Eden Walla, Lukas Skinner Win Rip Curl GromSearch

Originally posted on SURFER | By Jake Howard | Last updated Nov 16, 2024 5:20 PM ET

When Eden Walla and her brother, Zion, inked a deal with Rip Curl a couple of years ago they were both excited about where the opportunity would take them. The San Clemente kids wanted to get on The Search. Since then they've travelled extensively, including a recent barrel fest down in Mexico, but at the same time, Eden's competitive savvy has come into considerably sharper focus.

After a statement-making performance at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships over the summer, Eden was one of the few Americans to earn an individual medal. And now, with eight-time world champ Steph Gilmore, Molly Picklum and Rosy Hodge in the commentary booth, she's just added more hardware to her trophy case, winning the 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch title.

"I think my dad was more nervous than me, but the man-on-man format is nerve-racking," Eden shared after. To be fair, her dad, Jon, was one of the early pioneers out at Cortes Bank, where him and partner in crime Evan Slater famously tried to paddle the wave and ended up almost getting disappeared by the Pacific.

"It was such a cool experience surfing in this CT format, and I’m so happy with the win," added Eden, who dug deep to take out rising Aussie star Ziggy Mackenzie in the final.

On the men's side of the draw, England's Lukas Skinner made it back to back GromSearch wins as he held off Spanish surfer Dylan Donegan. Lukas's breakout moment of the event came in the form of a perfect 10-point ride that saw him launch an alley-oop, wrap a carve and end with an air reverse.

"Man, it means the world to me," said Lukas. "Dylan had me on the ropes. We both got two eights, and he scored higher on both, but I knew I had to go big on my next chance. I’ve been struggling to beat Dylan all year—he pushes me so much—and I’m stoked to finally get him."

Over the years, the Rip Curl GromSearch has been a launchpad for surfing greats. Previous winners include Olympians Gabe Medina and Tatiana Weston-Webb, as well as world champs like Gilmore and Tyler Wright. For Eden, the future is especially bright as the women's youth movement is huge right now, and with the WSL announcing the expansion of the women's Championship Tour, there will be more opportunities to come for her.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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