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WINDSURF, ALOHA CLASSIC PREDICTIONS: TIME TO REDEEM OURSELVES!

Maui calling… and our crystal ball is already on the rocks!

Yep, Maui is calling! It’s that time of year when the world’s best head to Hawaii for the legendary Aloha Classic. After a hectic run of European events, it’s time to swap the Scottish drizzle for Pacific swells, trade winds and boardshorts. Not that we’re jealous!

There is, however, one small problem. Our team of scouts has just returned from Tiree, where our predictions left our followers screwing up their betting slips! We are sorry we can’t always pick the winners! Marc Paré and Philip Köster failed to deliver in the men’s event, while Justyna Sniady left our women’s predictions in tatters. The bookies would have been rubbing their hands together. Our scouts? They’ve been sent back to the drawing board.

But Windsurf Towers doesn’t give up that easily. We’ve dusted off the crystal ball, topped up the coffee and are ready to roll the dice again. This time, it’s the 2026 Aloha Classic and with the world title still up for grabs, there’s plenty more at stake than our already questionable reputation.

Photos: John Carter and Fish Bowl Diaries

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Following an epic week in Scotland, Paré, Marino Gil and Köster have already jetted off to Maui to join the rest of the tour. Paré was already committed to Maui, but Köster had to rethink his plans and pull the trigger on a flight to Hawaii after Tiree dealt him a serious blow in the title race. With the points tight at the top, every result counts and the championship could well go down to the wire at the season finale in Chile.

That’s right: the Aloha Classic is no longer the final showdown of the year. This time, the tour heads south to Chile afterwards, where the world champions will finally be crowned. Maui could shake up the standings, but it might not deliver the knockout punch.

One rider worth keeping a very close eye on is Bernd Roediger. With two first-place finishes already under his belt in Maui and Fiji, he’s shown he has the firepower to upset the established order. Put together another strong finish to the season and he could find himself right in the thick of the world title fight.

So, can our scouts redeem themselves in Hawaii, or are we about to make another spectacular mess of the predictions? The Pacific is calling, the stakes are rising and the Windsurf crystal ball is back in business. Let’s see who we’re backing for the Aloha Classic!

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MEN: THE USUAL SUSPECTS… AND A FEW WILD CARDS

1: BERND ROEDIGER
2: MORGAN NOIREAUX
3: MARCILIO BROWNE
WILDCARD: MARC PARÉ

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1: BERND ROEDIGER — THE MAN TO BEAT

If you’ve seen any recent videos of Bernd ripping around Maui, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching an AI-generated windsurfing video. Surely no human can move like that? Bernd is part ninja, part cat, landing on his feet when the rest of us would washed up on the Hookipa rocks with our gear in tatters.

His fluidity is ridiculous, his wave selection sublime and his ability to make the most technical manoeuvres look effortless is enough to make you want to give up wave sailing. With two first-place finishes already in the bag from Maui and Fiji, Bernd has the form, confidence and home-water knowledge to make a serious assault on the title if the Aloha goes well.

There is one important caveat: the wind and waves need to play ball. But if Ho‘okipa delivers, expect Bernd to be all over it. No doubt he’ll be plugged into his favourite tunes via his trademark waterproof music setup, casually dismantling the competition while the rest of the fleet wonder what just happened.

Relaxed, razor-sharp and riding like a man who is in the zone, Bernd is our pick for the win. And if he pulls it off, our scouts might finally be allowed back into the office and relieved from cleaning the toilet floor with tooth brushes.

2: MORGAN NOIREAUX: TOO GOOD TO IGNORE

We’ve made the mistake of underestimating Morgan before, and we’re not getting our fingers burned again. Morgan has a habit of making moves look completely effortless. Add in his impressive history of results in Hawaii and his intimate knowledge of Ho‘okipa and you have a very serious contender.

Morgan can make the most of pretty much anything Maui throws at him. Big waves, smaller waves, tricky conditions he’ll find a way to make it look easy.

Our only slight concern? If the contest throws in a jump component, we’re not entirely convinced his starboard-tack double-loop arsenal is quite as frightening as some of his rivals’. But that’s a fairly minor complaint when you consider the rest of his game.

We’re backing Morgan for second. Of course, if he wins, we’ll claim we always knew he was going to do it.

3: MARCILIO BROWNE: THE HOME-WATER HEAVYWEIGHT

Never, ever write off Marcilio Browne at Ho‘okipa. Back on home turf, the Brazilian is a serious threat in just about any conditions, with a complete wave-riding package that not many of his rivals can match.

His top turns pack enough power to rip the waves to shreds, while his aerial repertoire of goiters, ridiculously tweaked aerials and air takas means he can score big in all conditions. If the contest includes a jumping element, all the better. Marcilio has his starboard-tack doubles dialled in and the equipment sorted for whatever Maui decides to throw at him.

So why only third? Frankly, picking a top three at the Aloha Classic is a bit of a lottery and we have gone with our gut feeling as we did in Tiree (And look where that got us!). In Maui, there are too many variables, too many dangerous sailors and too many opportunities for our crystal ball to make us look totally useless.

But Marcilio is always in the conversation, and if the conditions line up, he could easily blow our predictions out of the water. Again.

WILDCARD: MARC PARÉ: THE TEMPERAMENTAL SPANIARD

Our scouts have barely had time to unpack their bags after Tiree, but reports from Scotland suggest Marc Paré is riding better than ever. In starboard conditions, he looked like an absolute machine, and the word coming back to Windsurf Towers was that the Spaniard is seriously fired up.

