Caleb Cutmore
Coming in at number seven is Raglan’s Caleb Cutmore. This is the goofy foot’s first time in the Top 10. Caleb, 21, is one of the most driven and exciting surfers we’ve seen coming through the ranks. He’s a product of the Raglan Surf Academy with tutelage by Backdoor’s Geoff Hutchison and his own father, Cam.
He won the Under 16 National Championship in 2017, then the Under 18 National Championship in 2019 before stumbling across a drought as he entered the Open arena. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t at times the form surfer at an event – he just never managed to find the rub of the green. In a way those near misses helped to build his resilience. He worked smart, developed one of the best air games in New Zealand and is now one of our fittest and most powerful surfers. His time it feels, is yet to come.
That was fine for Caleb, who invested the past three years into a degree in sports science; a Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance at the University of Waikato. Now he’s graduated and his next move will be one to watch …
At Westport’s 2022 Nationals, he was the one surfer who looked likely to be able to give Billy Stairmand a run for his money throughout the early days when the surf was pumping. On any day when the Ledge at Manu Bay is breaking, you’ll find Caleb weaving through those twisted caverns like he’s walking in the park.
This may be Caleb’s first time in the Top 10, but we’re certain he’ll be heading up this list in the future.
