Once again, the Surf Tournaments in El Salvador will bring attention to the excellent Salvadoran surfing spots, particularly Punta Roca, El Sunzal, and La Bocana.
The Surf City El Salvador project, launched by the government, aims to promote tourism through surfing—the initiative strengthens El Salvador’s reputation in the sport.
These top-notch surf competitions showcase world-class waves and position El Salvador as a premier surf destination. The upcoming surf tournament in El Salvador for 2025 is ISA World Longboard Championship, set for Apr 25 to May 1, at El Sunzal Beach.
| Org | Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | World Longboard Championship | Apr 25 to May 1 | El Sunzal Beach |
| ISA | World Surfing Games | September 5-14 | La Bocana and El Sunzal Beach |
| WSL | Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championships | November 5-9 | El Sunzal Beach |
| ▼ Completed ▼ | |||
| WSL | Surf City El Salvador Pro | Apr 2-12 | Punta Roca Beach |
SEE ALSO: El Salvador Tourism: A Journey Through Pristine Beaches, Colorful Towns, and Enchanting Parks
ISA World Longboard Championship
The 2025 ISA World Longboard Championship is set to take place at El Sunzal Beach from April 25 to May 1, 2025. This fantastic event brings the best longboard surfers from around the world to ride the waves of Surf City.
El Sunzal Beach, which is famous for its consistent right-hand point breaks and long rides, offers an ideal setting for longboarding competitions.
The 2024 championship at this location was a huge success, featuring 156 surfers from 39 countries, solidifying El Salvador’s reputation as a premier surfing destination.
ISA World Surfing Games
The 2025 ISA World Surfing Games will occur at La Bocana and El Sunzal beaches from September 5-14. This event gathers elite world surfers to compete for individual and team titles.
El Salvador has previously hosted successful editions, including the 2021 games, reinforcing its reputation as a top surfing destination.
WSL Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championship
The 2025 WSL Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championship is scheduled for November 5-9 at El Sunzal Beach, La Libertad.
This prestigious event will gather the world’s top longboard surfers to compete for the championship.
El Sunzal’s renowned right-hand point break offers ideal conditions for longboarding, featuring long, peeling waves that challenge competitors’ skills and endurance.
In the 2024 edition, held in October, California’s Rachael Tilly and Taylor Jensen clinched the women’s and men’s world titles, respectively.
Tilly secured her second world title, demonstrating exceptional performance against reigning champion Soleil Errico. Jensen earned his fourth world title, matching the legendary Nat Young’s record.
The upcoming 2025 championship promises to deliver high-caliber performances, further solidifying El Salvador’s reputation as a premier destination for international surfing competitions.
2025 Completed Surf Tournaments in El Salvador
WSL Surf City El Salvador Pro
The 2025 Surf City El Salvador Pro concluded with remarkable victories in both the men’s and women’s divisions, marking significant milestones for the champions.
In the men’s division, South African veteran Jordy Smith clinched his first World Championship Tour win in eight years.
The 37-year-old surfer delivered a commanding performance at Punta Roca, achieving a heat total of 14.26 out of 20, with impressive wave scores of 7.33 and 6.93.
Smith dedicated his victory to his father, who shapes his surfboards, and his wife, expressing heartfelt gratitude after being carried up the rocks by supporters.
On the women’s side, Hawaiian surfer Gabriela Bryan secured her second career Championship Tour win by defeating Australia’s Isabella Nichols.
Despite early setbacks, including a damaged board, Bryan rebounded with a powerful 7.83 ride after switching to her backup board.
This victory propelled her to second place in the world rankings, showcasing her resilience and determination.
With four events of the 11-stop tour now complete, the surfers head to Australia for three events before the number of competitors is cut by a third.
The season will culminate in a final showdown in Fiji, where the top five surfers will compete for the title.
2024 Completed Surf Tournaments
ALAS Surf City Pro Tour
The 2024 Surf City El Salvador ALAS Pro Tour wrapped up as the final major surfing event in the country for the year. Here are the winners from each division.
Under 14 Division
In the Under 14 divisions, Peru dominated with impressive performances. In the Women’s category, Brianna Barthelmess claimed first place and Sofía Artieda secured second, highlighting Peru’s strong young talent.
In the Men’s division, Peru’s Lorenzo de Osma took first, while Brazil’s Nicolas Oliveira earned second.
Under 18 Division
In the Women’s Under 18 division, Peru’s Sofía Artieda claimed an impressive first-place victory, with Costa Rica’s Rachel Agüero taking second.
Meanwhile, in the Men’s Under 18 division, Costa Rican Tomas Pathenay Olivari earned the top spot, followed by Argentina’s Thiago Passeri in second.
Longboard Division
In the longboard divisions, exceptional talent was on display. In the Women’s category, Brazil’s Atalanta Batista claimed first place, with Costa Rica’s Lia Díaz securing second.
