Wave Rally returns to Coronation Beach for another year, promising windier and wilder windsurfing actionRebecca RuthvenMidwest TimesWed, 7 January 2026 2:00AM
The 2026 Wave Rally World Championships are shaping up to be windier and wilder than last year’s, with local and international windsurfers set to descend on Coronation Beach this weekend.
More than 70 windsurfers will participate in the second edition of the event, running from January 9-11.
The event, originally slated to run for three days, will likely be cut to two, with Saturday afternoon’s forecast providing optimal conditions for the final, with wind set to peak at 38.2km/h.
Organiser Paul van Bellen said the forecast should bring better action than last year’s championships.
“The event’s going to probably end up being quite a lot more exciting, with faster-paced action and just more thrills and spills,” he said.
“That’s probably the biggest difference other than the fact that the event is now more established and will draw more people in general. But just the wind forecast is pretty exciting.”
Van Bellen said the slalom format of the tournament was a major drawcard.
The slalom format includes navigating a windsurf craft around a series of buoys while aiming to set the fastest time.
Last year saw the first running of the event, with 81 windsurfers signing up for the slalom event.
Spain’s Albert Pijoan claimed the inaugural title.
While the numbers haven’t quite reached the 81 participants of last year, van Bellen still considers it a success.
“It’s not just about the numbers, its about showcasing windsurfing,” he said.
“Even with 70, its still the largest windsurfing event in WA.”
Van Bellen confirmed the reigning champion would return to defend his title, while local pro-windsurfing veteran Jaeger Stone will also compete, which will draw more attention to wind surf.
“Albert’s from Spain and its a long way to come. He planned his trip to Australia around Wave Rally,” he said.
Portuguese windsurf broadcaster Ben Proffitt — the sport’s top commentator — will also produce an “as-live” edit of the final, with video footage sent to him to commentate over post-event, bringing further international media attention to the championships.
However, Wave Rally hasn’t got the clear air it hoped to, with the Junior World Windsurf Championships also running from January 10-18, with dates and participants overlapping.
Van Bellen estimates Wave Rally, which is open to people older than 12, is 15-20 people short because of the overlap, with families and junior windsurfers involved in the world championships.
“It’s unfortunate there’s the overlap with the other event,” he said.
“It’s not so much the juniors, it’s more so the families because a lot of them would be volunteering, judging or involved in the other event.
“Hopefully the clash between the two events never happens again.”
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