The Brazilian surfers, who were the first to speak out against the Margaret River Pro continuing, thanked the WSL for its historic decision to suspend the tournament halfway through. They were joined by Stephanie Gilmore, Johanne Defay, Tatiana Weston-Webb and Michel Bourez, who took to social media to express their gratitude for the decision, which is in the interest of everyone.

The rest of the surfers who spoke out against it in one way or another made it clear that they respected and understood that fear could be felt and that this could be done. Some who are known to have wanted to go ahead with the tournament are Jordy Smith, Connor O'Leary, Kael Walsh, Mikey February, Mikey Wright and Bronte Macaulay who reported that she went surfing on the morning of the cancellation.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of surfers who did not even comment on the decision, such as Julian Wilson, the three Wright brothers, Ace Buchan, Pat Gudauskas, Frederico Morais, Wade Carmichael, Zeke Lau, Kolohe, Kanoa, Joan Duru, Jessé Mendes, Keanu Asing, Malia Manuel, Sally Fitzgibbons, Silvana Lima and Keely Andrew.

In a more tolerant stance, Conner Coffin spoke out halfway through: “Every time I go surfing anywhere where there are a lot of sharks, I take a minute to be aware that if it’s my turn, it’s my turn. I love the ocean and I love surfing and this is my way of feeling comfortable sharing the lineup with sharks. Having said that, I 100% respect that other surfers don’t feel comfortable continuing the tournament here and I support the decision of the WSL and hope that it completes the tournament somewhere.”.

Carissa Moore shared her opinion: “I am sad that the competition has been cancelled, but I respect and appreciate that the WSL is looking out for us.”

Medina was grateful that the safety of surfers was put first, Toledo was in the same line and said that he would “never” go against his fears. Meanwhile, rookie Willian Cardoso said: “It was the right decision.”. There were risks. I feel more secure for my profession, my family and my responsibility to represent Brazil.”

 

Thanks Wsl for taking care of ourselves on making such a hard decision. it's nearly impossible to always make everyone happy; However, that must've been the best option to be followed for the good of the League. Also... Thank you so much Austrália I had one of the best moments of my life. See U next year /// obrigado @wsl for taking care of the safety of two athletes and making that difficult decision! Unfortunately, it is impossible to please everyone, but it was the best option to be followed. Vejo vocês em brevity! Obrigado Austrália ??, you have two best moments in my life.

A publication shared by Italo Ferreira ?? (@italoferreira) the Apr 17, 2018 at 8:12 PDT

Meanwhile, Jordy Smith said: “You have to respect some of the surfers and the decision of the WSL. It is what it is. I am sad,” he told Stab.

Connor O'Leary, another who disagreed with the decision, also told the aforementioned magazine: "I'm staying in a house with Mikey February and Mikey Wright and we're all like, 'What's the problem? ' I think we grew up surfing with sharks so it's hard to see what's happening to Brazilians who don't have these problems."

Some were more emphatic, like Sebastian Zietz's father-in-law, who sent him the following message: "Are they going to put those faggot asses out there or are those bad fish still there. They don't have balls."

Tahitian Michel Bourez said he would switch from the surf tour to the wine tour and Hawaiian Keanu Asing wanted to change his ticket but it would cost him $5000 so, like most of the others, he took to drinking wine.

The cancellation took place because last Monday morning An Argentine citizen, Alejandro Travaglini, suffered a severe attack near the championship area, seriously injuring both his legs and being rushed to a hospital in Perth. Hours later, another surfer, this time Danish, was also attacked on a nearby beach.

Complaints from Brazilian surfers Gabriel Medina, Adriano de Souza and Italo Ferreira, in this situation they had a place in the WSL leadership and the decision is the known one.