Ryan Callinan relieved to clear his schedule with Championship Tour return confirmed

But the Merewether surfer wasn't referring to his place back on the Championship Tour for 2023, after his run to the final of the Ericeira Pro in Portugal sealed the deal.

The 30-year-old was happily confirming another much-anticipated trip - his honeymoon.

Callinan returned home Sunday night with his spot on the elite tour confirmed thanks to a second runner-up finish on the second-tier Challenger Series this year. The result lifted Callinan one spot to third and assured him of a top-10 finish with two events left.

It means he can skip next month's contest in Brazil and enjoy a honeymoon in Tasmania with long-time partner Nina Graham, who he marries on Saturday.

Callinan fell off the CT at the midseason cut this year, following an injury-marred start, and the drop back to the CS schedule threatened to clash with his wedding and honeymoon plans.

However, the cancellation of the French event, set down for this week, and Callinan's outstanding results have cleared the way.

"Obviously you want to try and get as much done as you can, but I didn't expect it to happen this early, so it's nice to be fully locked in and ready to prepare for next year," Callinan said.

"I'm actually going to skip Brazil but go to Hawaii and still do that event, and just focus on surfing Pipe and Sunset.

"But it will be nice to have some time at home and just enjoy the wedding and all the stuff that comes with it.

"It's crazy how, I guess, everything plays out. You kind of want it to all go to plan but it rarely does, but this year, for what it's been, it feels like it's come around and all happened pretty spectacularly."

Callinan's performance to make the final, where he lost 16.27 to 14 to Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti, was his first in Portugal since he won the Ericeira Pro in 2018 to also cement a CT return.

Asked why he shines at the Ribeira D'llhas break, he said: "I have no idea.

"It's definitely a really hard wave and it's not the best to surf either. It's tricky and hard to pick 'em.

"I don't know what it is, I just feel like I've gone there with not too much expectation. Just taking it for what it is and just trying to pick my opportunities when they've shown up on the wave and use the steep sections when I get them.

"But I definitely had some good heats and some lucky ones when I got waves towards the end.

"I don't know what it is about that place but I really enjoy Portugal and that wave seems to have something special for me.

"I was kind of happy with getting through a couple of heats. I thought that would have given me enough points to feel pretty secure.

"But the more heats I made, the better it got, and to make it fully official is job done. It was definitely a good feeling."

Callinan will next compete in the Haleiwa Challenger from November 26 but his focus will be on the opening CT events, at Pipeline and Sunset Beach, also in Hawaii, from late January.

"I really like Haleiwa as an event anyway and I feel like it's a great wave, so I'll be stoked to do the event," he said. "But now that it's locked in, I can focus more on Pipe and Sunset and try to dial everything in for the start of next year when it's going to count.

"It will give me more time to prepare, just going there a few weeks before the event to work it all out and get a good feel for it all. Then be ready to go by the time I get back."

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