How To Bet On Surfing In 2023: Ultimate Guide for Wave Lovers

If there is one sport that goes from laid-back living near water to deadly extremes, it is surfing. While riding waves and catching magnificent swells might not be available for most of us, the idea definitely fascinates many. This guide offers an up-to-date overview of professional surfing, including the best sites, events to pay attention to and professionals to follow. With the Olympics and WSL Championship coming up, it is best to learn now how to bet on surfing in 2023. 

Although you don’t need a lot of equipment, it requires a lot of skills. Watching surfers can be just as exciting as riding the waves especially when one is lucky enough to observe professionals. The kings and queens of the sea have incredible balance and strength, but sliding above water also mean great danger, thus making surfing one of the most popular extreme sports. Whether it is the shores of Hawaii, monster waves in Nazaré or Cornwall, surfers will tell you that this is more of a lifestyle than a sport.

However, surfing evolved into an official competitive sport with governing bodies and championships. We collect everything you need to know about how to bet on surfing in 2023, be prepared to enter the world of one of the most unique sports in the world.

How riding waves became competitive

The exact origins of surfing are fairly unknown, however, it is suspected that surfing goes back to ancient Polynesian cultures. Therefore, surfing is still very much connected to cultural elements and a way of living. Interestingly, surfing only became an official sport in the 1960s, due to increased media exposure.

Ever since we gaze at surfers in astonishment. Having been recognised as an official sport, surf championships and competitions frequently happen around the world and also became featured on online sportsbook news sites in the UK.

Moreover, in 2016, the International Olympic Committee voted to include surfing as one of the five new sports that will make an appearance at the 2023 Olympic games. But what are the rules and goals at professional surfing competitions? Let’s discover the arts of How to Bet on Surfing in 2023.

Basically, all major surfing events include the same rules, that is, to pass heats in order to move on to the next round. Of course, there are other rules and etiquettes to follow even when not in a competitive environment. Due to its dangerous nature, it is very important that surfers pay attention and have respect for each other. Wave priority is something that will often come up when discussing competitive surfing.

The idea includes two basic rules. The surfer who is closest to the curl, the peak or the breaking part of the wave has the right of way and priority over all other surfers. The surfer who is further outside and away from the shore has priority over all other surfers sitting or paddling on the inside, even if closer to breaking part of the wave.

Learn what judges look at when you bet on surfing

Our recommendation when betting on any sport or gambling activities is to always understand the rules. Therefore, let us break down what criteria are there at surfing competitions and how they judge the surfers. Our collection of rules will reflect the system also used by the Olympics. A judging panel consists of five judges who analyse performances. They score each wave on a scale of one to ten, with two decimal places. Learn How to Bet on Surfing in 2023 today! For each wave, the judges highest and lowest scores are discarded. The surfer will get the average of the three scores remaining. A surfer’s two highest-scoring waves are combined for an overall total.

There are no limits to the number of waves a rider can catch. The duration of each heat can vary between 20 and 35 minutes – depending on conditions. A perfect ride is 10 points and therefore a perfect heat is a total score of 20 points. (Source: Olympic Channel).  Moreover, the scoring system is based on five criteria that reflect the core elements of the sport:

• Commitment and degree of difficulty
• Innovative and progressive manoeuvres
• Variety of manoeuvres
• Combination of major manoeuvres
• Speed, power, and flow

To summarize, quality, technique and risk-taking are the most important elements rather than the number of waves a surfer can catch. Since it is an extreme sport, innovation and improvisation are always welcome. In other words, the more they can blow our minds, the bigger they are likely to score.

Paying attention to these guidelines will help you to learn how to bet on surfing in 2023. Nevertheless, the best way to learn is from specifics, such as famous surfers, championships, charts and online streams!

How to bet on surfing in 2023: Follow updates

As mentioned above, more and more online sportsbook sites in the UK make surf betting available. To stay up to date, following the World Surf League tour in 2023 is where you can catch major surfing events. Having finished the Santa Cruz Pro stop in California, the next events are scheduled for both male and female in Portugal and Australia this spring. Founded in 1976, The World Surf League is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats.

You can also follow athletes rankings to stay aware of points and performance. In WSL, currently, John John Florence is leading the men’s category from Hawaii and Australian born Tyler Wright in the women’s league.

Furthermore, the most exciting is of course to watch surfers live. Previous WSL streams are available on Youtube, and you can catch the live action on their site. Additionally, CBS Sports Network also features the World Surf League tour on TV. The year 2023 will be a special one in the history of competitive surfing. Not only did WSL extended locations after cancelled events due to the pandemic, but the Olympic debut also makes now the perfect time to get familiar with how to bet on surfing in 2023.

Find the best surfers in recent years on Magic Seaweed and learn about previous achievements. Another reason to follow surfing events even if it is not competitive because this sport can easily get unpredictable. Due to weather changes, the ocean might treat even the biggest name badly.

How to bet on surfing in 2023: Broaden your picture

In each surfing season, new and new names and talents are coming up. While we consider Kelly Slater still one of the bests surfers, youngsters from other nations are constantly appearing. In surfing, riding an XXL wave in Nazare is more than enough to make a name for oneself. Therefore, keep an eye one rankings and also live actions instead of getting comfortable with a big name. Aside from WSL, there are plenty of other surf competitions to follow to broaden your picture.

Maverik in California is definitely in the elite category. This competition pits the top 24 best big wave surfers against each other. Waves in Half Moon Bay can get to huge heights and large swells, so this competition is incredibly demanding to surf. Both Vans World Cup of Surfing and Hawaiian Pro are in beautiful Hawaii, making it incredible to watch.

More and more online sportsbook sites in the UK start to offer surf betting, it is essential to choose well. We highlight two of the most reliable option, bet365 Sportsbook. Both currently feature the WSL Championship in men’s and women’s categories. For specifics, see our article where we discuss the female champion predictions in 2023.

You can discover more about bet365 Sportsbook here.