Roediger Wins Fiji Surf Pro as California Pool Debuts
Surf news delivered two very different ways to chase a wave this week: one beneath Cloudbreak's Pacific power, the other in the middle of California's desert. The common thread? Serious skill, serious conditions, and plenty of reasons for surfers and photographers to pay attention.
Roediger conquers Cloudbreak after a difficult month
Maui windsurfers Bernd Roediger and Morgan Noireaux finished first and third at the Fiji Surf Pro, competing in 13-foot surf at the legendary Cloudbreak reef. The June 6-14 event featured some of the toughest conditions of the season. Four windsurfing rigs were destroyed, and Australian competitor Jaeger Stone suffered a broken foot after a heavy wipeout. This was not a gentle reef session.
Roediger claimed the title despite competing with a strained ACL and having gone more than a month without windsurfing. He finished with 18.07 points, ahead of France's Antoine Martin on 15.76 and Noireaux on 14.46. It marked Roediger's third major victory of the season.
The victory carried extra weight after the 2023 Fiji event, where he came close but could not close the deal.
'I've wanted to win here since the last Fiji event in 2023, but to actually win it is totally different. So many things have to go your way. It's like a blessing.'
Noireaux produced the event's highest-scoring single wave, earning a remarkable 9.5 for one ride. Unfortunately for his podium push, inconsistent winds made a second scoring wave difficult to find. Camille Juban of Guadeloupe finished fourth. On the women's side, Australia's Jane Seman won all three finals to reclaim the Cloudbreak title she first captured in 2022.
You can follow the complete results and event coverage over at Maui News.
A desert wave pool brings serious technology to California
Meanwhile, Wavegarden is celebrating the opening of DSRT Surf in California's Coachella Valley. The facility is the Spanish technology company's second wave park in the United States, following Atlantic Park in Virginia Beach, and sits roughly 100 miles from the ocean.
Its numbers are impressive: up to 1,000 waves per hour and a catalog of more than 60 wave types. Among them are aerial-focused waves with air-friendly ramps every 30 seconds and a powerful, wide barrel called the Twister. Wavegarden previously powered Austin's NLAND Surf Park, which opened in 2016 and closed two years later after being sold to the WSL and Kelly Slater Wave Co. DSRT Surf therefore arrives with considerably more experience under its belt.
Early testers are already impressed. Surf photographer Jacob Zeke Szekely called it the best wave pool in the world after testing its turns, barrels and aerial options. Beach Street Holdings co-founder John Luff said the facility exceeded his expectations, particularly when it came to its barrels.
'I didn't think a surf pool could have such a powerful spit; it completely blew me away. The barrel is so long that it actually gives you time to take a conscious breath in there.'
Wavegarden's full DSRT Surf announcement is available through The Inertia. A public opening date has not been finalized, although late summer remains the target. Sessions are expected to start at $60 per hour, compared with roughly $100 for beginner-friendly group sessions at California's Palm Springs Surf Club.
For photographers, repeatable wave sequences could offer a fresh way to follow a surfer's progression across multiple attempts. The ocean will always supply the unpredictability, but California's desert pool is quickly becoming a serious training ground with its own visual appeal.
