Welcome to the 2018 Rip Curl Pro

On behalf of Surfing Victoria, Rip Curl and the World Surf League, I would like to welcome everyone to the 57th running of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

We are stoked to see the best surfers in the world come down to Victoria and continue the tradition of the oldest running surf event in the world.

This year you will notice some changes to the event site.

This year sees new structures for the bottom of the Bells carpark, which houses competitors, judges, officials and commentators.

An expanded bar in the middle of the carpark along with increased viewing from the Winki Pop walkway, which will hopefully provide a more enjoyable experience for all spectators.

We have continued working closely with the Surf Coast Shire to make the event setup smoother and allow better access for local surfers. This process will continue after the event looking forward to future years.

Although there have been some major changes on site, the community and key sport development initiatives will continue including a Victorian wildcard into the main event and also the Victorian Junior Challenge.

A massive thank you goes out to Rip Curl, the Victorian Government, World Surf League, and the Surf Coast Shire who are committed and continual supporters of the event.

I look forward to seeing everyone down at the event and hope we get the chance to see the best surfers in the world in the Bells Bowl!

Adam Robertson
Surfing Victoria
Chief executive officer