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Grant Baker and Katie McConnell win 2026 Thriller at Killers

Todos Santos: the Mexican home of Killers, the country's most famous big wave | Photo: WSL

Grant Baker and Katie McConnell have taken out the 2026 Thriller at Killers at Todos Santos in Mexico.

There is always something magical surrounding Todos Santos. Its pure, raw aura always draws a lot of interest when XXL swells arrive, dressed to impress.

Over February 7-8, a small group of the world's top big-wave surfers gathered in Ensenada, the port city on the coast of Baja California, Mexico, for an invitational contest.

Unlike many modern competitions that run on strict schedules and large formats, the 2026 Thriller at Killers was more intimate and focused, built around the right ocean conditions and a select group of elite athletes.

The contest took place on Saturday, February 7, when powerful swells rolled into Todos Santos Island, creating waves over 25 feet tall.

The competition itself was simple and direct.

The men competed in two semifinal heats, and the top surfers from those moved on to a final. The women's division featured a single final heat.

Once the waves settled and the judging was done, South African big-wave legend Grant "Twiggy" Baker claimed victory on the men's side after a tiebreak with Nic Lamb.

At the same time, Katie McConnell from San Diego took the win in an incredibly close final of the women's event.

Justine Dupont Suffers Back Injury

There was a setback, though, as Justine Dupont, one of the most respected names in big-wave surfing, suffered a heavy wipeout during the contest.

"I wanted to catch a mega wave, but I got hit on the head instead," the French surfer wrote.

"On impact, as I was being sucked under, I felt a pain in my back. I had to be taken to the hospital in Ensenada, and after some tests, I was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra."

"Nothing dramatic, thankfully. A few weeks in a brace, a little patience, some serious rehab, and in a few months, I'll be back in the water."

The conditions at Todos Santos were exactly what the organizers had hoped for. Massive walls of water rolled in, forcing surfers to commit to steep, dangerous drops and ride powerful, fast-moving waves.

Some surfers stuck their landings and rode the waves cleanly, while others were thrown into violent wipeouts, which are an expected part of surfing waves of that size.

After each ride or crash, the surfers would regroup in the calmer channel, exchanging high-fives and sharing the excitement of the moment.

The camaraderie was full-on as it should be in these extreme environments.

Gary Linden, the event organizer and a veteran of the sport who has been running big-wave competitions for six decades, said the day was one of the best he had ever seen.

For Twiggy Baker, the victory was the highlight of an already intense journey. In the days leading up to the contest, he had been chasing the same ocean swell across the Pacific.

He started in Hawaii, surfing big waves at Waimea Bay, then flew to California to surf the legendary cold water break at Mavericks.

From there, he drove down the coast to Mexico just in time for the Thriller at Killers event.

It was a physically demanding stretch of travel and surfing, but it paid off. 

After the contest, while still on land and unaware that he had won, he described the session as magical and said it was the best he had ever experienced at Todos Santos.

Killers is one of the world's most famous big waves. It breaks in a World Surfing Reserve.

2026 Thriller at Killers | Results

Men

  1. Grant Baker
  2. Nic Lamb
  3. Greg Long
  4. Jamie Mitchell
  5. Quetzal Estrada
  6. Cody Purcell

Women

  1. Katie McConnell
  2. Zoe Chait
  3. Justine Dupont
  4. Bianca Valenti
  5. Mikaela Fregonese/Isabelle Leonhardt


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