Chelsea Tuach finishes runner-up at Virginia Beach Surf Pro

Barbados: Surfer Chelsea Tuach secured silver at the World Surf League 4,000 Virginia Beach Surf Pro on Saturday morning, August 29.

Tuach qualified for the final after winning against America’s Reid Van Wagoner in a very competitive semi-final. She had difficulties finding the right rhythm at first but managed to make two amazing rides toward the end of the heat, which secured her spot in the final.

The Barbados surfer earned 5.10 on her ninth wave, followed by a 6.00 as she was closing in on the final whistle. Van Wagoner could not counteract, making Tuach the winner.

She also finished fifth at the Super Girl Surf Pro in Oceanside a week earlier after getting to the quarter-finals. She also won a silver medal after participating in the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.

In the Virginia Beach final, Tuach competed against Talia Swindal of the United States. Changing weather conditions made it difficult for both surfers to find scoring waves. Swindal took the lead with a 7.50, followed by Tuach with a 6.00.

The American surfer later added another 6.50 to strengthen her chances of winning. Tuach managed a 4.90 but was unable to find the waves necessary to challenge the title.

This adds another good performance from Tuach's recent streak as she continues to move up the regional rankings. She entered the Virginia Beach event ranked 11th after competing in only two of the first three events of the season.

Swindal won her third career QS victory, while Tuach's runner-up finish moved her to fifth place in the North American regional rankings.