Who won the WSL in Maresias? Ryan Kainalo of Brazil and Charli Hately of Australia. The Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro, a World Surf League Challenger Series event at Maresias, in São Sebastião, Brazil, finished on Saturday, October 3, the last day of the waiting period. Kainalo beat Australia's Alister Reginato 14.50 to 5.83 in the men's final, and Hately beat Portugal's Francisca Veselko 14.33 to 10.67 in the women's.
The event at a glance
Men's champion: Ryan Kainalo (BRA), 10,000 points, new leader of the Challenger Series ranking
Women's champion: Charli Hately (AUS), up to 10th on the ranking with 11,940 points
Finals day: about 1.5 m, well-formed waves with an offshore wind and sun
Where: Maresias, on São Sebastião's south coast
What was at stake: Challenger Series ranking points. The top 10 men and top 6 women qualify for the 2027 Championship Tour
Next stop: Ericeira, Portugal, from October 6 to 12
Surf conditions on finals day
The south swell cleaned up. Saturday brought waves of about 1.5 m (5 ft) with good shape, an offshore wind and sun, a big step up from Friday's bumpy Round of 16. The scores show it: Kainalo's final total of 14.50 and Hately's 14.33 were among the best of the whole event.
For the current conditions, see the Maresias surf forecast on AriaSurf.
Finals day: Saturday, Oct 3
Men
Quarterfinals
Oscar Berry (AUS) 13.50 beat Charly Quivront (FRA) 9.67
Ryan Kainalo (BRA) 12.67 beat Lucca Mesinas (PER) 11.00
Alonso Correa (PER) 11.73 beat Kei Kobayashi (JPN) 4.93
Alister Reginato (AUS) 12.84 beat Ian Gentil (HAW) 11.50
Semifinals
Ryan Kainalo 14.20 beat Oscar Berry 3.73
Alister Reginato 14.33 beat Alonso Correa 9.57
Final: Ryan Kainalo (BRA) 14.50 beat Alister Reginato (AUS) 5.83.
"Best result of my life. I'm in the final!" Kainalo said after the semifinal. After the title: "This was an unforgettable day. The beach was full, the Brazilian crowd is unlike anything else."
Women
Quarterfinals
Anat Lelior (ISR) 10.50 beat Kiara Goold (PYF) 8.17
Charli Hately (AUS) 11.24 beat Eweleiula Wong (HAW) 8.17
Francisca Veselko (POR) 13.16 beat Teresa Bonvalot (POR) 9.70
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.97 beat Kana Nakashio (JPN) 8.43
Semifinals
Charli Hately 13.83 beat Anat Lelior 10.97
Francisca Veselko 13.50 beat Sally Fitzgibbons 7.10
Final: Charli Hately (AUS) 14.33 beat Francisca Veselko (POR) 10.67.
"It's crazy. I can't believe I won," Hately said. "I kept my head right, caught the waves and now everything feels surreal."
Results so far
Saturday, Sept 26: opening day
Day one ran 16 heats, eight men's and eight women's, in waves of about half a meter with some bigger sets.
Sophia Medina, Gabriel Medina's sister and a Maresias local, won her opening heat with 11.47 (5.77 and 5.70) in front of a home crowd. She was the only Brazilian woman to advance on day one.
Eweleiula Wong (HAW) posted the best heat total of the event so far: 13.50.
Sierra Kerr (AUS), the women's ranking leader, advanced comfortably.
On the men's side, Ryan Kainalo, Rodrigo Saldanha, Gabriel Klaussner, Rafael Barbosa, Vitor Ferreira and Lucas Vicente made it through the first round.
The day before the opening, a swell with waves of up to 3 meters hit the Maresias shoreline and damaged decks and retaining walls on beachfront properties. By opening day the surf had dropped to around half a meter.
Tuesday, Sept 29: men's Round of 64
Competition resumed with the men's Round of 64. Brazil arrived in numbers: 16 men in the Round of 64 and two women, Laura Raupp and Sophia Medina, in the women's Round of 32.
