Caption: Sophie McCulloch and Charli Hately at the presentation. Credit: Surfing Queensland
GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND (Sunday 16 February 2025) – Sunshine Coast local and former Championship Tour surfer, Sophie McCulloch, has made a triumphant return, claiming victory at her first World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) event since recovering from a back injury. The 2022 and 2025 Gold Coast Open champion showcased her resilience and skill in a dominant performance.
The 2025 Gold Coast Open Finals Day saw pumping 3-4ft surf at Burleigh Heads. The winner’s in both the shortboard and longboard QS divisions overcame a huge field of Australia and Oceania’s best up-and-coming surfers on their way to claim the top spot.
Another stunning summer day graced the Gold Coast, extending the streak of incredible waves for the event’s final showdown. The morning brought ideal conditions with little to no wind, setting the stage for a perfect conclusion to the three-day competition.
Sophie McCulloch, who recently overcame a career-threatening back injury, shared her determination to secure the win during a pre-event media call. As the women’s final unfolded, all eyes were on the water, with Charli Hately delivering textbook surfing alongside the eventual champion, Sophie McCulloch.
“It feels pretty good to win, there’s a lot of work that has gone in behind the scenes to get back to this level and the girls were absolutely ripping,” said McCulloch.
“The girls have been really pushing me, so thanks to Charli and girls like, Milla and Isla are just incredible and really motivated me to push through. I am happy and proud to have gotten back to where I am and I’m looking forward to future events.”
Former Championship Tour surfer, Morgan Cibilic, secured victory in a thrilling final against standout competitor Dakota Walters, who showcased next-level aerial maneouvres over the course of the event.
Despite the exceptional airs, Walters fell short of the score needed to challenge Cibilic’s outstanding 9.23 (out of a possible 10).
“Yeah it feels great, I haven’t had a win in a while so I’m stoked I was able to get the scores,” said Cibilic.
“It’s probably the most stacked QS 1000 you’ll ever see. I was very happy to get a wave with two sections, which gave me a 9.23. It was good fun with Kodes (Dakota), he was absolutely ripping throughout the event.”
The first competitor to claim victory today was Tully White, who is now the back-to-back champion of the women’s longboard QS division in the Gold Coast Open. In a nail-biting final, she narrowly got the win over Emily Lethbridge, in a heat which saw plenty of high-level longboard surfing from the female competitors.
“I’m very stoked! Burleigh is not an easy wave to surf on a longboard so the win could’ve gone to any of us” said White.
“I recently got a new board from Nettleton and it felt really fun out there today. It was really nice to share the final with some of my really good friends and take the win.”
The men’s longboard final followed, with an intense four-man heat ending in Kai Ellice-Flint claiming a narrow victory against 5x Australian Longboard Champion, Clinton Guest and 2x Australian Longboard Champion, Declan Wyton.
Ellice-Flint and Wyton were separated by just 0.10 in their heat total, with chaos unfolding, including a broken board and Ellice-Flint swimming into the rocks to retrieve his after choosing not to wear a legrope.
“I’ve been working really hard and I am blown away that I got the win,” said Ellice-Fint.
“I did a couple of swims because I chose not to wear a leash! I probably shouldn’t be swimming but I put my heart on the line to go and do well and I love the thrill of not wearing a leash in heats.”
In conjunction with the 2025 Gold Coast Open, Burleigh Hill provided two jam-packed nights of entertainment. The free events included live music, food trucks, skate clinics and pro demonstrations on Chiggy’s skate ramp and a pop-up beach bar serving Easy Seltzer and Travla.
The 2025 Gold Coast Open is supported by the WSL, Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
Surfing Queensland would like to thank it’s corporate event partners for their ongoing support including, Suzuki Queensland, Travla, Dritimes, QMS, We Are Feel Good Inc, Ancestral Nutrition, Rockstar Energy Drink, Easy Seltzer, Blackroll and Chiggy’s Skateboarding.
Previous winners of the Gold Coast Open (formerly Burleigh Pro) include names like Taj Burrow, Julian Wilson, Dimity Stoyle, Owen Wright, Sophie McCulloch, Mitch Crews and Isabella Nichols. The event is known for attracting surfers from all corners of the globe including Hawaii, Indonesia, North America, France, Brazil and Japan.
