Nothing better: Nichols opens up on famous surf win

Australian surf star Isabella Nichols has a dilemma - how will she ever be able to top the greatest feeling of her life?

That moment came in 2022, when Nichols arrived in Margaret River knowing she needed to win the World Surf League event to survive the dreaded mid-season cut.

With each heat effectively a make-or-break moment for her fledgling career, Nichols kept racking up the wins.

The Australian edged past Lakey Peterson by a mere 0.27 of a point in the round of 16, then took care of Johanne Defay in the quarter-finals, before outclassing the dangerous Bronte Macaulay in the semi-finals.

It set up a date with destiny against Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan in the final and Nichols handled the pressure with aplomb to win her maiden Championship Tour crown and save her spot on tour.

"It's funny. I watched a video of the interview I did after the win in 2022 and it brought all the emotions back," Nichols told AAP ahead of the 2026 Margaret River Pro.

"When you need something so desperately to keep your career alive, and that thing is really hard to attain, and when it happens you're like, 'I don't think anything can beat this'.

"To win that one was the best feeling of my entire life, and it's been something that I've tried to replicate for a long time - I just don't think you can replicate that feeling ever again.

"And so you're just always searching for that, which kind of keeps you going in a way."

Surfers no longer have to fear a mid-season cut with the concept scrapped this year.

Nichols was cut in both 2023 and 2024, but her win at the 2022 Margaret River Pro gave her confidence she could requalify each time.

And it's through those huge disappointments Nichols gained an even greater appreciation for just how special her job is.

"You've got to have the downs to really understand why this is such a special job that we have," said Nichols, who went on to win Bells Beach in 2025.

"So I'm kind of grateful for the moments that feel tough because otherwise if it's always like a dream, then I probably wouldn't be as grateful to be doing what I do."

The 28-year-old has started 2026 in fine fashion, reaching the semi-finals at the season-opening Bells Beach in another sign that she can well and truly match it with the world's best.

Nichols grew up on Coolum Beach in Queensland, but she views Margaret River as her second home and has a dream to live in the region one day.