Social media has erupted in South Africa and around the world after a photo of Ballito Pro junior champions Rio Waida of Indonesia and Zoë Steyn of South Africa was circulated: Both events were in the same category but the cheque for the first was for twice as much money as the other (one for 8000 rand and the other for 4000).

A horde of people started with their allegations about how sexist the event and the World Surf League was being, the noise was so loud that the BBC, Australian ABCs and other media reported on the issue.

Some of the comments made on the event's Facebook page by users included: “The girls surfed in a different ocean that was easier and we don't know about it? This is pathetic,” “Could you please explain the difference between the winners? Because there's no reason Zoe's performance was half as important or as impressive,” “I'm mad. I was there and watched all day. These girls tried just as hard as any man.”

Ballito Pro organisers have responded to public anger over two comments made on the same photo by saying that the World Surf League (WSL) is the one that sanctions and determines prize money, qualifications and awards. “The Ballito Pro maintains its position as a gender equality competition, which is evident from the continued development of the women’s series year on year. Based on this commitment to equality, we are meeting with all stakeholders to discuss how potential discrepancies can be resolved in the future,” the competition organiser stated. “The WSL implements certain criteria to determine surfing qualifications and prize money, and we have formally requested a detailed outline of this process for future discussions,” they added.

The WSL explained through its Oceania press officer Will Hayden Smith that the reason for this difference is that the men's events have twice as many entries as the women's. He pointed out that for this one, in Ballito, there were 36 men and 18 women.