Jordy Smith Can Almost Taste It
Less than two weeks stand between South Africa’s Jordy Smith and becoming only the second South African man to win a WSL world title, according to Forbes Africa. After 16 grinding years on tour, all he needs now is three more heat wins at Cloudbreak, the heart-shaped Tavarua Island beast that launches the finals window on August 27.
The math is simple: top five in, yellow jersey to Yago Dora. Jordy sits second and will open with either Italo Ferreira, Jack Robinson, or Griffin Colapinto in a single-heat sudden death. Survive that and he faces Dora in a best-of-three for the crown.
Smith’s been riding a magic board shaped with his dad—the same duo that built boards when Jordy was eight. “To make a board that could win a world title is the dream we had since I was a kid,” Smith told Forbes from the Fijian lineup. The board already delivered victory in El Salvador; now it just needs one more pulse at Cloudbreak.
And while the stakes are sky-high, the vibe around camp feels loose. “I stopped worrying about the waves I get and started trusting they’ll come,” he laughed. Photographers in the channel are licking their lenses—power arcs and alley-oops under world-title pressure? That’s poster gold.
If the swell cooperates and the reef behaves, history could be rewritten before September even hits. Whatever happens, grab your cameras, Cloudbreak is about to serve up frames no one will forget.