In Southern California lore, Lower Trestles is known as a high-performance, cobblestone-bottomed, point break. Maybe not THE BEST high-performance, cobblestone-bottomed point break, but definitely the one most accessible to the masses in and around Southern California. This week, the surfing world descends upon the famed break for the eighth World Championship Tour event of the year; The 2025 Lexus Trestles Pro.
We’ve seen a lot of incredible performances here over the years – the past few as the WSL used Lowers as the Finals event location. So, while it doesn’t occupy the coveted “bonus event” spot that will be done away with after 2025, it does give us a solid opportunity to witness a lot of style on display both in the water and on the beach.
Pat Nolan / WSL
Who can forget the year that Kelly Slater (a wildcard at this year’s event) rolled up to the event in a Porsche and dominated the field. Or the year that Dane Reynolds came into his own and put on a performance of a lifetime only to come up short in the finals. Style really stands out at Lowers and for those lacking in it, they are exposed right from the moment they first stand up.
So who are the surfers to place your bets on and select for your Fantasy Surfer teams?
While we’d all love to see a Kelly revival and a walk-off victory into the sunset, we’ve spent the last 4-5 years seeing that even the greatest surfer to ever ride a wave has reached the age where maybe it’s best to leave the competition for the younger generation. Kelly can do things still that will blow all our minds, but it’s going to take a special blend of youth, athleticism, and flexible knees to pull this one off. So celebrate him while you can. If you’re on the beach, get out your cameras, phones, and keep your eyes peeled; you’re watching the final curtain call for the greatest who ever did it.
Back in the healthy knees club, your top ranked surfers have excelled here over the years. Jordy Smith has won this event twice, and Filipe Toledo won it once as a normal event and twice as the Championship 5 event (That’s three for all of you keeping track at home). Both of them are solid bets to at least make the quarterfinals here again. And beyond the quarters, it’s anyone’s game.
Griffin Colapinto, Crosby Colapinto, Sawyer Lindblad, Caitlin Simmers, Cole Houshmand, Jake MArshall, and even Kanoa Igarashi all live relatively close to Lowers and know the area very well. Each and every one of them would be a solid choice to win. And none of them would be surprising.
Italo Ferreira, Yago Dora, Ethan Ewing, Gabriela Bryan, Caroline Marks, and Isabella Nichols all have the style to vault themselves into contention here as well. Great picks from top to bottom there.
With any sort of South swell in the water, Lowers is the best spot in the area to pick that up and give the surfers something to work with. And with a smaller amount of surfers on tour post mid-year cut, we could see this event wrapped up and in the bag during one swell.
Fingers crossed.
Who: The WSL Championship Tour (Top 22 men + Top 10 women)
What: The 8th event of the 2025 World Championship Tour
When: June 9-17, 2025 beginning at 7am local time
Where: Lower Trestles, San Clemente, California
Lowers Pro Round 1 Heat Draw
MEN:
Heat 1; Kanoa Igarashi, Rio Waida, Cole Houshmand
Heat 2: Yago Dora, Connor O’Leary, Alejo Muniz
Heat 3: Italo Ferreira, Marco Mignot, TBA
Heat 4: Jordy Smith, Crosby Colapinto, TBA
Heat 5: Barron Mamiya, Jake Marshall, Seth Moniz
Heat 6: Ethan Ewing, Griffin Colapinto, Joel Vaughan
Heat 7: Filipe Toledo, Miguel Pupo, Joao Chianca
Heat 8: Jack Robinson, Leo Fioravanti, Alan Cleland
WOMEN:
Heat 1: Isabella Nichols, Tyler Wright, Lakey Peterson
Heat 2: Gabriels Bryan, Luana Silva, TBA
Heat 3: Caitlin Simmers, Bettylou Sakura-Johnson, Sawyer Lindblad
Heat 4: Molly Picklum, Caroline Marks, Erin Brooks
Get your Fantasy Surfer team dialed before the Lexus Trestles Pro kicks off and trading closes.