An experience report with pro check from the WSL Championship Tour
If you’ve ever lost a fin while surfing, you know: It can quickly become annoying and expensive. Especially with the screwless click system FCS II, many people ask themselves: “Does it really hold in all conditions?”. To answer this question objectively, we look at incidents in the highest league of surfing – the WSL Championship Tour – where fin safety is relevant. Because if the FCS II system works for the best surfers in the most demanding surf spots in the world, then that’s a pretty tough endurance test.
The most important things in a nutshell:
- Among women, 50% surf with the FCS II system
- 48.6 % of men use the FCS II Fin System
- In the case of men’s pro surfers, FCS II fins were occasionally lost – the fin box and board only remained partially intact
- It is questionable how transferable the experience report of the professionals is to hobby surfers. As they are not regularly provided with new surfing equipment
Why it makes sense to look ahead to the 2025 Championship Tour
The 2025 Championship Tour (CT) of the World Surf League is the pinnacle of surfing. Not only does it take place at the most famous and challenging surf spots in the world (Pipeline, Teahupo’o, J-Bay, Bells, Supertubos, etc.), but it also features the best surfers from all over the world in competitive surfing.
That’s why the CT of the World Surf League (WSL) is a great benchmark to test whether the FCS II Fin System is safe under the toughest conditions.
What was analyzed?
In order to obtain the most up-to-date data possible, we looked at the current season of the Championship Tour and paid attention to the following: Are there any problems with the FCS II fin system during the surfing competition, such as fin loss and damage to the fin plug and the board?
Which pros will be surfing with the FCS II fin system in 2025?
We investigated which pros surf the CT with the FCS II Fin System or Future Fins. Excluding the changing wild card participants per event, 26 out of 53 pro surfers surf the CT (49.1%). The remaining 27 surfers (50.9%) surf with the Future Fins fin system. Here are the tables by gender in detail:
|
Men's CT Pro Surfer
|
Fin system
|
|---|---|
|
Jordy Smith
|
Future Fins
|
|
Yago Dora
|
Future Fins
|
|
Kanoa Igarashi
|
FCS II
|
|
Italo Ferreira
|
Future Fins
|
|
Barron Mamiya
|
FCS II
|
|
Ethan Ewing
|
Future Fins
|
|
Jack Robinson
|
Future Fins
|
|
Filipe Toledo
|
FCS II
|
|
Griffin Colapinto
|
Future Fins
|
|
Leonardo Fioravanti
|
FCS II
|
|
Miguel Pupo
|
Future Fins
|
|
Jake Marshall
|
FCS II
|
|
Connor O'Leary
|
FCS II
|
|
Joel Vaughan
|
FCS II
|
|
Crosby Colapinto
|
FCS II
|
|
Cole Houshmand
|
Future Fins
|
|
João Chianca
|
Future Fins
|
|
Rio Waida
|
FCS II
|
|
Marco Mignot
|
FCS II
|
|
Alan Cleland
|
Future Fins
|
|
Seth Moniz
|
FCS II
|
|
Alejo Muniz
|
Future Fins
|
|
Matthew McGillivray
|
FCS II
|
|
Liam O'Brien
|
FCS II
|
|
Jackson Bunch
|
FCS II
|
|
George Pittar
|
FCS II
|
|
Ian Gouveia
|
Future Fins
|
|
Imaikalani deVault
|
Future Fins
|
|
Samuel Pupo
|
Future Fins
|
|
Ian Gentil
|
FCS II
|
|
Deivid Silva
|
Future Fins
|
|
Ramzi Boukhiam
|
Future Fins
|
|
Edgard Groggia
|
Future Fins
|
|
Ryan Callinan
|
Future Fins
|
|
Gabrial Medina*
|
FCS II
|
*Gabriel Medina was officially listed but was unable to make the Midseaon cut due to injury as he was not in the top 22 after Tour stop Margaret River, Australia.
|
Women's CT Pro Surfer
|
Fin system
|
|---|---|
|
Gabriela Bryan
|
FCS II
|
|
Caitlin Simmers
|
Future Fins
|
|
Molly Picklum
|
Future Fins
|
|
Bettylou Sakura Johnson
|
FCS II
|
|
Isabella Nichols
|
FCS II
|
|
Caroline Marks
|
FCS II
|
|
Lakey Peterson
|
Future Fins
|
|
Erin Brooks
|
FCS II
|
|
Luana Silva
|
Future Fins
|
|
Sawyer Lindblad
|
Future Fins
|
|
Vahine Fierro
|
Future Fins
|
|
Bella Kenworthy
|
FCS II
|
|
Brisa Hennessy
|
Future Fins
|
|
Sally Fitzgibbons
|
FCS II
|
|
Johanne Defay
|
FCS II
|
|
Nadia Erostarbe
|
FCS II
|
|
Tatiana Weston-Webb
|
Future Fins
|
Among women and men, the choice of FCS II and Futures Fins is almost balanced.
Case studies: Have FCS II surfers ever lost Finns?
There have been two incidents so far on the WSL Championship Tour 2025 that have led to the loss of fins. Filipe Toledo and Barron Mamiya both lost 2 Finns in their heats.
