A new video edit titled “Fail to Fiji” chronicles Jacob Willcox’s mental recovery after injury, competitive setbacks and narrowly missing requalification for the World Surf League Championship Tour. Filmmaker Chipo framed the six-month edit around the mental toll of Willcox’s injury and the Newcastle loss, following the Western Australian as he chased swells, tried to rediscover his “why” and ultimately traveled to Fiji to reset and reflect.

Willcox was relegated from the Championship Tour in 2024 and launched a bid to requalify for the 2026 CT. He began the campaign by winning the season’s first Challenger Series event and received a wildcard into the Margaret River Pro, where he beat fellow Australian Oscar Berry in Round One before drawing world champion Yago Dora. Judges did not uphold Dora’s interference claim in that heat, which led to heated words in the water and an alleged on-land confrontation. An injury at the US Open sidelined Willcox for several events and he later suffered an ankle tweak that required rehabilitation. After his promising start his form dipped, producing results of 9th, 25th, 49th, 33rd and 13th at subsequent events. He entered the tour’s final stop at Newcastle sitting 10th in the rankings, finished 49th there and dropped to 12th, missing the top-10 cutoff for automatic promotion back to the CT. The edit and reporting say the injury and a missed heat win in Newcastle cost him requalification.

Willcox said he struggled with “head noise” on the trip home. He chased a Pacific swell to Fiji, linked up with former CT surfer Wade Carmichael and surfed Cloudbreak. He said time in the ocean brought him peace and perspective, and the final footage of the edit is intended to remind viewers why he believes he belongs on the Championship Tour. Willcox intends to return to the Challenger Series for another qualification attempt this year.