Pro gathers momentum ahead of big Saturday

THE stage is set for a thrilling finish to the 2026 Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach.

Favourable conditions are expected today and tomorrow, setting the scene for an epic finale to the world’s longest running surfing event.

 

Competition officially got underway last week on Good Friday, with round 1 of the men’s field taking to the water.

Local wildcard Xavier Huxtable was the highlight, defeating Callum Robson in a see-sawing affair right on sunset.

 

Easter Saturday brought with it some fun waves of its own, with round 1 of the women’s competition hitting the lineup.

Barwon Heads surfer Ellie Harrison unfortunately bowed out to Lakey Peterson, while Brazilian Luana Silva upset eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore.

 

Past Bells champion Ethan Ewing was defeated by rising star George Pittar, while 2017 event winner Jordy Smith flexed his muscles against fellow South African Luke Thompson.

The surfing continued on Easter Sunday, with several heats of round 2 run before a lay day was called.

 

Poor conditions resulted in Monday and Tuesday being off, before the competition made a start again on Wednesday.

Xavier Huxtable surfed in heat 13 of the round against 2019 world champion Italo Ferreira, but was unable to match the Brazilian’s firepower.

 

The 23-year-old Jan Juc resident posted a 6-point ride early in the heat, while Ferreira notched a 7-point ride.

With only seconds on the clock, Huxtable took off on a wave, shot to the air and completed two big turns on the inside. The crowd erupted as he celebrated.

 

But his score of a 6.73 came in at just 0.1 below the requirement, handing Ferreira the win.

At the time of writing on Wednesday, round 2 of the men’s and women’s field was still underway at Winkipop.

 

The remainder of the bracket draw would follow over those coming days.

For all event information, head to worldsurfleague.com