New Zealand Open Team Battles Through Opening Rounds at ISA World Surfing Games
The incredible conditions continued for day two of the 2025 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games (WSG), with consistent four-to-six-foot swell and occasional larger sets lighting up the event’s twin podiums of La Bocana and El Sunzal.
Men’s Main Round 1 was completed at La Bocana, while Women’s Main Round 1 ran at El Sunzal, before the first 16 heats of Men’s Main Round 2 wrapped up the day’s action.
New Zealand’s surfers put in strong performances across the opening rounds, with Will Hardie advancing through to Round 3 of the Main Round, while teammates Theo Morse and Karaiti (Christian) Fougere continue their campaigns via the repechage rounds. On the women’s side, Ariana Shewry and Alani Morse both advanced to Round 2, while Lola Groube showed grit against one of the sport’s global superstars.
Coach Jemarl Paerata reflected on the opening days:
“We had a good start to the event today. The level of surfing is so high!! We’re celebrating a win for the team today. But definitely know we need to be better — it only gets harder from here.”
The New Zealand Team with ISA President Fernando (Sean Evans)
Men’s Results
Will Hardie was the standout Kiwi performer, winning his opening heat in Round 1 with an 8.30 total:
Heat 23 (Round 1)
- Will Hardie (NZL) – 8.30
- Giancarlo Mendez (PUR) – 8.07
- Chia-Chi Yu (TPE) – 7.50
- Joshua Jaipersad (TTO) – 1.77
In Round 2, Hardie narrowly progressed in a nail-biting finish, holding off South Africa’s Luc Lepront by just 0.16 points to secure second place and a berth in Main Round 3.
Heat 11 (Round 2)
- Liam Wilson (ASA) – 9.43
- Will Hardie (NZL) – 7.46
- Luc Lepront (RSA) – 7.30
- Daniel Monterrosa (ESA) – 6.26
“The Worlds so far have been unreal. Such a massive learning curve for me and the whole NZ crew. The level of surfing here is insane, and it’s been surreal to share the lineup with some of the best in the world. I’m stoked to make it through to Round 3 of the main round — just taking it heat by heat and trying to learn heaps along the way. The team’s doing super well. We’re all young, hungry, and backing each other hard. We’re fired up to keep pushing and hopefully shake things up in the draw!” – Will Hardie
Will Hardie (Pablo Jimenez)
Other Results:
- Theo Morse: 2nd in Round 1 (7.53), then 3rd in Round 2. He will surf Repechage 2, Heat 10.
- Karaiti (Christian) Fougere: 2nd in Round 1 (5.50), then 3rd in Round 2. He will surf Repechage 2, Heat 14.
Theo Morse (Pablo Jimenez)
Women’s Results
Ariana Shewry impressed in her opener, placing 2nd to advance into Round 2:
Heat 3 (Round 1)
- Yolanda Sequeira (POR) – 14.34
- Ariana Shewry (NZL) – 6.50
- Darlyn Ramirez (GUA) – 3.43
- Lili Wagner (BAH) – 1.00
She will now surf Round 2, Heat 2 against Alys Barton (GBR), Victoria Muñoz (ARG), and Sol Aguirre (PER).
Ariana Shewry (Jerrson Barboza)
Alani Morse, making her ISA World Surfing Games debut, also claimed 2nd in her Round 1 heat, advancing behind Portugal’s Francisca Veselko.
“The event has been an incredible experience so far. I have learnt some great lessons in surfing and everyday experiences. I really want to represent New Zealand well and I am super stoked to make it through the first round. I’ve met some cool people along the way and our team is fitting in just perfectly. Surfing with all those talented surfers has inspired me and helped me improve my surfing. It’s really intense competing on the top level but it is exactly what I love to do. Our team is doing amazing, we are becoming closer and stronger every moment. I am so lucky to be a part of this amazing team.” – Alani Morse
Alani Morse (Jersson Barboza)
Lola Groube battled hard in her opener but finished 3rd in a stacked heat that included ISA superstar Teresa Bonvalot.
- Teresa Bonvalot (POR) – 8.27
- Dorothy Moody (ESA) – 5.73
- Lola Groube (NZL) – 5.10
- Anahi Porras Pilato (GUA) – 3.90
Next Heats for New Zealand Surfers
| Surfer | Round | Heat | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Hardie | Main Round 3 | Heat 6 | Owen Moss (USA), Jabe Swierkocki (USA), Avuyile Ndamase (RSA) |
| Theo Morse | Repechage 2 | Heat 10 | Franco Radziunas (ARG), Odin Villarreal (IRL), Owen Moss (USA) |
| Karaiti (Christian) Fougere | Repechage 2 | Heat 14 | Bryan Pérez (ESA), Kanoa Heejae (KOR), Luke Guinaldo (USA) |
| Ariana Shewry | Round 2 | Heat 2 | Alys Barton (GBR), Victoria Muñoz (ARG), Sol Aguirre (PER) |
| Alani Morse | Round 2 | TBD | Opponents TBD |
| Lola Groube | Next Heat | TBD | Opponents TBD |
Competition resumes tomorrow at La Bocana and El Sunzal, with world-class waves expected to continue.
Ends