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For the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, surfing is back and bigger than ever. Olympic favorites like Carissa Moore and Caroline Marks will be taking to the ocean once again, making for an exciting competition.
That said, surfing is still pretty new to the Olympics (it was added to the lineup for the 2020 Games) — so it’s understandable if you need a refresher on how it’s scored.
For context, this year’s surfing event is taking place roughly 9,759 miles away from Paris, off the island of Tahiti, in the Pacific Ocean. The competition area for the Olympics is located on the southeastern coast of the island of Tahiti in Teahupo’o reef pass. For surfers, in particular, the area home to one of the most dangerous waves in the world. Some of the iconic, glassy waves at Teahupo’o can reach a monstrous height of 22 feet tall, or slightly more, per NPR.
So while surfers don’t have to worry about the cardboard beds or potentially swimming in poop in Paris — they certainly have their work cut out for them. But how exactly will their great feats be judged? Ahead, here’s everything you need to know about how Olympic surfing works, including how surfing is scored.
How Does the Surfing Competition Work?
The surfing competition is comprised of six rounds, per USA Today. The first round includes eight heats, with three surfers per heat. A heat, or round, typically ranges between a total duration of 20 and 35 minutes. Surfers will also compete in one-versus-one elimination matches, followed by the semifinals. The semifinal winners compete against one another for the gold and silver medals, while the others will challenge each other for bronze.
How Is Surfing Scored?
Per the official Olympic Surfing guidelines, there are five judges on deck for each athlete’s performance. Here are is the Olympic judging criteria for surfing:
- Each rider’s performance on a wave is judged utilizing a scale of one to ten, including two decimal places.
- For each surfer’s wave, the highest and lowest scores from the judges are dropped, leaving the average of the remaining three scores.
- Then, the highest two scores are combined together to create an overall total.
- A perfect ride is 10 points.
- A heat, or a round, with a perfect total score is 20 points.
Already, during the 2024 Olympic Games, Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina delivered an absolutely epic performance — capturing a score of 9.90, the highest score for a wave in Olympic history. With one hand raised to the sky, Medina had an exhilarating run, and the photograph of him seemingly levitating above the water is arguably one of the best shots of the Olympic Games thus far.
Is There a Limit to How Many Waves You Can Catch?
While there are no official limits to the number of waves a surfer can catch, each surfer will alternate between which athlete has priority, according to the Olympics Surfing Guidelines. As the judging criteria notes, surfers are not evaluated on how many waves an athlete can catch. Instead, judges take the combined total of their highest two scores.
What is the Judging Criteria for Surfing?
The judges utilize five different types of criteria as a basis for scoring.
- Commitment and degree of difficulty – This means that a surfer who performs higher risk movements can also potentially score higher.
- Innovation and progressive maneuvers – Dynamic techniques, like aerials, are considered movements that are innovative, and athletes who opt to push the boundaries are generally scored higher.
- Variation of maneuvers – Variety is the spice of life. Surfers who spice things up, and try different approaches are looked upon favorably by the judges.
- Technical combinations of major maneuvers – This refers to surfers who can smoothly combine multiple movements together.
- Speed, flow, and power – Speed refers to actual rate of movement, but can also refer to how an athlete can adapt to the nature of ever-changing waves. The second core element is flow, or how effortless a surfer can perform throughout their run and smoothly connect the technical movements over the course of a ride. Finally, the third core element is power, which relates to an athlete’s drive or punch they put into their technical maneuvers.
What Happens with Unpredictable Weather Conditions?
As explained by the Olympics team, weather conditions can change quickly, thus creating some challenges in starting and getting through the competition. For example, in a preliminary heat, if there are no waves for the surfers to catch, there may be a delayed start time. In other situations, with dangerous storm conditions, the competition may be postponed. For example, the third round of the women’s competition was rescheduled due to an influx of rainy conditions, per the official Olympic Games Paris 2024 website.
Jade Esmeralda, MS, CSCS, is a Staff Writer, Health & Fitness. A life-long martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength & conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning from George Washington University.