World Surf League
The World Surf League is the principal global professional surfing organization, operating elite tours, qualifying competitions, specialty events and digital media for the sport.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
The World Surf League (WSL) is the dominant international organization for professional surfing and the main commercial and competitive platform through which elite surfers compete for recognized world titles. Its roots reach back to 1976, when Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick founded International Professional Surfers (IPS). IPS created the first sustained world circuit for professional surfing after earlier attempts to organize global championships had largely centered on occasional events. In 1983, the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) assumed management of the professional world circuit and became the principal sanctioning body for professional surfers. The organization operated through several formats during its history. Early ASP seasons sometimes crossed calendar years, while the tour later moved to a regular annual schedule. Its core Championship Tour brought together the leading male and female surfers at prestigious breaks around the world. Surfers accumulated ranking points through Championship Tour and Qualifying Series events, with the season standings determining world champions and helping establish promotion and relegation between competitive levels. The organization also developed specialist pathways for junior, longboard and big-wave surfers. In 2013, the ASP was acquired by ZoSea, an investment and management group backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy and Dirk Ziff. The transaction was intended to provide new capital and a broader commercial strategy for professional surfing. At the beginning of the 2015 season, the ASP adopted the World Surf League name. Adriano de Souza and Carissa Moore became the first world champions under the WSL name, although the organization presents its championship history as continuous with the earlier IPS and ASP eras. The WSL's business encompasses event sanctioning and production, athlete rankings, media distribution, sponsorship, digital content, fan applications and related surf-sport initiatives. Its principal tours include the men's and women's Championship Tours, Challenger Series and Qualifying Series, as well as longboard, junior and big-wave competitions. The organization packages events for live and on-demand viewing and has used digital platforms to expand the audience for a sport whose competitions are dependent on location, wave quality and weather conditions. Digital reach became an important part of the league's positioning during the late 2010s. The WSL reported more than 6.5 million Facebook followers in 2017, while Sports Business Journal reported substantial consumption of its digital video programming in the same season. In 2018, Forbes reported an exclusive two-year digital broadcast agreement with Facebook valued at $30 million. These figures reflect reported media arrangements and audience measures from that period rather than current financial performance. The WSL has also used its institutional position to promote environmental and social initiatives. In 2016 it introduced WSL PURE, a philanthropic program focused on ocean health, research, education and advocacy. Its initial funding supported scientific work on ocean ecosystems, acidification, sea-level rise and the relationship between oceans and climate change. In September 2018, the organization announced that male and female athletes would receive equal prize money at every WSL event from the 2019 schedule onward, making gender equity a visible part of its public positioning. Leadership has changed several times since the ZoSea acquisition. Paul Speaker left the chief executive role in January 2017, with Dirk Ziff serving as interim CEO before Sophie Goldschmidt was appointed in July of that year. Erik Logan became CEO in January 2020 and left the position in June 2023. Ryan Crosby was announced as CEO in April 2024 and began in May 2024. The WSL remains an active global sports property whose identity combines competition governance, event entertainment, athlete development, media distribution and ocean advocacy.
History
Professional surfing had earlier been represented by the International Surfing Federation, which staged world championships as periodic events from 1964 to 1972. Between 1973 and 1975, the Smirnoff World Pro-Am Surfing Championships became an important professional competition, although the international sport lacked a stable professional governing structure. Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick addressed that gap in 1976 by founding International Professional Surfers. IPS established a recurring professional world circuit and is the earliest direct predecessor of the modern WSL. The Association of Surfing Professionals took over administration of the professional circuit in 1983. Its first world champions were Tom Carroll in the men's division and Kim Mearig in the women's division. Some early seasons ran across two calendar years, including the 1987–88 season, before the tour returned to a calendar-year structure in 1988. Through the ASP era, the organization expanded the professional calendar, formalized rankings and developed a recognizable pathway from qualifying contests to the elite world tour. The modern commercial phase began in 2013, when the ASP was acquired by ZoSea, backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy and Dirk Ziff. The ownership and management change sought to strengthen the league's media, sponsorship and event-production capabilities. The ASP was renamed the World Surf League at the beginning of the 2015 season. Adriano de Souza and Carissa Moore were the first men's and women's world champions identified under the WSL brand, while the league continued to recognize the earlier championship lineage. During the 2010s, the organization broadened its audience through mobile and social media. A free WSL application launched in March 2015 and provided live competition updates and personalized alerts. In April 2016, WSL PURE was established to support ocean-health research, education and advocacy. The initiative announced initial funding for research conducted with scientists at Columbia University's Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory on subjects including ocean ecosystems, acidification, sea-level rise and climate change. The league made a prominent equity decision in 2018 by committing to equal prize money for women and men at all WSL events beginning with the 2019 schedule. This positioned the organization as an early major sports body to apply equal event prize money across its principal men's and women's competitions. The WSL's event system continued to include Championship Tours, Qualifying Series, junior and longboard championships, and big-wave events. Competition results are converted into ranking points, which influence world-title races and athlete progression. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the competitive calendar. In March 2020, the WSL cancelled events for the remainder of that month and then extended cancellations through May. Further events, including Sunset, the Jaws Championship at Pe'ahi and the Santa Cruz Pro, were cancelled in January 2021. These interruptions reflected the international travel, public-health and event-production constraints affecting professional sport. Executive leadership changed during this period. Paul Speaker departed as CEO in January 2017, followed by an interim period under Dirk Ziff. Sophie Goldschmidt became CEO in July 2017, Erik Logan took over in January 2020, and Logan left in June 2023. Ryan Crosby was announced as the next CEO in April 2024 and commenced in May. The WSL currently functions as a global professional sports organization whose activities span sanctioning, rankings, athlete pathways, event production, media, sponsorship and environmental programs.
