Point Lonsdale surfer joins world tour ranks

POINT Lonsdale surfer Bea Conroy will fulfil a lifelong dream when she makes her full-time World Longboard Tour debut at the US Open of Surfing next week.

The 23-year-old earned her place among the world’s elite by winning the Egmont Honey Pro in New Zealand last month, securing qualification for the 2026 World Longboard Tour.

Now she’s preparing to paddle out at California’s iconic Huntington Beach – the same break that first inspired her to pursue longboarding.

 

“It’s incredibly surreal,” Conroy said.

“It’ll be quite full circle really for me to head back to the US where I really got inspired to start longboarding.”

Conroy switched to longboarding in her mid-teens after a successful junior shortboarding career that included multiple appearances in Victoria’s state shortboard team.

A trip to the United States proved the turning point. After watching renowned longboarder Alex Knost surf at Huntington Beach, she decided to focus on the discipline full-time.

“I always liked picking up a longboard, but never fully committed,” Conroy said.

“I got a bit over the shortboard scene and decided to go to boarding school. I came back and got really invested in longboarding with my parents.

“I just fell in love with the chill vibe and the calmness of it all.”

Since making the switch, Conroy has claimed multiple Victorian open women’s longboard titles, won national events at Noosa and Byron Bay, and added an international victory in New Zealand last month.

She also gained valuable experience as a wildcard at the Bells Beach Longboard Classic in each of the past two years.

 

“It’s all happened in a year that I didn’t expect it,” Conroy said.

“I’ve been training really hard, putting in the work with surf-specific training and also surfing some different spots to prepare.

“I won’t have that local advantage with Bells this time, so for me it’s about making the most of this opportunity. I may never get it again.”

The US Open of Surfing begins on 25 July.