MISSION – Para Surf League™ / PSL™ is a Program of AmpSurf (The Association of Amputee Surfers). It was developed in 2020 and launched in 2022 to Promote Adaptive/Para Surfing athletes and support Para Surfing events around the world with the goal of getting Para Surfing into the Paralympics and to be inclusive.
WHO WE SUPPORT – Contest Organizers and Athletes engaged in the promotion and establishment of Para Surf contests around the globe for Para Surf Athletes to compete in with the goal of Paralympic inclusion.
OUR GOAL – We want to help establish a series of contests with partners around the globe that include national level, continental level and global/world level events to meet the requirements for Paralympic inclusion.
How We Do It – For over 20 years AmpSurf™ has been providing our Learn to Surf clinics and supporting adaptive surfers and contests around the world, from regional and national events to the World Para Surfing Championships in 2020, ‘21, and ‘22. The Para Surf League™/PSL™ has been created to organize and run all aspects of our competition programming, separating the responsibilities of our organization into two distinct pillars focused on those served by the therapeutic benefits and the competitive benefits. The PSL™ is focused primarily on athlete and competition development for Paralympic inclusion, while AmpSurf™ will stay focused on teaching those with disabilities, Veterans and First Responders how to surf, and training adaptive surf instructors/coaches around the world.
Current Para Surf League Rankings Click here
Sign -Up for Upcoming Contests -2023 PSL Global Open / Championships registration will open Sept. 15th.
PSL Contest Series
The Para Surf League (PSL) has developed a global series format that will include multiple contests around the globe that will crown champions at three levels, Contest Champion, Continental Zone Champion, and Global Champion
With a ranking system for all athletes based on points earned at all contests including the PSL Global Championships.
The Para Surf League (PSL) will work in partnership with the host nation organizers to do the following;
1. Provide funding for a contest to be held in each host nation.
2. Provide a registration platform for all contests held as part of the PSL Global Series.
3. Provide a contest prize purse to be awarded to up to the top 4 finishers of each division. Sponsorship monies and a portion of all entry fees will go towards the prize purse.
4. Contest Structure will conform to ISA World Para Surfing Championships structure and rules.
5. Priority system will be the same as used at the ISA World Para Surfing Championships: I.E. Once priority is established riders who make a definitive effort to paddle for a wave, forfeit priority even if they do not catch the wave and go to the end of the priority rotation.
5. Heat structure will follow that of the ISA Worlds Para Surfing Championships with Round Robin format to Elimination rounds with even heats as much allowed.
6. All 9 Para Surf divisions as established by the International Surfing Association (ISA) will be included at all contest.
7. At least one (no more than 3) additional “Open ” division will be included at PSL Contests leading up to the Global Championships for those athletes who sign-up but do not meet classification requirements for one of the 9 established Para Surf divisions.
8. Each athlete will earn points for each contest they compete in depending on how they place in the division they are surfing in.
Points will be awarded to the top 16 surfers per division at each event as follows (Double points will be awarded at the Global Open/ Championships…i.e. 1st =1500 at Global 1st = 3000);
1st -1500
2nd – 1200
3rd-1050
4th – 975
5th- 900
6th- 850
7th – 800
8th – 750
9th – 700
10th – 650
11th – 600
12th – 550
13th – 500
14th – 450
15th – 400
16th – 350
Points will determine over all ranking and who is crowned continental zone champion and Global Champion based on the total points scored over all the contests held for each continental zone.
i.e. If one contest is held in South Africa and that is the only contest held in the continental zone, the top finisher would be crowned contest and the African Continental Zone Champion. 3 contests held in Europe, A competitor could be a contest champion at 1 to 3 Contests but may not be the overall European Zone champion if another athlete accumulated more points than the athlete in their division.
9. Requirements to qualify to be crowned the PSL Global Champion.
a. Each athlete must compete in at least 50% of the contests held in their Continental Zone, plus 1 to be crowned PSL Global Champion.
i.e. an Athlete competing in the AAfrican Zone PSL event would need to compete in the PSL Africa contest, plus 1 more contest on another continent. An athlete competing in the European Zone Series of 3 contests, would need to compete in 2 contest +1 either in their Continental Zone or another Continental Zone.
b. An Athlete must finish in the top 16 of their division in all above-mentioned required contests to qualify to be crowned the PSL Global Champion..
c. Any ahtlete can compete in the Global Championships, but must have done the above to be crowned Global Champion. i.e. An Athlete could win their division at the Global Championships, but another athlete could be crowned Global Champion and get the overall global prize purse.
10. ALL contests, athletes and staff involved with the PSL must adhere to SafeSport protocols or their nations equivalent, practices and standards as recognized by the International Surfing Association as well as International Olympic and Paralympic Committees.
Question can be emailed to Surf@Ampsurf.org