Perth, May 18: Competition at the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro Presented by Bonsoy was called off on Monday after just one heat, following a sudden drop in swell at Manu Bay in Raglan.
The third day of competition began after an early morning free surf produced two-to-three foot waves, giving organisers confidence to start men’s Round Three. However, conditions quickly slowed once the opening heat began, with the rising tide leaving few opportunities for surfers.
The next call will be made on Tuesday, May 19, at 7.15am NZST, with a possible 7.35am start.
“There were incredible waves this morning, it was a no-brainer to start,” said Renato Hickel, WSL VP Tours and Competition. “It just goes to show we’re in the hands of Mother Nature. It was a really difficult heat, this first one. I talked to Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo, the surfers in Heat 2, and we decided to call off today’s event. We’re moving into better tides from tomorrow, so we’re going to try again then. Today, we were hoping to do four heats, and we did one. That’s the way it goes sometimes. At this stage, we don’t have any other sizable surf in the forecast. We’re hopeful that by Sunday and Monday, the last two days of the waiting period, we can have better news and these storms materialize. At this point, we can’t count on those two days in the window. So, regardless of what happens, we’re going to have to run heats in small surf. We’re going to have to cherry-pick the moments to try to put the surfers in the best possible conditions.”
The only heat completed saw Griffin Colapinto defeat younger brother Crosby Colapinto in their Round Three matchup. Griffin posted 11.33 to Crosby’s 9.53, advancing to the Quarterfinals.
“It’s definitely been quite a weird mental hurdle on the road during this leg, knowing that we’ll be the ones to not let each other get to Finals Day, which sucks because we feed off each other so much. But I guess it’s just part of the game,” Griffin said. “I feel like we both have really big hearts, and we care a lot for each other. I think for me, it helped a lot that he beat me in Margaret’s because it felt like, ok, I’m gonna get him back. Going into that, I had a really strong feeling I was gonna beat him. And I think it was because of the last one, it was more cutthroat than last time. I’d really like to win the contest; going backside feels really good for me. This place is beautiful, and there’s a lot of good energy, and so I’m just going to be feeding off that.”
Griffin will next face the winner of the Round Three heat between Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo when competition resumes.
The Corona Cero New Zealand Pro Presented by Bonsoy is Stop No. 4 of the 2026 World Surf League Championship Tour and runs from May 15 to 25.
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