The Secret Surf Contest In Micronesia Without Scores?

CREDO breakdown:

• CREATIVITY: A surfer's line choice through the various sections a wave offers. Drawing unique lines to complete maneuvers on critical sections of a wave will be factored into a surfer’s creativity assessment.  
• RISK: Consequential maneuvers, the scale and amplitude achieved, and how critical the section they are executed on will impact the risk assessment.
• EXECUTION: A surfer’s style as they execute and link maneuvers — including incorporating technical elements like how speed is carried through turns, grabs and how cleanly they land and ride out of maneuvers — will determine their execution assessment.
• DIFFICULTY: This is unique to each wave’s unique challenges and characteristics. A surfer is judged on their spontaneous and creative reaction to the sections, and the complexity of the maneuver(s) in response.
• OVERALL: Combining the elements of a surfer’s flow and speed with style and technicality throughout the wave results in the judge’s final impression of the performance on a wave. This will factor into the overall heat assessment.  
  

Pam Burridge, 1990 World Champion, explained that: “[Our philosophy] was we know what we know because we've lived and breathed surfing for all these years. Let's just say who we think won and be confident we’ll come up with the right result.”

As anyone who has followed the WSL over the past few years would know, professional surfing has been plagued by endless critiquing of questionable scores coming from all angles–competitors and spectators alike–as official calls, and the reasoning behind them, can feel mysterious or downright dubious.  With Natural Selection, confidence in the format is key, they're willing to be transparent and fully back their decision making.

With Natural Selection, the judges are immersed in the same surf environment as the competitors, Ian Crane, as pro surfer himself was the peer judge--he just as easily could have been in the lineup. His perspective is that, "There should be a peer judge in every surf event. There should be someone that's friends with all the surfers, who can talk to them (and understand them), who can paddle out, surf with them, know truly who's ripping and who's bogging. For Natural Selection to be a totally new thing and understand that piece right away is pretty cool."

For Head Judge Brad Gerlach, former pro surfer and founder of Wave Ki, CREDO allows for a more authentic connection with the competitors: “As a former competitor, I know how frustrating it can be when you feel like the judges don't really understand what's going on in the water--they haven't been out there surfing and they don't know what it takes to pull something off. Or when you feel like they're not even paying attention, that's the worst--and lots of surfers know that feeling."

"That's the opposite of what we brought to Natural Selection, as judges, we came with respect. We genuinely care about what's happening in the water. I absolutely love surfing, and I care about it so much, I've been doing it for nearly 50 years and I'm still fired up on it and I want to see the best of the best! I don't care where people are from, or what their hype is or whatever. When someone does something incredible, I'm like, I saw that! I feel you! That's, yeah, that's just respect."

All judges were onsite and reviewed replays, and consulted with each other, to guarantee a fair assessment of each wave. The only question that remains is, who will emerge victorious?

Tune in on February 18 and 20, 2025, to find out and catch all the action of the Natural Selection Surf competition, streaming on Red Bull TV and Natural Selection Tour’s YouTube.