These are the updated world surf rankings after J-Bay. South Africa’s Jordy Smith drops one position to number two, losing the coveted yellow jersey to Brazil’s Yago Dora. However, with one event to go in the toturous barrels of Tahiti before the WSL Finals, there’s a silver lining for our Big Bru.
Everyone was ecstatic to see Smith reach number one on the world surf rankings in 2025. However, after assuming the yellow jersey in Margaret River, it’s plain to see that results have not fallen the big South African’s way. Now, freed up from the expectation of surfing in yellow, the 38-year-old tour veteran is focussing only on the job at hand in Tahiti.
UPDATED WORLD SURF RANKINGS
Heading into the last stop of the regular season at Teahupo’o, Tahiti, the updated world surf rankings look like so:
| RANK | SURFER | POINTS |
| 1. | Yago Dora (BRA) | 51 430 |
| 2. | Jordy Smith (RSA) | 47 515 |
| 3. | Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) | 44 455 |
| 4. | Italo Ferreira (BRA) | 42 675 |
| 5. | Ethan Ewing (AUS) | 41 885 |
SILVER LINING FOR JORDY SMITH
South African Jordy Smith’s results in 2025 before assuming the yellow jersey on the world surf rankings were:
- Lexus Pipe Pro (HAW) – 17th
- Surf Abu Dhabi Pro (UAE) – 9th
- Rip Curl Pro Portugal (PRO) – 9th
- El Salvador Pro (SAL) – 1st
- Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach (AUS) – 5th
- Gold Coast Pro (AUS) – 5th
- Margaret River Pro, WA (AUS) – 1st
A fantastic run of form, bookended by wins in El Salvador and Western Australia, garnered Smith a brand-new GWM 300 Tank as the grand prize for scoring the most points on the GWM ‘Aussie Treble’ leg. However, in the number one jersey, his results have been tempered, with surf fans disappointed to see him bow out at his beloved J-Bay before the Quarter Finals:
- Lexus Trestles Pro (USA) – 9th
- Rio Pro (BRA) – 5th
- Open J-Bay (RSA) – 9th
J-BAY LOWS AND HIGHS
A good result at Smith’s home break could have well and truly sewn up his entry into the WSL Final Five. However, the surprise from the J-Bay event was the underdog win by goofy footer, Connor O’Leary. The lowly ranked O’Leary surfed like a man possessed. And he took 10 000 points for the event win away from Smith’s nearest rivals, ensuring he only slipped one position on the world surf rankings.
Every remaining point on the world surf rankings counts. The WSL Finals hosted this year in Cloudbreak, Fiji, follows a man-on-man heat format. Number five surfs number four, the winner takes on number three, and so on … until the low seed matches up against number one. And the higher Jordy Smith is ranked, the less heats he will have to surf, and the better shot at a world title.
- Tahiti Pro event window opens on Thursday 7 August 2025.
- WSL Finals in Fiji could run from Wednesday 27 August 2025.
DO YOU THINK SOUTH AFRICA’S BIG BRU CAN WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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