper is shaping up to be a jolt of excitement.
Here are five can’t-miss heats to tune in for.
View this post on Instagram
Steph Gilmore vs Erin Brooks
Steph Gilmore is sitting dead last in the women’s CT rankings. In her return after a two-year break from the tour, she has surfed two heats and recorded two losses — perhaps a result of getting used to the new format without a warmup seeding round. Another one-and-done event for Gilmore would be devastating for any hopes of a title.
But if there is a wave that can get Gilmore out of a slump, it’s her home break of Snapper Rocks. The eight-time world champ has won at Snapper six times during her illustrious career.
She’ll have a tough draw to get out of round one because she’s facing phenom Erin Brooks. While Snapper was off the Championship Tour, Brooks got her competition reps in at the wave on the 2024 Challenger Series, notching a win with a perfect 10-point ride. Brooks has put her time in at the spot and proven she knows how to get high scores.
Gabriel Medina vs the winner of Ramzi Boukhiam and Morgan Cibilic
After missing last year’s CT due to injury, it only took Medina two events to reclaim the top spot in the tour rankings. With a third at Bells and a second at Margaret River, Medina seems destined for a top finish at Snapper. He won at Snapper during his 2014 title run.
Medina is pre-seeded into round two and will face the winner of the round one match-up between Ramzi Boukhiam and Morgan Cibilic. Both Cibilic and Boukhiam have had rough starts to the season and can’t afford another early exit. Both surfers have made the quarterfinals at Snapper in their careers, so they’ll look to take down the rankings leader and get their seasons on track.
Jordy Smith vs Kauli Vaast
Jordy Smith and Kauli Vaast have also had slow starts to the season. Vaast, the top Challenger Series qualifier coming into the season, has lost both of his 2026 CT heats by less than a point. Smith, the 38-year-old veteran with 16 years of CT experience, revived his career last year with a third-place finish, but has struggled this season.
For Vaast, another loss in his first heat would be a huge hit to his confidence in his first year on tour. And for Smith, another poor showing might signal a not-so-distant end to his storied CT career. A good result for either would completely change the narrative, but only one can advance.
Gabriela Bryan vs the winner of Sally Fitzgibbons and Bella Kenworthy
Gabriela Bryan isn’t usually mentioned in the same breath as the young batch of talent on the women’s CT, like Caity Simmers, Molly Picklum, Caroline Marks, and Erin Brooks. But Bryan’s results speak for themselves. She finished third on the tour last year and had a real chance at the world title. After two events in 2026, she finds herself atop the rankings, tied with Lakey Peterson, proving to everyone that she can compete with the progressive surfing of her peers.
This will be her first CT heat at Snapper, and the punchy right-hand walls should suit her surfing well. She’ll face off against either veteran Sally Fitzgibbons, who has made the finals at Snapper in the past, or second-year surfer Bella Kenworthy, who fought through injury in 2025.
Jack Robinson vs Al Cleland
Neither Jack Robinson nor Al Cleland has had a breakthrough performance in 2026. But this round two matchup will be a must-watch, heavyweight battle of talented regular footers. The two faced off in the opening, non-elimination round at the Gold Coast last year, where Cleland finished second and Robinson third.
Last year was the first Gold Coast CT event for both. Robinson lost both his heats, and Cleland earned ninth place.
