A quick glance at the 2019 Championship Tour calendars, which were just released today, shows no major changes from the original 2018 Men’s schedule (before Margs was re-routed to Ulus): Still 11 stops; and Oz, Indo, Brazil, J-Bay, Lemoore, Tahiti, France, Portugal and Pipe are all still on the docket. The biggest change for 2019, besides a bigger break for the pros, is the severing of the three-event Australia leg, with a break following the Gold Coast and Bells Beach events before recommencing with the Bali event and then returning to Margaret River to clear the first four stops of the season. We’ll now call it the “Indian Ocean Leg” until we hear otherwise.

“Working with our many stakeholders, we’ve shifted the start of the season from March to April,” Goldschmidt explained, “increasing the offseason for the world’s best surfers to recover and continue to push the boundaries of high-performance surfing, also creating a more fan-friendly, condensed calendar.”

“Margaret River has been a key stop on the CT for several seasons now and we had the unique and unfortunate circumstance of having to cancel this season’s event due to aggressive shark activity in the area,” said Kieren Perrow, WSL Men’s Commissioner. “Working with our surfers, event partners and the local community, we’ve moved the dates of the Margaret River event later in the year to improve the pacing of the season as well as ensure the best chance for world-class conditions at all breaks.”

*We previously reported that the Pipe Masters was off for 2019, due to lack of permit. According to this list, it’s back on. Also, this article was updated September 10th.)

2019 Men’s Championship Tour Schedule

(All events subject to change.)

1. Gold Coast Men’s Pro: April 3-13, 2019

2. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17-27, 2019

3. Bali Men’s Pro: May 13-24, 2019

4. Margaret River Pro: May 27-June 7, 2019

5. Oi Rio Pro: June 20-28, 2019

6. J-Bay Open: July 9-22, 2019

7. Tahiti Pro Teahupo’o: August 21-September 1, 2019

8. Surf Ranch Pro: September 19-22, 2019

9. France Men’s Pro: October 3-13, 2019

10. Meo Pro Peniche: October 16-28, 2019

11. Billabong Pipe Masters: December 8-20, 2019

“The Tour is committed to quality locations and that’s essential in challenging the world’s best surfers,” said surfer’s rep Adrian Buchan. “The diversity in the waves on tour makes it a demanding schedule for the men and women in determining both the world title as well as who’s at the top. The surfers on tour require a variety of skills to perform, so it’s great that it’s well balanced. In terms of the pacing, the feedback we’ve had from a lot of the surfers is positive on the later start and longer offseason in terms of being able to prepare for the year ahead as well as breaking up the longer blocks of events into more manageable legs. I think both changes will contribute to the surfers performing at their best.”

Meanwhile, the biggest change on the Women’s CT is the loss of one event — the Vans US Open of Surfing has been downgraded to a QS10,000 (alongside the men) — while gaining another, a Women’s CT event in Peniche, Portugal (alongside the men).

“The 2019 Women’s Championship Tour schedule is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen in my career, both as an athlete and as a commissioner,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, WSL Women’s Commissioner, said. “It’s a testament to the WSL’s commitment to both women’s surfing and creating a true platform for the advancement of the world’s best surfing. We have a great schedule next season and I’m excited to see what the women do with it.”

2019 Women’s Championship Tour Schedule

(All events subject to change.)

1. Gold Coast Women’s Pro: April 3-13, 2019

2. Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach: April 17-27, 2019

3. Bali Women’s Pro: May 13-24, 2019

4. Margaret River Pro: May 27-June 7, 2019

5. Oi Rio Pro: June 20-28, 2019

6. J-Bay Open: July 9-22, 2019

7. Surf Ranch Pro: September 19-22, 2019

8. France Women’s Pro: October 3-13, 2019

9. Meo Pro Peniche: October 16-28, 2019

10. Hawaii Women’s Pro: November 25-December 7, 2019