In the Men’s division, Mexico’s Jonathan Melendres took the top spot, followed by the United States’ Tony Silvagni in second, highlighting the diversity and skill in international longboarding.
Open Division
In the open divisions, top surfers delivered thrilling performances. In the Women’s category, Peru’s Brianna Barthelmess secured first place, while the United States’ Kirra Pinkerton claimed second.
In the Men’s division, Costa Rica’s Ethan Hollander emerged victorious, with Peru’s Gabriel Vargas earning a strong second place, showcasing exceptional talent across nations.
ISA World Masters Surfing Championship
The ISA World Masters Surfing Championship ended at the well-known El Sunzal beach in El Salvador, with Brazil securing first place in the team competition, followed by Hawaii in second and Australia taking third.
Women’s Divisions
In the Masters Women’s 40+ division, Hawaiian Melanie Bartels took first place, while Australian Serena Brooke finished second.
Hawaiian Rochelle Ballard secured first in the Grand Masters Women’s 50+ division, with South Africa’s Heather Clark placing second.
Finally, in the Kahunas Women’s 60+ division, Becky Benson from Hawaii claimed first place, followed by Brazil’s Roberta Borges in second.
Men’s Divisions
Brazilian Diego Rosa claimed first place in the Masters Men’s 40+ division, with Costa Rican Gilbert Brown finishing second.
In the Grand Masters Men’s 50+ division, Australian Scott Schindler took the top spot, while Brazilian Jojó de Olivença came in second.
Lastly, in the Kahunas Men’s 60+ division, France’s Eric Graciet captured first place, with Australian Rodney Baldwin securing second.
WSL Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championship
The Surf City El Salvador Longboard Championship concluded with Rachael Tilly of the United States securing the victory in the women’s division. At the same time, Taylor Jensen, also from the United States, claimed first place in the men’s division.
Almost 10 years after winning his first title in China, California’s Rachael Tilly was crowned world champion after defeating her fellow American surfer, Soleil Errico, at El Sunzal Beach.
In the men’s division, Taylor Jensen claimed his fourth world title by defeating Hawaiian surfer Kai Sallas. Jensen secured first place in the rankings, becoming world champion and tying the record of four world titles set by his father-in-law, Nat Young, in 1990.
World Surf League Surf City El Salvador Pro
The 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Surf City El Salvador Pro competition just concluded with Hawaiian John John Florence’s taking first place in the men’s division.
Hawaiian surfer Florence, currently ranked World No. 1, defeated Brazilian Yago Dora, solidifying his place in the WSL Finals to compete for a third World Title.
Surfer Caroline Marks, representing the United States, took first place in the women’s division, earning back-to-back wins at the Punta Roca surf competition.
The now back-to-back champion defeated Hawaiian surfer Gabriela Bryan at the iconic cobblestone point break of Punta Roca, securing a spot in the finals to compete for the world title and defend her crown.
ISA World Junior Surfing Championship
The 2024 ISA World Junior Surfing Championship Surf City El Salvador concluded with Australia taking first place in the team competition. Hawaii ended in Second place, and France in Third.
Australian Dane Henry clinched first place in the under-18 boy’s division, while his compatriot Fletcher Kelleher secured second, and Brazil’s Rickson Falcão took third.
Spanish surfer Dylan Donegan won first place in the under-16 boy’s division, followed by England’s Lukas Skinner in second and Argentina’s Thiago Passeri in third.
In the girl’s under-18 division, Vaihiti Inso from Hawaii took first place, with Tya Zebrowski of France in second and Sara Freyre from the USA in third.
In the girl’s under-16 division, Ziggy Mackenzie from Australia secured first place. Clémence Schorsch from France earned second place, and Louise Le Pront from South Africa finished third.
ISA World Longboard Championship
The Surf City El Salvador ISA World Longboard Championship concluded with Hawaiian surfers dominating the competition. Hawaii secured a complete victory in the men’s and women’s divisions.
Hawaiian’s Honolua Blomfield and Kai Sallas claimed the women’s and men’s gold medals respectively, which earned Hawaii the team gold medal as well.
In the women’s division, gold went to Hawaiian Honolua Blomfield, silver to Rachael Tilly from the USA, and bronze to Natsumi Taoka from Japan.
Kai Sallas from Hawaii won the gold, Silver went to Taka Inoue from Japan, and Rodrigo Sphaier from Brazil got the silver.
The triumph of Honolua Blomfield and Kai Sallas in their respective divisions secured gold for Hawaii in the team competition. Japan earned the silver medal, while France took home the bronze.
The surf tournaments in El Salvador are held at some of the best surf spots in El Salvador and Central America, such as Punta Roca, El Sunzal, La Bocana, Las Flores, and El Zonte. These beaches are part of the Surf City El Salvador project and are some of the best beaches in El Salvador.
