Will The 'Shamanic Surfer' Be The One To Beat At Cloudbreak?

Originally posted on SURFER | By Chris Dodds | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 8:14 PM ET

As soon as the waves cooperate, A competitive year unlike any other is about to come to a wrap in Fiji. While all eyes have been on Cloudbreak, there is a chance Finals Day could happen at Restaurants. There's still a few days to go until the best shot at pumping surf arrives in Fiji, with the biggest day in the period likely being Tuesday, September 2nd.

Will Jordy Smith bust out yet another surprise and bring home the World Title at 37 years old? Or will Italo go off the rails and destroy everyone in sight? Perhaps it will be Griff, the defending champ, who comes through with an epic back-to-back showing for his first World Title. Or maybe it will be Yago Dora who puts the icing on the cake of an incredible year and becomes the latest Brazilian to join the elite champion ranks of Adriano, Gabby, Filipe, and Italo. You can read our full Finals Day preview here.

But if you were to watch the clip below, the surfer who comes to mind as the 2025 World Champion will undoubtedly be Jack Robinson.

Legend has it that his ocean connection was at an all-time high in Fiji before the swell died and the rains and winds came. Renowned surf photographer says, “I was on the ski with him the other day and he said, ‘Oh, I feel like there’s gonna be a set right now. And he jumps off the ski and I’m not joking, 90 seconds later the biggest set of the day came through. So he’s connected on another level, we know that...”

Of his waves that day, Jack says, "If you were to judge by height, they were about 12 feet. If you were to judge by the back, which they do, it was about 6-8 foot solid. It's always solid. It's always heavy, even if it doesn't look it that big it's really powerful."

Let's see how the coming swells shape up, some people have even whispered it could be the swell of the year...

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

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