From 4th September to 11th September, Four Seasons will be hosting the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy 2025, making this the 13th Edition of the world’s most luxurious surfing event. The Opening Ceremony for the event was held at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa on 5th September, Friday.

Five (was supposed to be six but one dropped out due to illness) surfing legends will gather to take on Maldivian waters and take home not just a trophy, but a cash prize of USD 25,000 as well. The event is being held at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, where guests can spectate these surfing phenoms tear through spectacular waves.

Craig Anderson is a free surfer who has attained fame and fortune through non-competitive routes, having won a SURFER Award for best short film in 2019 for “The Quieter You Are, The More You Can Hear”. 

He has also turned down major brand deals and a contract renewal from Quiksilver to start his own brand Former, with Dane Reynolds, Austyn Gillette (professional skateboarder) and close friends.

He is currently focused on creating surfing shorts that showcases his ability and allows him to fully stretch his creative muscles. 

We had the pleasure of interviewing him during the opening ceremony before the tournament began.

<i>My mum and dad definitely got me into surfing. Both of them were avid surfers and beach goers. And fortunately we lived close to the beach and I was introduced to surfing at a young age.</i>

<i>As for surfing inspiration, it’d have to be Kelly Slater and Rob Machado, two of my favorite surfers.</i>

<i>The goal for me in surfing is to just keep loving and enjoying surfing. Remain healthy, happy, uninjured, to keep travelling, chasing waves and keep surfing.</i>&nbsp;

<i>I also want to my clothing label <b>Former</b>&nbsp;to greater heights. It’s starting to become a household brand in the surfing industry. It doesn’t compete with these larger companies, it’s run by surfers for surfers. We sponsor younger surfers and support the community as best as we can. It’s a big passion of mine.</i>

<i>Oh that’s a tough one! It’d be hard to go past the Four Seasons and surfing at Sultans, such a great right hander.</i>

<i>I like challenging waves, my favorite wave is probably Cloudbreak in Fiji, such a powerful heavy wave. But I do like the polar opposite and chill wave that Sultans offers as well.</i>

<i>Follow your heart, enjoy the process and what you do. Be passionate about what you do and be good to the people around you.</i>

Hailed as one of the best surfers in Maldives, Ismail ‘Smiley’ Rasheed has been competing in Maldivian surfing competitions for many years now.

After getting his first surfing board as a gift, he started ripping through waves and learning Maldivian waters, claiming dominance in many tournaments.&nbsp;

His recent 2024 win at the Muleekolhu Raalhugandu event in the Maldives Surf League was a sight to behold, with him coming second in 2025.

We had the chance to interview Smiley as well, and he was glad to do it.

<i>I got into surfing with my older brother, he’s the first person who started surfing in my home. He started teaching me when I was probably around 10 years old.</i>

<i>My biggest inspiration in surfing is Filipe Toledo but when I was younger I’d also watch Taj Burrow’s videos as well, I really like his surfing too.</i>

<i>This competition is very special to me. I’ve been surfing for a very long time and I’ve been competing since 2019. I’ve always wanted to be a part of this competition and for me to be here is a dream come true.&nbsp;</i>

<i>I’ll be surfing against legends. Going up against them in a heat and possibly beating them would be a dream come true as well.</i>

<i>I would say Maldives is the best for me because it’s my home and because of its perfect blue waves. Lohis is my favorite wave because I’ve been working there for the last 10 years so it’s kind of like my second home.</i>

<i>I’m from down south, my home break is Tiger Stripes and that’s where I started learning how to surf.</i>

<i>Discipline is the biggest thing for me. Without discipline you can’t move forward in your career. Focus on what you love. Be a good person, be humble and be nice to people.&nbsp;</i>

Jesse Mendes is a goofyfoot surfer that has fought his way through 7 seasons in pro surfing’s minor leagues and took the world by storm during the beginning of the 2017 World Surf League Championship Tour (CT) and went on to win the 2018 Triple Crown.&nbsp;

He continued surfing professionally and has also commentated at the 2024 CT. He has expressed passion for commentating and has been free-surfing for a time now, as he has stepped away from competition and his chance to qualify in the Olympics.

Mendes was also kind enough to let us interview him during the Opening Ceremony of the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy 2025.

<i>I got into surfing because I have two older cousins who surf.</i>

<i>In general, I’ve gone through a few inspirations but I honestly can’t go past Kelly Slater and Taj Burrow. They’re the two biggest influences in my surfing career and when I was growing up.</i>

<i>To produce surfing videos I’m proud of for my sponsors and keep pushing that as far as I can. This is the best job in the world to be honest and I want to showcase the surfing and the trips I’m on and my lifestyle.</i>

<i>Man, I think my favorite surfing destination is Tahiti, with Teahupoʻo in Tahiti being my favorite surfing spot.</i>

<i>Have fun, enjoy surfing for what it is, not for competing and stuff. My career was involved in competition until two years ago but I think there’s much more to surfing than putting on a jersey.&nbsp;</i>

<i>Travelling to new places and surfing there, discovering new cultures, making new friends all over, this is what’ll bring with you for the rest of your life way more than any trophy. Enjoy what surfing gives to you as a whole.</i>

Michel Bourez is the second Tahitian to ever qualify for the CT and has been given the nickname “The Spartan” for his jaw-dropping turns, physical prowess and his skill in jiu jitsu. He is also one of the few surfers to have been chosen to represent France in the Olympics.

In 2016, he became the fourth surfer in the history of surfing to claim victory at three Hawaiian stops by securing his win at the Pipe Masters. In the 2019 CT, he cemented his 13th player position in the entire tournament.

Owen Wright has had quite a storied career in the world of surfing.&nbsp;

After his 2007 Australian Title win and ranking 7th in his 2010 CT debut (earning him Rookie of the Year), he went on to win his first CT in 2012, claiming a USD 300,000 prize, the biggest in surfing history.

Tragedy struck however in 2015, when he was warming up during the CT a few days before Pipeline. A traumatic brain injury saw him sit out the entirety of the 2016 season, during which he had to learn how to surf again.

2017 saw his comeback to the stage, with a vengeance. He won the Snapper Rocks season opener and went on to finish as No.6 in both 2017 and 2018. The Tahiti Teahupo’o Pro in 2019 was where his legend was carved into surfing history as he won the tournament and then secured a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Sierra Kerr, daughter of former pro surfer Josh Kerr, is hailed as a prodigy.

She started her career in 2022 and has won first in WSL World Junior Tours, WSL Qualifying Series and more. She was also the 2023 World Junior Surf League Champion. She began working towards her professional career at just 14 years old and has been tearing through the waves ever since.

She was to be the youngest competitor (18 years old) at the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions event but dropped out due to illness.