Local surfers dominate Wednesday, solidify spots in finals of Trestles Pro

It wasn’t long ago that the local surfers competing on the world stage this week were just young groms on the sand, watching in awe as their favorite surfers battled it out at Lower Trestles.

Now grown, it’s their turn to inspire, showing the crowd on the cobblestone beach just south of San Clemente why they are considered among the world’s best surfers.

Southern California surfers dominated at the Lexus Trestles Pro on Wednesday, June 11, with several hometown favorites taking down big-name surfers and showing they are hungry for the win at the surf break set in their backyard — but the reality is, there will be only one male and female winner who take home the Trestles title.

San Clemente’s Crosby Colapinto started the day with a huge win, talking about the rough road getting to the contest.

He broke his elbow ahead of the season’s start and had to sit out the first two events of the World Tour. He was close to the mid-year cut, but was able to earn enough points to stay on tour and compete at Trestles.

“It’s like a trophy to overcome something like that, just for me mentally having to go through that and overcome adversity just shows me we can do anything if we put our minds to it,” he said. “It was honestly a blessing in disguise.”

Unfortunately, his run came to an end after matching up against Huntington Beach surfer Kanoa Igarashi in his second heat of the day.

The surfers had a heated exchange of wave rides, Colapinto posting the highest wave score of the day, a 9.33, but a low second score of 5.67 meant Igarashi — who had a 8.93 and 7 on the scoreboard — advanced.

Igarashi sits fourth in the World Surf League’s World Tour rankings, so a strong finish at the Trestles Pro could mean big points toward his attempt to compete in the Final 5 later this year in Fiji for a chance at the 2025 world title.

Colapinto’s brother, Griffin, has made it to the Final 5 twice, but came up short in clinching a world championship. On Wednesday, he wasn’t going down without a fight, matching up against Brazilian Filipe Toledo for one of the most exciting exchanges of the day.

Toledo has many accolades at the wave, twice winning a world championship at Trestles. He also calls San Clemente home after moving to the surf town about a decade ago.

The surfers went wave-for-wave, scoring high points with big turns and big airs. A buzzer battle had the crowd holding its breath as the horn sounded, Griffin Colapinto jumping up and down with the crowd as his winning score, a high 8.93, was announced to overtake the Brazilian opponent.

Having the community support is “beyond words,” Colapinto said, thinking back to his time running around on the beach, just like the kids who were now clamoring for his autograph.

On the women’s side, San Clemente’s Sawyer Lindblad won her heat, the 19-year-old not making the mid-year cut, but entering the event as a wildcard. Because of a change in format for next year’s tour, she will rejoin the crop of women’s best on the 2026 World Tour.

“I was really grateful that I got the wildcard into this event, it’s been a dream of mine to compete here and I was just so excited to be able to compete at home,” Lindblad said. “I feel way less nervous being at home. I paddle out there, all I’m focused on is having fun and getting some good waves. That’s all I want to do, get good scores.”

Oceanside’s Caitlin Simmers matched up against San Clemente’s Kirra Pinkerton. Simmers, the current world champion who won her title at the same surf break last September, bested her opponent.

The two grew up competing against each other, with Simmers admitting that going up against Pinkerton is “terrifying.”

“It’s always scary, she does big turns,” Simmers said. “I was not thinking I was going to win that heat.”

Simmers later in the day went on to win a heat against Canadian surfer Erin Brooks, solidifying her spot in the finals.

World champ and Olympic gold medalist Caroline Marks, a Florida surfer who has made San Clemente her home the past decade, is also still in the event.

San Clemente surfer Cole Houshmand also earned a spot in the finals, taking down the No. 1-ranked Jordy Smith, who has twice won the Trestles event.

“If I could have picked anywhere to have a run, it would be here. I’m just trying to not get ahead of myself, day by day, heat by heat,” Houshmand said.

“If I could give any advice to the groms,” he added, “I would say ‘invest in yourself.’ I went all in on myself – chase your dreams.”

Now the question is when will those who made the finals surf for the title. The competition’s waiting period ends June 17, with organizers eying a weekend swell for the last day of competition. Get more information at worldsurfleague.com