Of course, Marc arrives in Maui with plenty to prove after failing to make the final in Tiree. There will be pressure to deliver, and our only concern is that he might try to do too much, too soon. When you’re capable of spectacular things, sometimes the temptation is to go for the spectacular when the sensible option would do just fine.

But if Marc finds his rhythm, keeps his head and gets a favourable draw, he has the ability to go all the way. We’re putting him in the wildcard slot because after Tiree, we’re trying to hedge our bets without looking as though we’ve completely lost the plot.

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DON’T IGNORE THE USUAL SUSPECTS!

Naturally, it would be foolish to overlook Antoine Martin, Kai Lenny and Levi Siver. Any one of them could turn our carefully constructed prediction betting slips into shreds.

Remember Antoine’s no-handed goiter at the Quatro Pro Am in the spring? That was the sort of move that defies physics.

Kai Lenny also looks to be ripping harder than ever, having apparently unearthed an old magic board that’s giving him a new lease of life. If that board has found its way into the right hands, the rest of the fleet might want to start asking some serious questions.

And then there’s Levi Siver. Older, wiser and riding as well as ever, Levi remains a dangerous opponent who knows exactly how to make Ho‘okipa work for him. Experience counts for a lot in Maui, and he has more than enough of it to spoil anyone’s party.

In other words, our top three could be spot-on… or we could be spectacularly wrong again. Place your bets accordingly.

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WOMEN: NO ROOM FOR CRYSTAL-BALL COMPLACENCY

1: MARINE HUNTER
2: LINA ERPENSTEIN
3: LISA WERMEISTER
WILDCARD: FIONA WYLDE

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1: MARINE HUNTER: BIG WAVES, BIG AMBITIONS

Marine Hunter is always a solid contender at Ho‘okipa, and we’re backing her to come out swinging in once again in 2026. She knows how to hunt down the best waves on offer, and when the opportunity presents itself, she won’t be hanging around politely waiting for someone else to take the set.

Expect committed attacks on the lip, plenty of power and absolutely no apologies. Marine has the skills to make a serious impression in Maui, and if the waves arrive in the right shape, she could be very difficult to beat.

We’re putting her at number one. No pressure, Marine…but our scouts could really do with a winner.

2: LINA ERPENSTEIN: TITLE CONTENDER!

The Doctor of Destruction will be hungry to make her mark at Ho‘okipa this year. Lina arrives with the overall world title race very much in her sights, and a strong result in Maui could be just what the doctor ordered.

With Sarah-Quita Offringa out of the frame through injury, the door is open for Lina to make a decisive move towards her first overall wave world title. But there’s no room for complacency: Marine, Lisa and the rest of the fleet will be looking to spoil the party.

Lina has the skills and determination to deliver and we expect her to be right in the mix. If she gets the conditions she wants, the prescription could be a hefty dose of radical wave sailing, with a side order of championship points.

3: LISA WERMEISTER: TIME TO SHINE?

Lisa is improving fast and has never been one to shy away from getting stuck in at Ho‘okipa. She has the ability to mix it with the best, and we reckon she could be due a big result.

LIna had more than her fair share of bad luck at events over the years, so perhaps the Aloha Classic is where the stars finally align. Maui can be a brutal place to chase a result, but Lisa has the determination to make the most of her opportunities.

We’re tipping her for third. If she climbs higher, we’ll happily pretend we were playing it safe all along.

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WILDCARD: FIONA WYLDE: THE COMEBACK KID?

Now for something a little different. We’re going out on a limb with our women’s wildcard and backing Fiona Wylde to be the dark horse of the fleet.

For those who haven’t followed her career, Fiona was a serious force in windsurfing before switching her focus to wing foiling and SUP. She hasn’t exactly been sitting on the sofa since then, and her surfing skills and experience in big waves could make her a fascinating addition to the mix.

The big question is how quickly she can rediscover her old windsurfing form against a fleet of specialists. But Fiona knows how to read a wave, has the confidence to attack it and certainly won’t be intimidated by a big Ho‘okipa set.

If she finds her feet and gets into the rhythm of the competition, she could spring a surprise or two. It’s a gamble, admittedly, but after our Tiree predictions, we’re clearly not frightened of those.

OTHER WOMEN TO WATCH

Keep an eye on veteran Angela Cochran, who has a habit of popping up in the frame in Maui, along with Maria Behrens, who claimed second earlier in the season, and Jane Semen, who always charges hard when the waves are firing.

They’re all capable of making life difficult for our top picks. Which, given our recent record, is probably an understatement.

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THE FINAL WORD FROM WINDSURF TOWERS

So, there we have it: the Windsurf Towers predictions for the 2026 Aloha Classic!

After the spectacular collapse of our Tiree forecasts, our reputation is hanging by a thread. We’ve picked our favourites, thrown in a few wildcards and tried to convince ourselves that this time we know what we’re talking about.

The early forecast looks windy, although there are no major swells on the horizon just yet. As ever at Ho‘okipa, conditions could change everything, and a small shift in the forecast could turn the entire contest on its head.

And remember, this isn’t the final curtain for the world tour. With Chile still to come, Maui could prove pivotal in the race for the overall titles. There’s plenty to play for, and the pressure is building.

Good luck to all the competitors and especially to the ones we’ve picked. You have absolutely no idea how much we need you to do well.

The scouts have spoken. The crystal ball has been polished. The bets are on.

Now, please, someone make us look good!