How to sign up for a World Surf League (WSL) event?

September 18, 2024  |  Surfing

Have you ever wondered what it takes to compete in a World Surf League (WSL) sanctioned event? In a word, money. But there's more.

Competitive surfing is tough and requires extraordinary talent to get to the top. But what if you just wanted to see how it feels to be in a heat?

Participating in a surf competition is not impossible. There are no age limits and even recreational surfers can get a shot at it.

You may even want to pay to be able to surf a dream wave with only one, two, or three fellow opponents by your side for half an hour or a bit more.

It could be less expensive than the cost per ride at a wave pool.

Whatever your leitmotiv is, signing up for an official surf contest is relatively simple and quick.

WSL has an online back-office platform that allows anyone to register and join as a member of the competitive surfing circuit.

Anyone? Well, it's almost like that.

If you're under 18, you are not permitted to complete the registration process.

It'll take your parent or legal guardian with valid capacity to enter into a binding legal contract on your behalf to complete the process.

However, you can be 14 and still put on a color jersey - registering is the only formality requiring 18-year-old plus individuals.

Registering as a Competitive Surfer

The WSL membership management system requires you to choose your region.

Keep in mind that a surfing career starts at the bottom of WSL's three-tier system, i.e., the Qualifying Series (QS), a division where surfers compete locally and regionally.

You'll need to succeed in the QS to unlock and get access to the Challenger Series (CS), a premium collection of contests that distribute points toward a ranking that, at the end of the season, qualifies athletes for the Championship Tour (CT), the elite of professional surfing.

The road to surfing glory is long - and expensive.

Modern professional surfing requires a lot of time and financial investment.

Apart from the coaches, nutritionists, psychologists, equipment, and travel expenses, there are always fees you need to pay to secure a spot in heat draws.

One of the ways WSL has to fund itself is through membership fees. Therefore, the professional surfing circuit allows amateur individuals to compete in a QS event.

All they need to do is register and pay single event or regional membership fees.

Single Event Entry Fee

A single event fee entitles you to enter one WSL event, except for CT contests. On top of it, insurance is required if you're competing outside of your country of residence.

This option only makes you eligible for ranking points in the region you belong to.

Here's how much you have to pay to compete in a single surfing event across the seven WSL regions/offices:

  • Africa: $50
  • Asia: $30
  • Australia: AUD$80
  • Europe: $60
  • Hawaii: $75
  • North America: $75
  • South America: $60

Annual Regional Membership Fee

If you plan to compete in at least three events in a year, it might be worth subscribing to the regional membership.

If that's the case, you will be eligible for regional ranking points in the region you're a member of.

Obviously, you may plan your season and enter any WSL event except for the CT.

The price for an annual ticket for QS competitions in your region is as follows:

  • Africa: $150
  • Asia: $210
  • Australia: AUD$315
  • Europe: $235
  • Hawaii: $250
  • North America: $250
  • South America: $175

Memberships always expire on December 31, the end of the calendar year.

Men and women pay the same fees.

Interestingly, the regional membership subscription in Asia is only worth it if you're planning to surf at least seven events.

Return on Investment

If you're planning to become a pro surfer, it's important to get the math right.

In other words, if you dream of surfing becoming your full-time job, it has to put money on the table.

After your initial investment in membership fees, it's time to collect the prize money (if you can).

Not all QS events are the same. There's QS 1,000, QS 3,000, and QS 5,000 contests.

The first two must allow for a minimum of 96 surfers, while the last must allow for a minimum of 128 athletes.

The tournament-style elimination format is highly demanding, and only the final-round athletes will receive relevant prize money.

But can you 100 percent guarantee a place in a QS competition? No.

The selection of entries for Regional QS1,000-5,000 contests (and CS events) will be allocated using the following selection criteria:

  1. CT surfers;
  2. Non-requalifying CT surfers from the prior year and the next ten for men/next five for women on the preceding year's final CS rankings (who have not qualified for the current year's CT);
  3. Regional junior seeds: Top three men and two women from that region's prior year's junior rankings:
  4. The defending champion for the relevant QS comp;
  5. A maximum of one CT world champion from the past five years, with priority for the CT world champion from the licensing region of the contest, and if one does not exist, then the most recent CT world champion;
  6. Prior year's regional ranking seeds;

So, in theory, just because you've paid your single event or annual fee, it doesn't mean you've secured a spot in a determined contest.

QS and CS Prize Money

If you surf your way to a QS event, here's the prize money for both men's and women's regional events:

  • QS 1,000: $10,000;
  • QS 3,000: $30,000;
  • QS 5,000: $50,000;

Note that these values represent the overall prize money available for the event, meaning that each figure will have to be broken down into first, second, third, five-placed, etc, surfers.

Also, you'll need to get past the prize money round to receive your first-ever check in competitive surfing.

The road to the final rounds is hard. For instance, men's CS events start with 160 surfers, and women's CS comps kick off with 72 or 64 athletes.

The prize purse is significantly higher on WSL's second-tier system, the Challenger Series (CS). Here's the breakdown:

Men | 80 Competitors Format

  • 1st: $20,000;
  • 2nd: $10,000;
  • 3rd: $5,000;
  • 5th: $3,500;
  • 9th: $2,500;
  • 17th: $2,100;
  • 25th: $2,000;
  • 33rd: $1,500;
  • 49th: $1,250;
  • 65th: $1,100;
  • 73rd: $1,000;

Women | 48 Competitors Format

  • 1st: $20,000;
  • 2nd: $10,000;
  • 3rd: $5,000;
  • 5th: $3,500;
  • 9th: $2,500;
  • 17th: $2,100;
  • 25th: $2,000;
  • 33rd: $1,500;
  • 41st: $1,250;

Does the annual regional membership fee cover participation in CS events? Yes, but to get a shot at the CS circus, you'll need QS points and a good ranking.

Ultimately, if you're entitled to a check, know that all onsite prize money must paid by the completion of the day you're eliminated if payment is other than a bank transfer.

In the case of a bank transfer, the event licensee has seven days from the end of the event window to complete the payment.

Ultimately, anyone (at least 13 years of age) can enter a WSL-sanctioned competition, and if you're an above-average surfer, you could very well dream of winning your first heat.

Or two. Or three. You will only know it if you try it.