Dunedin is about to get considerably more crowded with surfboards.
From 16–21 March 2027, around 200 of the Asia-Pacific region’s best surfers will descend on St Clair Beach for the World Surf League Dunedin Pro QS4000 and Junior Pro, bringing serious waves and given this is New Zealand’s South Island, some fairly serious wetsuits
The WSL Qualifying Series will be in Dunedin in 2027
The event will form part of the WSL Qualifying Series, with up to 4000 points on offer as surfers chase places on the Challenger Series. It will also mark the return of WSL Qualifying Series and Pro Junior competition to New Zealand.
St Clair is a particularly photogenic place to do it. Dunedin’s main surf beach sits just minutes from the city centre, meaning competitors can theoretically finish a heat, find a good flat white and be back before their hair has dried. Assuming their hair ever dries.
Gold Coast surfer Marlon Harrison is already enthusiastic.
“I’m frothing,” he said, adding that he likes the power of New Zealand’s waves.
With 4000 points available late in the season, the competition could prove important for surfers hoping to qualify for the Challenger Series.
Dunedin will be developing New Zealand’s best surf festival
For Dunedin, the plan is to develop the event into New Zealand’s premier surf festival, combining professional competition with everything from live music to WSL’s Rising Tides initiative, which encourages more girls and young women into surfing.
It could also give Dunedin a sizeable tourism boost. Organisers estimate the event could bring more than 2500 visitors to the city each year including around 550 international travellers and contribute approximately NZ$4.16 million annually to the local economy.
There is an obvious Australian connection too. More than 700,000 Australians are estimated to surf regularly, and direct flights between the Gold Coast and Dunedin make a South Island surf trip rather tempting.
WSL APAC Tour Director Ty Sorati describes St Clair as a venue with “high-quality waves” and says the organisation is looking forward to seeing New Zealand’s leading surfers compete against some of the region’s best.
Dunedin hopes those watching, whether from the beach or on broadcasts around the world, might also notice the rather lovely city sitting behind them.
Because this is the clever bit. Unlike a sporting event tucked away inside a stadium, surfing comes with its own tourism advertisement of a wild coastline and very fit people making difficult things look irritatingly easy.
And if the surfing doesn’t tempt you, there’s always the food and the scenery. Possibly while wearing a wettie.
