Still only at the start of her third season on Tour, Caity Simmers (USA) appeared in her ninth Final and earned her seventh CT victory. Barely a week ago, the defending World Champion placed runner-up at Stop No. 1 of the 2025 CT season, the Lexus Pipe Pro Presented by YETI, and already sits with a strong lead in the rankings.
The style and commitment of the 19-year-old’s surfing within the pressured environment of the pool was a sight to behold, reaching a pinnacle in her Semifinal match against Gabriela Bryan (HAW). The contrasting styles of the raw aggression of Bryan and the smooth flow of Simmers pushed the boundaries of performance in the Surf Abu Dhabi basin in completely different ways. Simmers earned the highest single-wave score of the event, a 9.57, after opening the wave with a winding roundhouse cutback that set a completely unique line. But the Final against Molly Picklum (AUS) was where the most tense drama played out.
“I feel like when me and Molly are out there we just laugh at each other. It’s pretty fun,” Simmers said. “The most pressure you’re going to feel is when you’re in a wave pool waiting for your wave, and you know exactly what you need, and you know you’re going to get the opportunity to get it, but you don’t know if you’re actually going to like, it’s pretty much you got to just use skill. It’s not luck, like it usually is where you’re like, ‘Well the ocean could send me this wave.’ It’s like the pool is going to send you this wave and you gotta get the score. And so I think that’s what makes it very special for me.”
In a repeat of their most recent match-up in the Semifinals of the opening event of the season, Simmers and Picklum raised the performance levels. The Australian had a decent opening but left plenty of opportunity after going incomplete on her second wave. As with the rest of her match-ups on Finals Day, Simmers started exceptionally strong and set a high bar. Picklum improved on both of her second waves putting the requirement back on Simmers to do the same. Going for broke, the Californian ripped through a phenomenal right but fell early, leaving it to the very last wave. A completed backhand blitz from Simmers left the two standing in the shallows, waiting for the score that ultimately landed in Simmers’ favour.
“All I can think of is really just how thankful I am, honestly,” Simmers said. “I’m thankful for surfing, for just being able to ride waves. It’s like the funnest thing ever, I really enjoy it. And I’m thankful for Molly because she makes me surf my best, and I feel like we both do that to each other, so that’s always fun. And yeah, I’m thankful for my friends and my family and all the love I got around me.”
Runner-up Finish for Australia’s Picklum After Defeating Fierro and Brooks
Picklum (above) moved through the event with a renewed sense of joy that saw her perform rock solid in every heat, taking strong wins over rookie challengers Erin Brooks (CAN) and Vahine Fierro (FRA) in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively. Having won Stop No. 2 for the past two seasons, the 22-year-old is familiar with having a strong start to her campaign and will head to Portugal as World No. 2.
“Watching everyone rip this way fully to pieces was really special,” Picklum said. “It’s so different to anything I’ve ever seen in my life. I was so happy to have my boyfriend here and just share that moment and really enjoy the food, the karaoke, the people, the vibes.”
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Final Results:
1 – Caitlin Simmers (USA) 16.10
2 – Molly Picklum (AUS) 15.70
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS) 13.77 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 10.53
HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 15.14 DEF. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 14.53
Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Molly Picklum (AUS) 14.50 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.03
HEAT 2: Vahine Fierro (FRA) 14.27 DEF. Caroline Marks (USA) 10.73
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 14.73 DEF. Bella Kenworthy (USA) 11.73
HEAT 4: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 12.34 DEF. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 11.54