One of the morning's standouts was a stacked heat with Australians Reef Heazlewood, Jordy Lawler and former CT surfer Jacob Willcox, plus Brazil's Rafael Barbosa. Heazlewood posted the heat's best wave, a 6.67, and advanced to the Round of 32 alongside Willcox.
Heat by heat, heats 1 to 7:
Jackson Bunch (HAW), No. 2 on the rankings, posted the best numbers of the event so far in his Maresias debut: an 8.83 wave and a 15.00 heat total. Lennix Smith (AUS) advanced behind him with 13.60.
Ryan Kainalo won the all-Brazilian duel with former CT surfer Ian Gouveia, 10.80 to 10.10. Winter Vincent (AUS) took second with 10.67, so Gouveia, 6th on the rankings, is out.
Douglas Silva (BRA) advanced in second (10.77) behind Japan's Shohei Kato (11.80). Vitor Ferreira was eliminated.
Charly Quivront (FRA) won heat 1 with 12.83 ahead of Joel Vaughan. Guilherme Ribeiro (BRA) finished third and is out.
In the Heazlewood heat the final totals were 12.24 to Willcox's 12.20, and Rafael Barbosa (9.83) is out.
Oscar Berry (10.93) and Kade Matson advanced from heat 3, and Yago Dominguez (11.97) and Lucca Mesinas from heat 6.
From heat 8 onward, the afternoon was rough for Brazil:
Weslley Dantas, the rankings leader, is out. He caught 15 waves in heat 15 and posted 12.10 (6.20 and 5.90) but finished third, behind American Dimitri Poulos (14.33, including a 7.50) and South Africa's Adin Masencamp (13.60).
Samuel Pupo, a Maresias local, also went out at home: 9.34 in heat 12, won by Connor Slijpen (12.20), with Peru's Alonso Correa second.
Deivid Silva advanced from heat 10 with 10.50, just 0.07 ahead of Japan's Kei Kobayashi, who also went through. Gabriel Klaussner (6.83) is out.
CT surfer Jake Marshall (USA) won heat 8 with 13.66 (a 7.83 top wave). Rodrigo Saldanha missed out narrowly, 10.60 to Japan's Hiroto Ohhara's 11.20.
Fellow CT surfer Jack Robinson (AUS) won heat 9 on debut with 12.50. South African veteran Beyrick De Vries took second and knocked out Hayden Rodgers.
Tahiti's Mihimana Braye won heat 11 with 12.24 (including a 7.47), ahead of Jett Schilling. Mateus Herdy (10.36) is out.
Alister Reginato (AUS, 12.00) and Eli Hanneman (HAW) advanced from heat 13, and Lucas Vicente (8.93) is out. In heat 14, Levi Slawson (USA, 11.73) and Ian Gentil (HAW, 11.50) went through.
In heat 16, the last one, Crosby Colapinto (USA, 12.30) and Owen Moss (10.90) advanced. Michael Rodrigues (10.10) and Edgard Groggia (8.67) are out.
Of the Brazilian men in the Round of 64, only three are still in the event: Ryan Kainalo, Douglas Silva and Deivid Silva. In the Round of 32:
Heat 1: Douglas Silva vs Charly Quivront, Reef Heazlewood and Kade Matson
Heat 4: Ryan Kainalo vs Lennix Smith, Lucca Mesinas and Jake Marshall
Heat 5: Deivid Silva vs Jack Robinson, Jett Schilling and Alonso Correa
Jackson Bunch is in heat 3. On the women's side, Laura Raupp and Sophia Medina are still waiting for the Round of 32.
Wednesday, Sept 30: Round of 32
The 7 am call put the women's Round of 32 on. The top two in each heat advance to the Round of 16.
Heat 1: ranking leader Sierra Kerr won with 12.10 (6.33 and 5.77), ahead of Amuro Tsuzuki (11.60). Reigning World Junior Champion Isla Huppatz (8.97) and CTer Bella Kenworthy (7.90) are out.
Heat 2: Anat Lelior (11.30) and Kiara Goold (11.00) advanced. Tya Zebrowski missed out by 0.17 with 10.83.