- 2024
Ryan Crosby became CEO
[1]Ryan Crosby's CEO appointment became effective on 13 May 2024.
- 2020
COVID-19 event cancellations
[1]The league suspended and cancelled events during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2018
Equal prize-money commitment announced
[1]The WSL announced equal prize money for women and men at every event from 2019.
- 2016
WSL PURE introduced
[1]The organization created WSL PURE to support ocean-health research, education and advocacy.
- 2015
World Surf League name adopted
[1]The ASP was rebranded as the World Surf League at the start of the season.
- 2015
WSL mobile application launched
[1]The league launched a free app providing competition updates and personalized athlete alerts.
- 2013
ZoSea acquisition
[1]The ASP was acquired by ZoSea, backed by Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy and Dirk Ziff.
- 1983
ASP assumes professional world-circuit administration
[1]The Association of Surfing Professionals took over management of the professional surfing world circuit.
- 1976
International Professional Surfers founded
[1]Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick founded IPS, creating the first sustained world circuit for professional surfing.
Products and positioning
The leading global professional surfing league and media platform, combining elite competition, athlete rankings, event production, digital distribution and ocean-focused advocacy.
Elite professional competition
Championship Tour
The WSL's highest-level men's and women's competition. Athletes compete at selected international breaks, earn ranking points and pursue the season's world title. The tour is the league's central sporting and media property.
Athlete qualification
Challenger Series and Qualifying Series
These competitions provide a progression route for surfers seeking entry to the Championship Tour. Events carry different ranking values, with higher-rated contests generally offering stronger fields and greater qualification significance.
Specialty competition · 1986
Longboard Championships
The men's and women's longboard tours recognize elite performance in a discipline with different equipment, wave use and judging expectations from shortboard Championship Tour surfing.
Youth competition · 1998
World Junior Championships
The junior championships provide an international platform for emerging surfers and have historically served as an important development stage before athletes enter senior professional tours.
Specialty competition · 2009
Big Wave Tour
The Big Wave Tour showcases surfers in unusually large surf and uses event windows that depend heavily on suitable swell and safety conditions.
Media service
WSL digital coverage
The WSL distributes event coverage, rankings, updates and athlete-focused content through digital channels, helping turn geographically dispersed surf contests into a global media property.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Equal prize-money initiative
International
The WSL announced equal prize money for female and male competitors at every event beginning with the 2019 schedule.
Outcome. The policy became a prominent part of the league's gender-equity positioning.
- 2016WSL PURE
International
The WSL launched WSL PURE as an ocean-health initiative supporting scientific research, education and advocacy.
Outcome. Initial funding was directed toward research on ocean ecosystems, acidification, sea-level rise and climate change.
Brand decisions
2020
Suspend events during the COVID-19 pandemicOtherBackground
International travel restrictions and public-health risks disrupted professional sporting events worldwide.
Action taken
The WSL cancelled events first through March 2020 and then extended cancellations through May, with additional events cancelled in January 2021.
Aftermath
The competition calendar was materially disrupted, including events at Sunset, Jaws and Santa Cruz.
2018
Introduce equal prize moneyStrategyBackground
Women's professional surfing and broader sports-equity debates increased pressure on sports organizations to address gender disparities.
Action taken
The WSL committed to paying women and men equally at every WSL event from 2019.
Aftermath
The decision was widely presented as a leadership move on gender equality in professional sport.
- Stephanie Gilmore — The eight-time world champion praised the decision and said it could serve as a model for other sports.
2015
Rebrand the ASP as the World Surf LeagueStrategyBackground
The organization sought a broader identity for its international professional surfing competitions.
Action taken
The ASP adopted the World Surf League name at the beginning of the 2015 season.
Aftermath
The WSL brand became the umbrella identity for the elite tours, qualifying pathways and related competitions.
2013
Acquire the ASP through ZoSeaM&ABackground
The professional surfing circuit required capital and commercial development as media consumption moved toward digital platforms.
Action taken
ZoSea acquired the Association of Surfing Professionals with backing from Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy and Dirk Ziff.
Aftermath
The transaction preceded the ASP's rebranding as the World Surf League and a stronger emphasis on global media and event production.
Recent events
- 2024
Ryan Crosby appointed chief executive officer[1]
Leadership change
Ryan Crosby was announced as CEO in April 2024, with his appointment taking effect in May.
- 2020
WSL cancelled events during the COVID-19 pandemic[1]
Other
The organization cancelled events initially through March and then extended the suspension through May because of the pandemic.
- 2018
WSL announced equal prize money[1]
Other
The league announced that female and male competitors would receive equal prize money at every WSL event from 2019.
- 2015
ASP renamed World Surf League[1]
Other
The Association of Surfing Professionals adopted the World Surf League name at the start of the 2015 season.
- 2013
ASP acquired by ZoSea[1]
M&A
ZoSea acquired the Association of Surfing Professionals, with backing from Paul Speaker, Terry Hardy and Dirk Ziff.
Sources5 sources
- 1World Surf Leagueen.wikipedia.org
- 2cbdMD Partners with World Surf League for Jaws Big Wave Championshipsprnewswire.com
- 3World Surf League Launches ‘We Are One Ocean' Content Series Featuring WSL Champion Italo Ferreira, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Mikey Februaryworldsurfleague.com
- 4World Surf League partners with Bonsoymumbrella.com.au
- 5WSL Launches Campaign to Protect 30% of the Ocean By 2030 with ‘We Are One Ocean’ | The Inertiatheinertia.com
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