Best mates locked and loaded for WSL Challenger Series

JAN Juc locals and best buddies Xavier Huxtable and Tully Wylie will this year travel the world together, just like they dreamed of when they were grommets.

The star surfing duo will be competing on the 2025 World Surf League Challenger Series.

Huxtable and Wylie qualified for the international circuit by making the men’s final at the Phillip Island Pro last month.

The powerful natured-footed Huxtable won the event, claiming second on the Australia/Oceania world qualifying series rankings.

Wylie needed to make the final to make the cut and showed absolute nerves of steel to oust more than 80 other competitors.

The pair has been surfing together for more than 20 years, meeting through the Torquay Boardriders Club in their formative years.

They have gone on to have many marvellous battles in the water, with the ledger mostly even across all competitive matchups.

Wylie said achieving this sort of milestone alongside his best mate was a definite career highlight.

“This is something Xavier and I have been talking about since we started surfing with each other.

“It’ll be great for up-and-coming Victorian surfers to see we are just as good as everyone else, and if you work hard, you can achieve it.

“Really, travelling the world with my best friend is going to be so cool. I cannot wait.”

Huxtable agreed. “Getting to travel around the world with your best mate doing what you love is an absolute blessing,” he said.

“To have each other in our corners will help so much. Working together and having fun is going to amazing.”

Wylie competed on the Challenger Series for the first time last year.

He said he had taken plenty of learnings out of his maiden season.

“It’s such a big step up going from surfing against people in Australia to surfing against the world’s best.

“I don’t think the level on the Challenger is much different to the Championship Tour.

“I’ll be a lot more dialed in this year with what I need, what the waves are like, and experience-wise.”

Huxtable is looking forward to travelling to the US mainland for the first time. He said Portugal and South Africa were also high on the excitement scale for him.

Barwon Heads surfer Ellie Harrison will also represent Australia on the Challenger Series.

Harrison finished 15th in last year’s Challenger Series rankings and was awarded a wildcard for this year’s tour.

The 2025 Challenger Series begins in Newcastle with the Burton Automotive Newcastle Surfest on June 2.