Heat 3: 17-year-old Australian Charli Hately turned the heat around with a 6.77 on her backhand and won with 12.77. Sol Aguirre advanced in second (12.24). Vahine Fierro, who had a 7.27, went out on 12.10, and early leader Talia Swindal finished fourth.
Heat 4: Laura Raupp is out. She posted 8.53, behind Eweleiula Wong (11.24) and Anon Matsuoka (10.00). Brisa Hennessy (7.63) was also eliminated.
Heat 5: Francisca Veselko won with 12.20, and India Robinson advanced by 0.04 with 12.16. Eden Walla, 3rd on the rankings, is out (11.04), along with Maria Salgado (8.93).
Heat 6: Teresa Bonvalot, 2nd on the rankings, won with 10.96 ahead of Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (10.40). Lucy Darragh (8.34) and Sophie McCulloch (8.03) are out.
Heat 7: Sophia Medina is into the Round of 16. The wildcard finished second with 11.66 (6.13 and 5.53), behind CT veteran Sally Fitzgibbons (12.56). Daniella Rosas (10.33) and Ellie Harrison (9.77) are out.
Heat 8: the highest-scoring heat of the day. Kana Nakashio (JPN) won with 14.40, the best women's total of the event so far, and Sanoa Dempfle-Olin advanced with 13.83. World Junior Champion Kirra Pinkerton went out on 13.67, and CT surfer Alyssa Spencer on 11.37.
After the women, the men's Round of 32 got underway:
Heat 1: Douglas Silva is out of the tightest heat of the day, with all four surfers within 0.9 points. Kade Matson (USA) won with 13.06, thanks to a 7.23 in the final moments, and Charly Quivront (FRA) advanced with 12.77. Reef Heazlewood (12.26) and Douglas Silva (12.17) went out.
Heat 2: Joel Vaughan (AUS) posted the best men's total of the day, 15.26, including an excellent 8.33. Oscar Berry advanced in second (10.43). Shohei Kato (10.03) and Jacob Willcox (9.87) are out.
Heat 3: rankings leader Jackson Bunch won with 13.33 (7.33 and 6.00), with Yago Dominguez (11.97) second. Hiroto Ohhara (10.87) and Winter Vincent (9.93) are out.
Heat 4: Ryan Kainalo won with 11.40, just ahead of Peru's Lucca Mesinas (11.27). CT surfer Jake Marshall (9.36) and Lennix Smith (7.90) are out.
Heat 5: Deivid Silva is out. He posted 11.53 (6.00 and 5.53), behind Peru's Alonso Correa (13.40) and Jett Schilling (USA, 12.97). CT surfer Jack Robinson (8.60) also went out.
Heat 6: Japan's Kei Kobayashi won with 12.83, ahead of Beyrick De Vries (9.80). Connor Slijpen (9.03) and Mihimana Braye (5.73) are out.
Heat 7: Alister Reginato (AUS, 11.96) and Owen Moss (USA, 11.50) advanced. Adin Masencamp (10.57) and Levi Slawson (8.37) are out.
Heat 8: Ian Gentil (HAW) won with 10.64, ahead of Crosby Colapinto (9.50). Dimitri Poulos (8.10) and Eli Hanneman (4.97) are out.
"That was my toughest heat," Ryan Kainalo said afterwards. "I stayed focused and calm but active, maximizing every wave."
Thursday, Oct 1: lay day
After the 7:30 am call, organisers put the event on hold and then called the day off. Next call: Friday, October 2, at 7:00 am.
Friday, Oct 2: Round of 16
The event was called on, and the head-to-head Round of 16 ran in a building but bumpy south swell. Men first:
Heat 1: Oscar Berry (AUS) beat Kade Matson (USA), 9.67 (5.17 and 4.50) to 5.66.
Heat 2: Charly Quivront (FRA) beat Joel Vaughan (AUS), 12.00 (6.33 and 5.67) to 9.96. The win moves Quivront to a provisional 7th, inside the CT qualification zone.