Filipe Toledo loses 2 Finns at the Abu Dhabi Pro 2025
In the round of 16 at the tour stop in Abi Dhabi Pro, Filipe lost two fins from his quad fin setup. When he collided with the photographer’s camera in the water, there was so much pressure on impact that two fins came loose from the fin boxes (one side and one rear fin).
The video footage does not show exactly whether the fin plugs in which the lost fins were located were torn out of the board. But it can be assumed that the FCS II fin plugs were damaged in such a strong impact. He was unable to use his board for the rest of the competition and had to surf his last wave with his thruster.
You can follow the collision at the Abu Dhabi Pro 2025 here:
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More InformationFelipe and the photographer were lucky as no one was seriously injured. As the contest took place in a wave pool and not in the open sea, Felipe didn’t have to paddle ashore to get his spare board from the beach. This is because heats are limited in time at contests in the sea, so swapping equipment on the beach can cost valuable time.
Barron Mamiya loses 2 Finns at the Margaret River Pro 2025
In the first heat of the Elimination Round, Barron fell off his board through a powerful whitewater wave after finishing his wave. The wave of the set was so strong that it pushed Barron and his board far underwater. Underwater, the surfer detached himself from his leash to return to the surface.
The video footage does not show how a side fin and the center fin came off the board, as there is no underwater footage. On the beach, Barron says to his coach: “The leash got caught on the reef or wrapped around his board. Either the wave had so much force that it lifted the fins out of the box or the leash pushed the fins out of the fin box.
Without his board, Barron had to paddle to the beach where he put the FCS II fins from his spare board into the same board he started his heat with. The fins were easy to fit. The fin plugs were not damaged in the process.
Look at Barron losing his fins and changing his fins on the beach:
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More InformationAssessment: How safe is the FCS II system? How serious were the fin losses?
Even though there have been two incidents with the CT of Felipe and Barron so far, it can be said that the FCS II system is generally safe. Only under extreme conditions is there a certain risk of loss. On the other hand, experience shows that the fin boxes themselves rarely break and the fins are often only pushed out of the system.
For hobby or amateur surfers, there are fewer photographers in the water than with the WSL, but there is still a risk of getting stuck with the fin on rocks or reefs exposed by the tide. If the fins were also screwed down with the FCS II system, there is a risk of damage to the fin plug and the board itself. It can therefore also have advantages not to secure the FCS II fins with an additional screw.
It is also difficult to say what would have happened in the Barron incident if the fins had been screwed down. The foam could have been torn out by the enormous force or the fin box could have withstood the pressure. Fortunately, Barron was able to free himself from the leash and remained unharmed.
Let's estimate the risk of loss in figures:
There are a total of 68 heats in a Championship Tour event up to the mid-season cut. The first seven events on the tour therefore result in 476 heats. After the cut, the men’s field will be limited to 22 and the women’s field to 10. For the remaining four tour events there are 44 heats each, i.e. 176. The final is not included, as there is a special heat format for winning the championship. Without the finals day, this results in a total of 652 heats.
So far there have been four fin losses, as Filipe and Barron have each lost two fins. Calculation: 4/652≈ 0.006. Which gives a loss rate for FCS II fins of 0.6% for pro surfers in CT. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as more pro surfers lose fins. Nevertheless, a loss rate of 0.6% is statistically very low.
Who is the FCS II Fin System suitable for?
FCS II is suitable for both amateur and professional surfers who value being able to change fins quickly and without tools. However, this flexibility comes with the risk of losing fins. But there is the possibility of fins being levered out of the fin box on impact without damaging your fin plugs or your surfboard. If you don’t want to compromise on fin stability, you’re probably better off with Future Fins.
Our opinion - what does the professionals' experience report mean for you?
What the experience report from the Championship Tour does not take into account, however, is longevity. This is because the pros keep getting new boards with fresh fin plugs. A luxury that not every surfer has. The experience report is therefore only partially transferable to amateur or hobby level.
Nevertheless, FCS II is a smart, comfortable system with clear strengths and weaknesses. It has proven its worth with surfers right up to top-level sport, where FCS II fins are rarely lost. Nevertheless, you should be aware that fins can be lost in exceptional cases, as there are plenty of reports from surfers who have lost their FCS II fins. The risk of loss increases, especially if you surf boards with FCS II plugs for longer periods of time. You can find out why in our blog post: the best fin system for surfing. If you look after the system properly, keep the plugs clean and use additional screws if necessary, you can surf very well with FCS II – even in advanced conditions.
If you want to be on the safe side, Future Fins is the better alternative, especially with larger fin templates such as twin fins. This is because there is more pressure on the fin plug. In addition, the loss rate for future fins in the CT of the WSL is 0% – as there was no loss of future fins in the 2025 season. Ultimately, it doesn’t take long to secure a fin with a screw.
Conclusion: How safe is the FCS II system?
FCS II is widely used by the world’s top female surfers and has proven itself in a wide range of surfing conditions. Although there have been isolated cases of fin loss, damage to the board itself is rare unless the fins are screwed in. For most pro surfers, FCS II is therefore an absolutely solid and practical choice.
If you want to be on the safe side, you should opt for Future Fins. Professional surfers have hardly any material fatigue, because surfboards are a commodity that is constantly being replaced. Especially in the professional sector, to ensure the best possible performance. If professional surfers lose few fins, this does not mean that you lose few fins.
