Mali faces bankruptcy of his business – “learn to surf or you’re fired!”

Next week on Home and Away in the UK, Mali finds himself staring down the collapse of his surf shop after a string of questionable choices finally catch up with him. What began as a simple favor to family turns into a nightmare for his business when he entrusts the shop to new hire Lacy while he heads back to his hometown of Manor Point to help his sister Lanna with childcare.

Lacy, inexperienced and barely settled in, soon proves to be a risky bet. In fact, she doesn’t even know how to surf—a fatal flaw for someone expected to oversee lessons that keep the shop afloat. To cover her lack of skills, she ropes in boyfriend Theo to lead classes. Mali, upon discovering this arrangement, reluctantly allows it to continue while he’s away.

But cracks appear quickly. The business is already losing money, and despite Abigail stepping in to help steady things, the shop’s finances only worsen. Lacy faces a tough call when Theo declines a job offer at the garage, determined to stick with surfing. Even knowing lessons are their lifeline, Lacy urges Abby to let Theo leave so he can chase his dream. Without him, the shop’s primary source of revenue evaporates, and refunds pile up. Abby begins to panic as the situation spirals out of control.

Friends urge Abby to come clean, but before she can, Mali returns to the bay, full of optimism and unaware of the disaster waiting for him. Abby struggles to break the news but eventually admits she let Theo go and that the shop’s problems are worse than he realizes—angry students, delayed board orders, and stock shortages have all snowballed. Mali remains confident he can handle it, but Abby insists there’s no way forward unless Lacy is replaced by someone who can both manage the shop and lead lessons.

This puts Mali in an agonizing position. The thought of firing Lacy, who covered for him while he was away, doesn’t sit right. Yet the reality is undeniable: without someone competent in the water, the shop will sink. When confronted, Lacy insists how much the job means to her, unaware that Abby has been urging Mali to let her go.

Caught between loyalty and survival, Mali devises a compromise: Lacy can keep her job—on one condition. She must learn to surf, fast, and take over lessons herself. If she succeeds, she proves her worth and saves her position. If not, the shop may not survive long enough for second chances.

As pressure mounts, the question lingers: can Lacy rise to the challenge, or is Mali’s desperate gamble the final blow that sends his business into bankruptcy?