Jane Seman, photo by Scott Bauer
Several of the world’s best wave riders have arrived in Western Australia for the Severne Margaret River Wave Classic, a four-star event on the World Windsurfing Tour.
The competition will run from 31 January to 8 February at Margaret River, with early forecasts pointing to powerful three-metre swells and ideal wind conditions expected mid-week, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Defending champion and multiple-time world wave titleholder Philip Koster returns to Margaret River following a standout performance in 2025. He will be challenged by Julian Salmon (GER), last year’s runner-up and current world number 11, as well as first-time Australian competitors Alessio Stillrich (ESP) and Takuma Sugi (JPN), currently ranked 17th and 18th respectively.
“I saw footage from last year and was really excited to see such a bowly, powerful wave,” said Sugi. “I decided to come after hearing how epic Western Australia is from my brother.”
Denmark’s Simon Thule, one of the tour’s fastest-progressing sailors, returns for his third season at Margaret River after pushing Koster close in a semi-final last year.
The international stars will face strong Australian competition, including former world number three Jaeger Stone and rising talent Jake Ghiretti, the reigning U21 World Pro Junior Champion. Ghiretti is currently recovering from a recent concussion and remains hopeful of competing, pending medical clearance.
The women’s division features a world-class field, including Maria Andres (Spain, world no. 9) and Sybille Bode (Germany, world no. 12), alongside Margaret River locals and experienced world tour sailors Karin Jaggi (Swiss) and Jane Seman (world no. 8), as well as reigning Junior World Wave Champion Sarah Kenyon.
“This is a dream come true for me,” said Andres. “Western Australia has been on my bucket list for many years. I’ve heard so much about it, and it’s something I’ve wanted to experience at least once in my life. This felt like the perfect opportunity.”
The event will feature a livestream on finals day, available at: