Bells Beach is the longest running event in the world, beginning its inception in 1973. – ASP
Official Event Site
April 16 – 27, 2014 Prize Money: $500,000.00 Bells Beach: Jan Juc, Victoria, Australia TIME DIFFERENCE: GMT + 10 COORDINATES: 38º20′ S, 144º19′ E BAGGAGE CLAIM: Melbourne Avalon Airport, Geelong (GEX)
TRANSPORTATION: Rent a car or pray you can grab a ride with a friend. Melbourne airport is a good hour away from Torquay, and the break at Bells is a fair hike from most of the local accommodations.
ATTITUDE: Torquay is the birthplace of both Rip Curl Wetsuits and Quiksilver Clothing… you really can’t get more core than that. Surf culture, and those who embrace it, are alive and well in this Down Under industry Mecca teeming with folklore.
THE WAVE: Bells Beach is comprised of several breaks, The Bowl, Outside Bells, Rincon, Centreside, Southside and Winkipop among them. Outside Bells is the main break that produces a long, fast, even wall when it gets above six foot. The Bowl is the steep final section of the wave, and east of The Bowl, Winki runs over a reef producing a quick, hollow wave that often surpasses conditions at Bells proper.
PERKS: “Ringing a Bell”, or winning one at Bells, rates right up there with childbirths and wedding days for the guys who get to do it – it’s one of surfing’s highest honors.
PERILS: Run up and down the stairway from the cliff to the sea a few times and you’re well on your way to buns o’ steel. The occasional White Pointer has been spotted around the chilly waters of Torquay, but don’t worry, they’re generally well fed.
APRES SURF: Bells is a pretty sleepy spot, but The Torquay Hotel, Rip Curl’s Media Night and a house party or two heat things up when it’s cold outside.
ASP WORLD TOUR HISTORY: The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach is the longest-running professional surfing contest in existence. The event has been run around Easter time each year since 1973!
NOTABLE: The Rip Curl Pro ran in 15-foot monster sets in 1981 – one wave was even ridden from Rincon all the way to Winkipop! The same year, shaping pioneer Simon Anderson won the event on a three-fin board, ushering in the dominance of the Thruster within surfboard design. In 1987 Nick Wood and Richard Marsh made the final…and they were both trialists, with Nick winning at the ripe old age of 15! Mick Fanning also won the event as a wildcard in 2001 and again in 2012. In 1993 Bells hosted the move that has transformed professional surfing as we know it – flat surf forced the event to go mobile…a luxury often utilized now. Sunny Garcia has taken advantage of the mobile event by winning the prestigious contest three times at mobile locations. The only surfers to have ever won three consecutive Bells titles have been Michael Peterson (1973 – 1975) and Mark Richards (1978 – 1980).
11-time ASP World Champ Kelly Slater has earned the right to ring the bell four separate times now, Gold Coast talent Joel Parkinson notched his third Bells victory in 2011 and most recently Adriano de Souza became the first Brazilian male to ring the Bell in 2013.
PAST EVENT CHAMPIONS: 2013: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 2012: Mick Fanning (AUS) 2011: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2010: Kelly Slater (USA) 2009: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2008: Kelly Slater (USA) 2007: Taj Burrow (AUS) 2006: Kelly Slater (USA) 2005: Trent Munro (AUS) 2004: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 2003: Andy Irons (HAW) 2002: Andy Irons (HAW) 2001: Mick Fanning (AUS) 2000: Sunny Garcia (HAW) 1999: Shane Dorian (HAW) 1998: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 1997: Matt Hoy (AUS) 1996: Sunny Garcia (HAW) 1995: Sunny Garcia (HAW) 1994: Kelly Slater (USA) 1993: Damien Hardman (AUS) 1992: Richie Collins (USA) 1991: Barton Lynch (AUS) 1990: Tom Curren (USA) 1989: Martin Potter (GBR) 1988: Damien Hardman (AUS) 1987: Nick Wood (AUS) 1986: Tom Carroll (AUS) 1985: Tom Curren (AUS) 1984: Cheyne Horan (AUS) 1983: Joe Engel (AUS) 1982: Mark Richards (AUS) 1981: Simon Anderson (AUS) 1980: Mark Richards (AUS) 1979: Mark Richards (AUS) 1978: Mark Richards (AUS) 1977: Simon Anderson (AUS) 1976: Jeff Hakman (HAW) 1975: Michael Peterson (AUS) 1974: Michael Peterson (AUS) 1973: Michael Peterson (AUS)
