As the inaugural Cloud 9 event has now come to pass, one thing all surf fans will likely agree on is that it was far, far better than whatever wold have happened in Abu Dhabi. The forecast provided steady surf and the technical skill required of the new venue sent a lot of heavies home early. In the end, Gabriel Medina and Caity Simmers came out on top of the podium.
Local wildcard John Mark Tokong was a standout of the early rounds by making expert work of the four-to-six-foot-plus barrels and upping his international reputation in the process. The Tour now heads to Hawaii and the Lexus Pipe Masters, where the 2026 World Champions will be crowned this December.
Medina Takes 18th CT Win
Medina claimed his first win in 24 events, having made it to the finals three times to season before finally returning to the top of the podium. It was a bit of a slow start to the season for Medina, having sat out last year, but he has certainly found his momentum and is peaking at exactly the right time. With Pipe up next, he’ll be the one to watch as he is in second place in the rankings with his eyes dead set on a fourth World Title.
In the Final against Cloud 9 standout Jack Robinson, Robinson took an early lead with two mid-range scores but left Medina with priority. Medina pulled in deep on one of the day’s bigger waves and threaded section after section for a near-perfect 9.43, then held a two-wave total of 16.93 (out of 20). Robinson fought back but didn’t have the backup score.
“This means a lot to me. I’ve been trying so hard all year long, traveling with all of my crew. I really wanted to win one event this year, and after a few second-place finishes, I just kept believing,” Medina said.
On his best wave, he added: “I took off on that thing and just wanted to be deep. I could see it sucking, and then the foamball came over, and I couldn’t see a thing and just trusted the wave, and then just came out, which felt really good.”
To make it to the Final, he eliminated defending World Champ, Yago Dora, who has been sitting at the top of the leaderboard for most of the year. With 20 minutes left in the heat, Medina nearly completed an inverted rotation that would have been the air of the year. Yago attempted a similar air with 4 minutes left but also came up short. these two face off at Pipeline in good conditions, it won’t be a heat you’ll want to miss.
“I have been waiting all year for this win, and I’m so happy. I knew it was going to come. Talking about a title just makes me confident and makes me believe in the title and the next event. I love the pressure.”
Simmers wins first event of 2026
Simmers earned some of the biggest scores of every round, but a Quarterfinal collision with Yolanda Hopkins led to an unintentional interference call and seven stitches to her ankle. The 2024 World Champion had managed one win in five final appearances since the start of 2025, but back-to-back Finals in Portugal and the Philippines have lifted her to third in the rankings.
Despite the recent injury, the young California phenom surfed with confidence and spirit all the way to the end. In the Final against Isabella Nichols, who was also back from an ankle injury, Simmers pulled into multiple tubes and found a backup wave to post a winning total of 12.00 from two tube rides, her 8th CT victory.
“This is one of my favorite waves in the world, and I was almost in tears paddling out for the Final because I could really feel the love from everyone watching from the water. It was a really beautiful moment, and I kind of let go of my attachment to winning or losing, and just focused on surfing,” Simmers said.
“My goal right now isn’t to go and win it (The World title); I feel like I’ve already accomplished my goal, which is to be able to be in a place and be grateful and thankful for the beauty of it.”
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