The 2023 surfing season is halfway completed already with VIVO Rio Pro. Next up is Corona Open J-Bay which will take the championship tour to South Africa. With the Rip Curl WSL Finals scheduled for September in Lower Trestles, California, a local champion is unwinding from his long Australian tour and surfing on his home turf.

Griffin Colapinto, a former yellow jersey owner, surprised spectators with his mesmerizing display of talent at Lower Trestles in California. The surfer made the most of his homecoming by sleeping in his own bed and putting up a show at surfing’s ultimate skatepark.

Griffin Colapinto’s Homecoming

One of the world’s top surfers basked in the glory of his iconic local waves of Lower Trestles. Colapinto claimed that it is some of the best lowers that he has ever surfed. In addition to this, the former yellow jersey owner found the crowd to be quite calm and relaxed, since the two percent crew were in Australia for the challenges.

He basically had the ultimate surfing skatepark to himself. While speaking to Red Bull Surfing, Colapinto agreed that his sessions in Lower Trestles were instrumental in winning the Surf Ranch and finishing a strong second in El Salvador. He said, “I think those swells definitely played a solid part because I surfed six hours a day, three days in a row, so I got my reps up.”

The surfer also mentioned how the board he was surfing on at the Lower Trestles was the same one he used when he finished second in El Salvador. He added that his board is magic, and he still has it with him and he will probably end up riding on the same board at J-Bay. When questioned about whether the rail wrap-around cutback is one of his favorite turns to execute, the former world number 1 said, “Oh 100 percent. I think it’s one of my favorite turns to do. Like do a full roundhouse and hit the white water, throw spray, and get speed off that. It’s so fun.” It was just last month at the Surf City El Salvador Pro as Griffin Colapinto and Filipe Toledo locked horns for a final rematch.

The clash of the Titans

The Californian surfer was bested by fellow Brazilian Filipe Toledo in a final rematch of last year’s showdown at El Salvador. Despite a slow start by both champions, Colapinto started picking up the pace soon and lead for the majority of the heat. But as the heat progressed, the Brazilian landed a near-perfect 9.00 as compared to Colapinto’s 7.17. While the former yellow jersey owner demonstrated his variety, Toledo turned the game in his favor with his 4 electric turns.

Read more: Days After Biggest Moment of 2023, World No. 1 Surfer Makes a Candid Admission on Future

It was an electrifying affair in El Salvador that saw Griffin Colapinto finishing a strong second. But as far as California is concerned, the surfer believes that for a kid who grew up in San Clemente, finals at Lower Trestles is the ultimate dream of dreams. Competing and winning in front of their friends and family is what Colapinto aspires.

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