The Tahiti Pro will be held in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia, as the next stop on the 2023 WSL Championship Tour. Although four of the five Rip Curl Finalists have already been determined, one surfing star still has a chance to prove himself and go to the championship round next month. Among this year’s finalists, though, is Ethan Ewing, who had been enjoying a wonderful WSL season up until he suffered a serious back injury a few days before the Tahitian WSL event.

BeachGrit updated the surfing community on the Australian surfer’s back ailment. The WSL also announced fresh competitors to replace the Australian surfer for the next tournament in light of his high-profile withdrawal.

Not a training session the surfing star was expecting

Ethan Ewing is just one of several surfers who have braved the treacherous Tahitian waves. Australia’s surfer went far in the Corona Open J-Bay but ultimately lost to yellow jersey holder Filipe Toledo. The surfer’s social media profiles show that he had great aspirations for the Tahitian tournament, having shared tales of him riding in the massive Tahitian waves during the whole 2023 WSL season. However, as stated by BeachGrit, this trip was cut short due to some kind of back ailment.

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The Australian number two, who was training for the forthcoming Tahiti Pro, had to pull out due to a back injury. According to BeachGrit, at about 9:30, Ewing crashed out and had to be towed to land on a jetski due to six-foot, solid, westward, and proper waves. Fans were expecting great things from the Aussie surfer on the big waves of Tahiti, but the news of his back injury just before the Rip Curl Finals came as a tremendous disappointment.

However, the surfer’s injuries created an opportunity for other Challenger Series surfers to step in. According to the WSL, one of the best Tahitian surfers, Mihimana Braye, will take the place of the Australian superstar. Fans would be deprived of seeing the Aussie in action, but the waves in this sport are still unpredictable.

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