Surfing-Canada's Erin Brooks Kicks Off Fiji Pro with Perfect 10-Point Ride "Best Heat of My Life"

Canadian teen Erin Brooks scored a perfect 10-point ride in her first-round heat at the Fiji Pro, matching the wave's pace through a deep, lengthy barrel at Cloudbreak to confirm her status as one of the favourites for stop eight of the World Surf League Championship Tour.

Canadian teen Erin Brooks scored a perfect 10-point ride as the Fiji Pro kicked off in solid surf on Wednesday, threading a long, deep tube in her first-round heat to confirm her as one of the favourites to win stop number eight on the world tour. Hot off a win at the Tahiti Pro earlier this month, Brooks took off deep on one of the biggest waves of the day and pulled into a gaping cavern that reeled down the reef of Cloudbreak .

"That was definitely the best heat of my life," said Brooks, who won the Fiji event as a 17-year-old wildcard in 2024.

"Through the whole barrel, I was like, 'When is it going to get me?' I thought I was going to get hit by the foamball and then it just let me through."

Combined with an earlier eight-point ride, Texas-born Brooks finished with a two-wave total of 18 out of 20, the highest heat total of the day, to comfortably beat Australia's Sophie McCulloch, who could only manage a total of 3.06.

A Historic Return to Cloudbreak

This year's Fiji Pro marks the first full Championship Tour event at Cloudbreak since 2017, featuring 24 women and 36 men. The famed left-hander, located about a mile off Tavarua island, is considered one of the best waves on the planet. Reigning world champions Molly Picklum and Yago Dora return to the reef where they each claimed their maiden world titles last year.

Brooks' performance echoes her historic win at the same event in 2024, when she became the youngest surfer, male or female, to win the Fiji Pro as a wildcard. She now joins Laura Enever and Carissa Moore as the only women to earn a perfect 10 in Fiji.

First Round Results

The opening day saw several notable results. Sally Fitzgibbons edged eight-time world champion Steph Gilmore 9.97 to 8.37 in a first-round showdown, dedicating the win to former Surfing Australia chief executive Mark Lane, who died over the weekend. The withdrawal of American Caitlin Simmers due to injury forced organisers to reshuffle the schedule, pitting Fitzgibbons against Gilmore in a repeat of the 2014 Fiji Pro final.

Here is the question this performance raises. Erin Brooks has opened the Fiji Pro with a perfect 10-point ride, her second win on the world tour. When a 19-year-old prodigy who won this event as a wildcard returns with a perfect 10 and a Tahiti Pro victory under her belt, has the Canadian teen become the surfer to beat for the rest of the 2026 season?

As the competition window continues through September 4, Brooks will look to maintain her momentum and claim her second Fiji Pro title.

FAQ:

Q: What is the Fiji Pro?
A: The Fiji Pro is a World Surf League Championship Tour event held at Cloudbreak, one of the world's most famous left-hand reef breaks, located off the island of Tavarua in Fiji . The 2026 event features 24 women and 36 men and is the eighth stop on the tour.

Q: Who is Erin Brooks?
A: Erin Brooks is a 19-year-old Canadian surfer who won the Fiji Pro as a 17-year-old wildcard in 2024 and recently won the Tahiti Pro earlier this month. She is one of the youngest surfers on the Championship Tour and has become a rising star in the sport.

Q: What does a perfect 10-point ride mean in surfing?
A: In professional surfing, waves are scored on a 1 to 10-point scale by a panel of judges based on the difficulty, commitment, and variety of manoeuvres. A perfect 10 represents the highest possible score for a single wave.

Q: What happened to Steph Gilmore and Sally Fitzgibbons at the Fiji Pro?
A: Sally Fitzgibbons edged eight-time world champion Steph Gilmore 9.97 to 8.37 in a first-round showdown, after organiser reshuffled the schedule due to Caitlin Simmers' withdrawal.

Q: When does the Fiji Pro run?
A: The 2026 Fiji Pro has a competition window from August 25 to September 4, with the first day of competition taking place on Wednesday, August 26.