Sunset Beach
The World Cup of Surfing is the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. Held at Sunset Beach, the big wave event is steeped in tradition, as the infamously long and shifty wave is held in the highest esteem by big wave surfers around the world.
A true test for any waterman, the waves at Sunset are spread across a huge playing field, which challenges the fitness of the surfers to get in the right spot to catch the best and biggest waves. Notorious for being unruly and complex, only a few dedicated surfers have mastered the lineup and the powerful waves that pour down the point.
Sunset Beach is a wave magnet and pulls in swell from the west to the northeast and has the potential to showcase some of the biggest waves ridden in competition during the Triple Crown. In years past, power surfing—big rail turns, deep barrels and under-the-lip hacks—dominated the lineup as surfers with big boards did their best to muscle across Sunset’s long, lined-up sections. But with the advent of high-performance, above the lip surfing sweeping the surf world, the younger competitors are now charging Sunset on smaller boards that allow them to pull off incredible maneuvers in the most critical sections of the wave, bringing a new dimension of power and style to competitive surfing at Sunset Beach.
The competitive spirit felt at the contest site and in the water truly matches the powerful surf at Sunset. As a Prime ASP event and the last qualifying contest of the season, surfers battle it out for crucial points that determine their final ranking on next year’s tour. For some, a good result means breaking in to the ASP World Tour or just hanging on to their World Tour seed. For others on the cusp of requalifying for the World Tour who fair poorly at Sunset, it can be a long, pensive flight back home. Between the epic surf, the level of surfing and careers on the line, the World Cup of Surfing is the ultimate surf drama.
World Cup of Surfing Champions
2013 – Ezekiel Lau, Hawaii
2012 – Adam Melling, Australia
2011 – John John Florence, Hawaii
2010 – Raoni Monteiro, Brazil
2009 – Joel Parkinson, Australia
2008 – C.J. Hobgood, USA
2007 – Makuakai Rothman, Hawaii
2006 – Joel Parkinson, Australia
2005 – Jake Patterson, Australia
2004 – Andy Irons, Hawaii
2003 – Jake Patterson, Australia
2002 – Joel Parkinson, Australia
2001 – Myles Padaca, Hawaii
2000 – Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
1999 – Zane Harrison, Australia
1998 – Shane Dorian, Hawaii
1997 – Michael Rommelse, Australia
1996 – Paul Patterson, Australia
1995 – Shane Powell, Australia
1994 – Sunny Garcia, Hawaii
1993 – John Gomes, Hawaii
1992 – Martin Potter, United Kingdom
1991 – Fabio Gouveia, Brazil
1990 – Derek Ho, Hawaii
1989 – Hans Hedemann, Hawaii
1988 – Tom Carroll, Australia
1987 – Gary Elkerton, Australia
1986 – Hans Hedemann, Hawaii
1985 – Michael Ho, Hawaii
1984 – Michael Ho, Hawaii
1983 – Michael Ho, Hawaii
1982 – Tom Carroll, Australia
1981 – Dane Kealoha, Hawaii
1980 – Ian Cairns, Australia
1979 – Mark Richards, Australia
1978 – Buzzy Kerbox, Hawaii
1977 – Shaun Tomson, South Africa
1976 – Ian Cairns, Australia
1975 – Mark Richards, Australia