ENCINITAS — Ella McCaffray rode a pair of strong performances on the East Coast last week to move to the top of the World Surf League’s Qualifying Series standings.
The Cardiff-by-the-Sea native won the Virginia Beach Pro on Aug. 24 and finished third in the WRV Outer Banks Pro a week later, earning a No. 1 season ranking.
McCaffray, 22, has only once finished outside the top three in competition this season. McCaffray will next represent the United States as a member of the six-person, co-ed team at the 2025 ISA World Surfing Games in El Salvador from Sept. 5 to 14.
“I was really, really excited to get chosen for Team U.S.A. and to get to go represent Team USA on the global scale, so this is going to be an awesome trip,” she said. “The forecast looks really good.”
McCaffray said she was especially excited to compete with a “stacked team” of familiar faces she regularly competes against.
The top seven women from the 48 surfers in the WSL Qualifying Series advance to the Challenger Series the following year, one step below the elite Championship Tour.
In addition to her competitive record, McCaffray has been traveling the world to experience different types of waves in an effort to broaden her repertoire under different conditions. Following a second-place showing at the Vans Jack’s Surfboards Pro, she spent two weeks surfing in Indonesia.
“That was a huge confidence booster,” she said. “I got one of the best barrels of my life which obviously doesn’t translate exactly to Virginia Beach and Outer Banks, but definitely a confidence booster.”
McCaffray said that while the waves were different from what she experienced in the Midatlantic competitions, “time in the water is time in the water and I feel like just putting in time always helps.”
That variety proved valuable as conditions under her Inferno 72 by Sharp Eye Surfboards shifted dramatically between Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks. The Virginia Beach event was suspended for a day as Hurricane Erin passed through the area.
McCaffray said 40 mph winds left “a lot of chop,” but overall, “as far as the East Coast goes, we were lucky to have waves.”
“And then Outer Banks was pretty much dead flat,” she said.
Further fueling her strong performances has been the community of supporters at the competitions. Her brother, Cole, notched his best Qualifying Series result in Virginia Beach, finishing third in the men’s division.
McCaffray arrived early to surf the breaks before the competition. She stayed with her friend, Camden Hoover, and caught a show by her band, SIKOVIT. In the Outer Banks, McCaffray said they packed a “tiny house” with seven people.
“But it was great,” McCaffray said. “We piled into the car, went down, watched everyone’s heats – cheering, supporting. It’s a great crew. I think when you find your people in the surfing community, it makes it that much better.”
