Coast surfers head home after tour stops canned

Sunshine Coast surfers are expected to head home after the WSL cancelled several overseas stops on the tour.

Keely Andrew has been training, waiting for the postponed world tour to start. Photo Patrick Woods / Sunshine Coast Daily.

Sunshine Coast surfers will head back to Australia after the World Surf League cancelled the next two rounds of the Championship Tour.

Julian Wilson, Keely Andrew and tour rookie Isabella Nichols were all part of the WSL tour hub in Hawaii as the 2021 competition hit the water in late December.

The tour was ground to a halt during the Pipe Masters after several members of the WSL staff tested positive to COVID-19.

The upcoming Sunset Open scheduled for January 19 - 28 has been cancelled.

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The league also deciding to postpone the CT Santa Cruz Pro, which had been scheduled for February 2 - 12.

The WSL issued a statement saying the decision to postpone the last planned event of the US leg of the tour was based primarily on the surge of COVID-19 cases in California.

"The postponement is also heavily influenced by the length of time our athletes have been away from home," the WSL said.

"And by the complexities of global travel during this pandemic, which would have caused significant logistic challenges for athletes and staff to travel home and return to California for the event.

"We look forward to safely continuing the 2021 CT season with the Australia leg starting at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in April."

Mooloolaba's Keely Andrew said the cancellations were frustrating.

"But it's completely out of our control," she said.

"It is what it is and now we shift our focus towards getting home.

"All of the Australians have been placed on flights home as soon as possible."

Andrew said while the WSL is confident that the tour will return in April at Bells Beach, she knows things can change quickly.

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