Heat 3: Jackson Bunch is out. The rankings leader lost to Peru's Lucca Mesinas, 10.14 (5.27 and 4.87) to 9.60. Bunch ran out of time looking for a last backhand wave.
Heat 4: Ryan Kainalo is into the quarterfinals. He beat Spain's Yago Dominguez 11.50 (6.50 and 5.00) to 10.10.
Heat 5: Alonso Correa (PER) beat Beyrick De Vries, 10.00 (5.67 and 4.33) to 7.83.
Heat 6: Kei Kobayashi (JPN) posted the best wave of the day, an 8.00 on his backhand, and beat Jett Schilling (USA) 12.83 to 9.77. It is his first Challenger Series quarterfinal.
Heat 7: Alister Reginato (AUS) beat Crosby Colapinto (USA), 9.50 to 8.33.
Heat 8: Ian Gentil (HAW) beat Owen Moss (USA), 9.17 to 7.80.
Then the women:
Heat 1: Sierra Kerr is out. The rankings leader lost to Tahiti's Kiara Goold, 12.13 to 10.17, with a 6.13 on her backhand among Goold's waves.
Heat 2: Anat Lelior (ISR) beat Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN), 10.00 to 8.74.
Heat 3: Charli Hately (AUS) beat Anon Matsuoka (JPN), 11.60 to 11.13.
Heat 4: Eweleiula Wong (HAW) beat Sol Aguirre (PER), 11.07 to 7.33.
Heat 5: Francisca Veselko (POR) beat Ziggy Aloha Mackenzie (AUS), 9.50 to 8.67.
Heat 6: Teresa Bonvalot (POR), 2nd on the rankings, got through the lowest-scoring heat of the day, 5.27 to India Robinson's 5.13.
Heat 7: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) beat Sanoa Dempfle-Olin (CAN), 12.00 to 9.66.
Heat 8: Sophia Medina is out. The wildcard lost to Kana Nakashio (JPN), 7.60 to 7.03, and the home crowd lost its last Brazilian woman.
The Brazilians and the 2027 CT race
Brazil came into Maresias well placed on the Challenger Series rankings, and the home event ended with a title:
Ryan Kainalo won the event, taking 10,000 points and the lead of the men's ranking. He beat Lucca Mesinas in the quarterfinals, Oscar Berry in the semifinals and Alister Reginato in the final.
Weslley Dantas came in leading the ranking with 15,700 points, but went out in the Round of 64. Douglas Silva and Deivid Silva went out in the Round of 32, and Ian Gouveia in the Round of 64.
Samuel Pupo, born in Maresias, was eliminated in heat 12.
Jackson Bunch, who had taken the provisional lead after the Round of 64, lost in the Round of 16.
On the women's side, Sierra Kerr stays on top of the ranking, with Francisca Veselko now second. Charli Hately jumped to 10th with 11,940 points.
Sophia Medina, in the event as a wildcard, was the only Brazilian woman to reach the Round of 16, where she lost to Kana Nakashio. "I'm really proud to have the world watching our backyard here, my world," she said.
For Maresias's history with Gabriel Medina and the Pupo family, and a guide to São Sebastião's surf spots, read WSL in Maresias 2026.
FAQ
Who won the WSL in Maresias?
Ryan Kainalo (BRA) won the men's event, beating Alister Reginato (AUS) 14.50 to 5.83 in the final. Charli Hately (AUS) won the women's, beating Francisca Veselko (POR) 14.33 to 10.67.
Is the WSL still on in Maresias?
No. The Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro finished on Saturday, October 3, 2026, the last day of the waiting period.
How were the waves on finals day?
About 1.5 m (5 ft), well formed, with an offshore wind and sun. See the Maresias surf forecast for current conditions.
Where does the Challenger Series go after Maresias?
To Ericeira, Portugal, from October 6 to 12.
Heading to Maresias?
Whether you are going to watch the heats or want to surf between them, check the Maresias surf forecast before you leave. If the peak is crowded, Praia Brava and Camburi are a few kilometers away.
Cover photo: sunset over the waves at Maresias, by EmersonNunesPr, CC BY 4.0.
