What Surfing Maneuver Scores Highest?

The 2026 Season Preview

The 2025 competitive surfing season has come to a close, and we have a few months before things kick off for the 2026 world tour season. While there's a chance the Eddie might run between now and then, we are likely looking at an extended period of time without any exciting contests to tune into. But that doesn't mean that we aren't already looking forward to seeing our favorite surfers get back in the jersey. In fact, with John John Florence, Carissa Moore, Steph Gilmore, and Gabriel Medina all confirmed to be returning to world tour competition this year, the 2026 season could be one of the most exciting in years.

The Science Behind Surf Scoring

To get tuned up for a great year of professional surf spectating, I recently watched an interesting video in which Dr. Cliff Kapono goes over a scientific peer-reviewed study that looks at what maneuvers score highest in contests. As always, our resident surf historian Matt Rode has broken down the scientific jargon into easily understandable language for us lay folk, so we know exactly what we are looking at when the world tour season kicks into gear.

This was an interesting study that Cliff reviews, because it does a quantitative (i.e., objective) analysis of a subjective practice (judging surfing). This study looked at tens of thousands of waves that were ridden and scored in professional contests (mostly world tour events) over multiple events and seasons. It analyzed info on these waves from 31 different studies, noting the scores receive and maneuvers performed.

The Aerial Advantage: 1.9 Points Higher

What the study found was that performing aerial maneuvers results in higher scores than waves that only include maneuvers done on the wave face. In fact, on average, waves that include airs score 1.9 points higher than waves that don't. This isn't to say that a single average air will score higher than four really good turns (although single airs do sometimes score 10s when they are huge and technical), but simply that when airs are included in ridden waves, the waves score higher on average. The fact that the increase in average score is almost two points is incredibly significant, since professional heats include two combined wave scores and are often won by less than a point.

Comparing Turns, Barrels, and Airs

The study also looked at different categories of waves, including those that only include turns, those that only include barrels, and those that also include airs. It found that the mean score for waves that only include turns (that means the middle score on a list of all scores) was 5.1. The mean score for tube rides, on the other hand, was 6.8 points, indicating that barrels typically score higher than even combinations of turns. But once again, it was airs that got the biggest scores, with the mean score on a wave that includes an air being 7.4

Spectators and competitors alike can take a lot from these statistics. First of all, it seems that those competitors who are known for their airs (such as Italo Ferreira, Gabriel Medina, Yago Dora, John John Florence, and Felipe Toledo) have an advantage when it comes to scores. That seems to be borne out by results, as all of these surfers have won world titles. However, it is important to note that the study did not find that the highest scores can be earned only through aerial surfing, but rather that waves that included at least one aerial scored higher. This suggests that a combination of on-face maneuvers (including turns and barrels) and airs is likely still the best way to win heats. In addition, it is important to note that the study looks at averages and means, but does not show evidence that airs always score higher. A great example of this is Ethan Ewing, who is arguably the most powerful and technically perfect rail surfer on tour, and who has come close to winning a world title every year for the past five years, despite not being known for his airs.

Why Power Surfing Still Matters

An interesting finding in the study seems to bear out the fact that power surfing still remains relevant when it comes to competitive surfing. One study that was reviewed compared the length in time of bottom turn to the score received on a wave. Bottom turns are not typically considered to be scoring maneuvers—they are setup maneuvers that put surfers in positions for top turns, barrels, and airs. But the study found that there was a positive correlation between a longer bottom turn and a higher score. This is interesting, because long bottom turns are not typically used to set up aerial maneuvers. Instead, long, drawn-out bottom turns are a hallmark of power surfers with good technique, and typically set up big carves and top turns. Surfers who have been known for their long, drawn-out bottom turns include Ethan Ewing, Taylor Knox, Tom Curren, Mick Fanning, and Mark Occhilupu—all of whom were much better known for their carves than airs.

This finding provides more evidence that power surfing, carves, and other on-face turns are still relevant, and that competitive surfing has not simply become an air show. As the sport continues to progress, it will likely be those surfers who have a strong foundation in power surfing, barrel riding, and above-the-lip surfing—that is to say, those who can put together combinations with a variety of barrels, powerful maneuvers, punctuated by airs—who will score highest and win the most events and world titles. In other words, good surfing will always out-score average surfing, even if the average surfing involves an unimpressive air.

The Complete Competitive Surfer

Finally, it is important to note that this study takes a quantitative look at professional surf judging, but it doesn't provide any input into what is the "best" maneuver. While airs might score the highest, for many surfers, a good carve or deep barrel may feel better and even look better than an air. Ultimately, surfing is a personal, subjective experience, and that's what makes it so amazing.