Surf Stays Small at Manu Bay Pushing New Zealand Pro

The holding pattern continues at the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro. See the updated weekend forecast and upcoming Championship Tour matchups.

If you were hoping to catch some world-class surfing today, you will have to wait until the weekend. The holding pattern continues at the Corona Cero New Zealand Pro presented by Bonsoy, Stop No. 2 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour. Small waves have kept the ocean quiet, so event organisers have officially called off competition for the day. However, the forecast for the last three days of the event window looks incredibly promising.

WSL VP Tours and Competitions Renato Hickel confirmed the continued small surf at Raglan but noted great signs for plenty of waves from Saturday into Sunday and Monday. “We will come back tomorrow and are confident we will get some action underway in the coming days,” Hickel said. He noted that organisers have 3 days of waves coming and need less than one and a half days to complete the event, so they are looking forward to finishing with a bang in the next three days. The next official call to restart the competition will be tomorrow, Saturday, May 23, at 9:00 a.m. NZST for a possible 9:35 a.m. start.

Huge Matchups on the Horizon

When competition resumes, the first heat of the day will be an absolute must-watch. Brazilian World Champions Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo will meet for the second time in as many events. With Toledo taking the advantage at Snapper Rocks just two weeks ago, Medina will be looking to utilise his powerful frontside attack on the long walls of Manu Bay to take the win and book himself a spot on Finals Day for the fourth straight event in 2026.

There are plenty of other surfers looking to make their mark when the action returns. Californian Cole Houshmand has had a slow start to the 2026 season, but he will take confidence from an early heat win in Raglan. The powerful goofy-footer will hope to build on that momentum, but he will first need to overcome the always consistent Leonardo Fioravanti in Heat 6 of Round Three.

On the women’s side, San Diego’s Alyssa Spencer is aiming to equal her best-ever Championship Tour result with another Semifinal berth, though she will need to take down 2026 standout Gabriela Bryan in Quarterfinal Heat 1 to make it happen. In Quarterfinal Heat 2, two-time WSL World Champion Tyler Wright will match up against event standout Sawyer Lindblad. Wright has already guaranteed her best result of the season with a Quarterfinal berth, while Lindblad is looking to find her way into her third straight Semifinal appearance in 2026.