France's Marine Hunter wins in Hawaii to close within 15 points of Germany's Lina Erpenstein, as European riders sweep the women's podium and Spain's Marc Paré Rico tightens his grip on the men's title.

Marine Hunter with her winning aerial attack. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

HO'OKIPA, Hawaii, Oct. 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- France's Marine Hunter has won the Aloha Classic in Hawaii, the most prestigious event in professional wave windsurfing. Germany's Lina Erpenstein finished second and compatriot Maria Behrens third, completing an all-European podium.

The result cuts Erpenstein's lead in the world rankings from 1,435 points to just 15, setting up a head-to-head for the 2026 title at the season finale in Chile (14–29 November).

Now in its 43rd year, the Aloha Classic is where the world's best windsurfing wave riders invent, refine and showcase the sport's most spectacular moves.

Hunter wins in testing conditions

It was far from a typical Hawaiian day. Rain, heavy cloud, patchy wind and a shifting overhead swell greeted the riders. Organisers ran a sudden-death format in which only the top two from each four-rider heat advanced.

Hunter controlled the day from start to finish. Powerful hits off the top of the wave, big floaters and confident aerials carried her through every heat. It is her second event win of the season, after her victory at the Maui Pro earlier this year.

"That was tough work. I had no idea I had won because I only had three waves, and only one good one. Now I'm happy, but I was in shock." – Marine Hunter

An ecstatic Marine Hunter finds out she won the 2026 Aloha Classic. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

Erpenstein's decade-long dream goes to the final event

Erpenstein's runner-up finish is her best result in Hawaii, and she goes into the finale as world number one. But it nearly ended early. Arriving on Maui with little pre-event training, she scraped through her opening heat by just 0.02 points.

She then grew in confidence to win her semi-final convincingly. Smart equipment choices proved decisive: staying on a bigger sail let her catch the better waves, hold her speed and attack the critical sections.

The 30-year-old has chased a first world title since joining the tour in 2015, finishing runner-up in 2024. Chile is expected to bring conditions that suit her experience and skill set. But Hunter needs only seventh place or better there to add to her points total.

"A world title has always been the dream and still is. But I feel less pressure than in the past years and feel more relaxed with my sailing and results." – Lina Erpenstein

Lina Erpenstein on her way to a runner up finish at the 2026 Aloha Classic. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

Behrens still in the hunt

Germany's Maria Behrens posted the second-highest heat score of the day (12.55) in her opening heat, combining sharp wave selection with critical turns. She could not repeat that form in the final as the wind faded, and slipped from second to third in the rankings. Behrens remains in mathematical contention if both Erpenstein and Hunter miss the final in Chile.

Maria Behrens power carve. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

Pare-Rico wins the men's event

In the men's event, Spain's reigning world champion Marc Paré Rico won a tight final by just 0.05 points. He recovered from early falls with a clean wave 360, then a textbook air taka rotation and a powerful lip hit to take the lead in the closing minutes.

"I just can't believe it. My goal the whole season was to get into the final here. It's the event I always feel is the hardest for me. It's just insane that I won." – Marc Paré Rico

Paré Rico, who won his first world title in 2025, takes a 6,410-point lead into Chile.

Marc Paré Rico with a huge tweaked aerial. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

Köster's title hopes take a heavy blow

Germany's Philip Köster, a five-time world wave champion, arrived in Hawaii as world number two but was knocked out in the quarter-finals. In towering four-to-five-metre waves and light winds, he finished third in his heat behind Brazil's Marcilio Browne and American Morgan Noireaux, who traded the lead several times.

Köster remains second in the rankings, 6,410 points behind Pare-Rico. He remains hopeful to retain a podium result in Chile.

Philip Köster aerial. Credit Fish Bowl Diaries

French riders shine

Antoine Martin, from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, finished third in the final on 12.94. He threw multiple lip hits, a tail-grab aerial and several 360 goiters, a rotation launched off the top of the wave. The result lifts him to fifth in the world rankings.

Antoine Martin with a one handed aerial. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

France's Thomas Traversa posted the top heat score of the event (15.05) on its biggest day, in four-to-five-metre waves, despite breaking his mast mid-heat. He narrowly missed the final after a tight three-way semi-final. Compatriot Arthur Arutkin also impressed, beating Ho'okipa specialists Levi Siver and Graham Ezzy on their home break.

Thomas Traversa attacking huge sections. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

Roediger emerges as the new challenger

Maui's Bernd Roediger led most of the final at his home break and finished second on 13.40. He moves to third in the rankings, 7,500 points behind Pare-Rico. With a low result from Puerto Rico expected to be discarded, he can still take the title if he wins in Chile and Pare-Rico finishes outside the top five.

Bernd Roediger attacking a big section. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

European success in the juniors

Spain's Javier Escribano Toribio, the 2025 Junior Boys Wave World Champion, won the Junior Boys division, with France's Raphael Dumesnil third. In the Pro Junior Boys, France's Cesar Filippi was second and Germany's Leon Maethner third.

Javier Escribano Toribio hitting the lip. Credit: Fish Bowl Diaries

A reshaped sport

The season's new contenders reflect a sport that has reinvented itself. A merger begun in 2023 between professional windsurfing's two rival circuits, the long-established Professional Windsurfing Association and the breakaway International Windsurfing Tour, created the World Windsurf Tour in 2026.

The unified tour has since expanded beyond its traditional European base, adding events in Hawaii, Fiji, Australia and Chile. A new five-star event system means every competition now counts towards the world rankings, opening both title races to new challengers.

"Bringing the sport together under one tour was about giving every rider a fair shot at a world title. This season both titles go down to the final event, with new contenders in the mix. That's exactly what unification was meant to deliver." – Simeon Glasson, Owner, World Windsurf Tour

Aloha Classic results

Place	Pro Women	Pro Men
1	Marine Hunter (France)	Marc Pare-Rico (Spain)
2	Lina Erpenstein (Germany)	Bernd Roediger (USA)
3	Maria Behrens (Germany)	Antoine Martin (Guadeloupe, France)
4	Angela Cochrane (USA)	Morgan Noireaux (USA)

World rankings with one event remaining

Rank	Women	Points	Men	Points
1	Lina Erpenstein (Germany)	30,255	Marc Pare-Rico (Spain)	34,500
2	Marine Hunter (France)	30,240	Philip Köster (Germany)	28,090
3	Maria Behrens (Germany)	27,970	Bernd Roediger (USA)	27,000

Event details


Event	Aloha Classic – World Windsurf Tour
Venue	Ho'okipa Beach Park, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Dates	19–30 October 2026
Watch	Replays and live coverage at worldwindsurftour.com
Next event	Grand Final, Chile – 14–29 November 2026

Images

High-resolution images: worldwindsurftour.com/events/the-aloha-classic-hawaii-usa/photos. Photo credit: Fish Bowl Diaries. [Suggested lead image: Hunter and Erpenstein, or Hunter mid-aerial, with caption.]

Media contact

Jane Seman, PR Officer | +61 408 909 643 | media@windsurftour.com

About the World Windsurf Tour

The World Windsurf Tour was formed in 2026 through the merger of the Professional Windsurfing Association and the International Windsurfing Tour. It is the sport's global professional circuit, covering wave, slalom, foil and freestyle disciplines. The 2026 World Wave Tour comprises 10 four- and five-star events in Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, Germany, Hawaii, Scotland and Spain. Rankings and live coverage: worldwindsurftour.com.

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