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Local surfers Bailey Turner and Parker Cohn win big at Huntington Beach contest

April 27, 2026

Huntington Beach’s Bailey Turner and Newport’s Parker Cohn were hoisted up to the winner’s podium at the Vans Jack’s Surfboards Pro in Huntington Beach this weekend, a major victory for the local surfers in front of their hometown family, friends and fans.

The Huntington Beach contest drew competitors from around the globe for a shot at valuable points at one of the mainland’s first surf contests of the year. The event was filled with drama, not just from the surf action, but also with a shark’s “aggressive” behavior that closed the ocean for 24 hours after the second day of competition.

But by the end of the event on Sunday, the shark was old news, and it was the local Orange County surfers enjoying the surfing spotlight.

Huntington Beach’s Bailey Turner earned the win at the Van’s Jacks Surfboards Pro in her hometown in front of family and friends on April 26, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Nichols/WSL)

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Huntington Beach’s Bailey Turner earned the win at the Van’s Jacks Surfboards Pro in her hometown in front of family and friends on April 26, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Nichols/WSL)

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Turner earned the win at her home break, the 17-year-old carrying on the torch as a second-generation Huntington Beach pro surfer.

She is following in the footsteps of her father, Ryan Turner, who 10 years ago earned a spot in the Surfers’ Hall of Fame. Her win comes following a gold medal victory at the International Surfing Association’s World Junior Championships in December.

In the men’s division, Cohn’s stand-out performance landed him the victory just down the road where he grew up.

For both surfers, it was their first Qualifying Series victory with the World Surf League, giving them momentum heading into the competitive year.

Turner has already qualified for the WSL’s higher-level Challenger Series, which includes the upcoming Lexus US Open of Surfing this summer in Huntington Beach. The series’ contests serve as the pathway to potentially landing on the WSL’s World Tour, the major leagues of the sport.

In the semi-finals, Turner matched up with San Clemente’s Kirra Pinkerton, and then went up against Carlsbad’s Reid Van Wagoner, 16. Turner earned the win with a total score of 11 (out of 20), just less than a point more than her opponent’s overall score of 10.16.

“It feels really good to get my first win,” Turner said in a World Surf League interview, noting that she knew going up against Van Wagoner would not be easy. “Thank you to my family and friends for being here and supporting me, and everyone watching online who supported me. It’s been such a fun week surfing with all our friends here, and I can’t believe it.”

Cohn went up against defending US Open of Surfing winner Levi Slawson, his win landing him on the top of the North America Qualifying Series rankings.

“I still haven’t processed it, I can’t believe it and I’m just super stoked. There are 128 surfers in this region who showed up, and they all absolutely rip, and you just have to find every little advantage you can and work as hard as you can,” said Cohn in an interview with the WSL. “Sometimes it goes your way and I can’t believe it did today.

“I don’t even have words to describe what this means to me,” he added. “I put my blood, sweat, and tears into this and it’s pretty cool to see it pay off.”

Slawson, who is expected to be back in Huntington Beach to defend his US Open of Surfing title in July, reflected on his performance.

“I’m stoked to get through some heats and get a good result in Huntington again. And I’m super psyched for (Cohn) on his win. Every time I see him, it feels like he keeps getting better and better, and he’s really deserving of this,” said Slawson.

“When I came back down here, I got the fuzzy feelings since the last time I was here, I was getting chaired up after winning the US Open, which was a highlight of my career so far,” Slawson added. “This beach has taught me a lot. I’m stoked to be back and this is the first time I made some heats here at this event and gave it my best to win it.”

On the other side of the globe, another California surfer, World Tour veteran Lakey Peterson, earned a massive victory at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro against the world’s best surfers.

Peterson’s win was the second stop on the World Surf League’s Championship Tour, and it was her second time winning the event. The men’s winner was Australia’s George Pittar.

California surfer Lakey Peterson, who splits time between San Clemente and Australia, won the Western Australia Margaret River Pro on April 26, 2026, her second win at the World Tour event. (Photo by Beatriz Ryder/World Surf League)

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Peterson is originally from Santa Barbara, but now splits time between San Clemente and Australia. It was her seventh World Tour win, as the 31-year-old veteran surfer battled and beat tough competition through the finals day.

“I can’t believe it, really. It just kind of happened this week, it all fell into place. When the ocean’s working with you, it’s a nice thing,” said Peterson in a WSL interview. She beat Brazil’s Luana Silva in the final matchup. “I work really hard, we all do, it’s just nice when it pays off. I’ve been doing this a really long time, and it’s cool to prove to myself, like, I can still do this. I can still win these events.”

The younger girls pushing limits with above-the-lip aerials are amazing, she said, and pushing her performance.

“But I’m still here,” she said.

To win the Western Australia Margaret River Pro in her 13th year on the World Tour is a dream, she said.

“If you would have told me that when I was 10-years-old, there’s no way I would have believed you,” she said. “Any young girls or boys out there that have dreams, don’t ever give up on them because things happen in life that you don’t expect if you keep working hard.”

Local surfers Bailey Turner and Parker Cohn win big at Huntington Beach contest Orange County Register

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Local surfers Bailey Turner and Parker Cohn win big at Huntington Beach contest

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