Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2026 – Australia’s Most Historic Surfboard Fins Showcase

6 Apr

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach 2026– Where Surfboard Fins Meet Power Surfing

Every Easter, the world’s best surfers gather at Bells Beach on Victoria’s rugged Surf Coast for the legendary Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

This is not just another professional surf event.

It is the longest-running professional surfing competition in the world, and it has become a proving ground for how surfboard fins perform in powerful, open-face waves.

For decades, Bells has tested equipment, board design, and especially fin setups capable of handling long walls, powerful rail turns, and high-speed carving.

Understanding how surfboard fins behave at Bells is one of the best ways to understand high-performance surfing itself.

Finals Day:

The race for a World Title has its frontrunners after masterful finishes to the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy from Gabriela Bryan and Miguel Pupo.

Bryan's road to victory began with a powerful performance over Luana Silva in the Quarterfinals before storming through Finals Day, beginning with event standout Alyssa Spencer and reigning World Champion Molly Picklum to conclude her flawless run. The 24-year-old now returns to defend her Margaret River title, donning the yellow jersey once again.

An underdog people's champ story unfolded to the sound of Pupo ringing his first-ever Bell. Pupo's incredible resurgence atop the podium for the second time in his career started with a Quarterfinal win over Barron Mamiya before taking over Finals Day on his daughter's ninth birthday, beginning with a Semifinal win over Griffin Colapinto and then defending World Champion Yago Dora in a historic, all-Brazilian, all-goofy-footed Final to lead the rankings for the first time in his career.

The Aussie Treble is officially underway a lot of contenders looking for redemption for their 2026 CT starts alongside strong openings from ranking leaders. It's all set to unfold in the Wild West at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro beginning April 16 through 26.

Final:

A historic, first-ever all-Brazilian Bells Final, and first all-goofy-footed Final in 33 years, provided fireworks between reigning World Champion Yago Dora and CT veteran Miguel Pupo. Dora's solid lead came to a halt when Pupo found a gem underneath priority and unleashed his signature backhand power to post an excellent 8.10 and his maiden Bell. An emotional victory marks his second CT win in two CT career Finals as he leads the GWM Aussie Treble ranks heading to Margaret River.

A clash of powerful women provided fireworks from eventual winner, and maiden Bell ringer, Gabriela Bryan. From her first heat to her last, Bryan showcased her world-class power, culminating into a 14.83 combination heat total over reigning World Champion Molly Picklum. Bryan now starts her recent World Title contender year leading the rankings and the GWM Aussie Treble.

Semifinals:

Another clash of Brazilian World Champions didn't let fans down. Reigning World Champ Yago Dora and 3x World Champion Gabriel Medina went toe-to-toe in their Semifinal bout, with Medina posting a 16.17 heat total heading into the final moments. Then, with 40 seconds left, Dora took off on one last opportunity and put an exclamation point on it with an incredible full rotation to post a 9.50 and heat win.

Quarterfinals:

The 3x World Champ Gabriel Medina showed his patience against a quick start by Samuel Pupo, opening his Quarterfinal bout with a 9.00 before quickly backing it up with a 6.17. Medina then added more to his account with a 7.00 to ask the questions of Pupo, who finally had a moment to strike toward the end of the heat and belted an excellent 8.00. But, it was too late to complete a major comeback with Medina advancing to the Semifinals.

Day 6:

A short but monumental turning point at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach determined the first contenders securing their Semifinal appearances.

A dream run for CT returner Alyssa Spencer keeps the hits coming, earning her first-ever CT Semifinal result over World Title contender Bettylou Sakura Johnson. Gabriela Bryan keeps bringing the power, posting another excellent showcase to eliminate 2025 runner-up Luana Silva before reigning World Champ showed her champion form once more over CT veteran Lakey Peterson.

Another battle of the Bell ringers for Isabella Nichols included defending event victor Nichols clash with 2024 winner Caity Simmers. Nichols showed her ability to come back once more to earn back-to-back Semifinal appearances. Plus, the men's Quarterfinals got underway for the first heat before conditions slowed down, and Miguel Pupo made it count to secure his place over Barron Mamiya.

Testy conditions forced event organizers to call the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach off following intense women's and opening men's heat of Quarterfinal action.

Mamiya as his fellow compatriots Yago Dora, Gabriel Medina, and Samuel Pupo look to join him in the Semis.

Day 5:

All eyes were on Winkipop with heavyweight clashes hanging in the balance at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, and they didn't disappoint.

It was all about the women's Round 2 conclusion to kick off an action-packed day, starting with CT veteran Lakey Peterson overtaking 2025 CT Rookie of the Year Erin Brooks. 2024 Bells champ Caity Simmers is back into the Quarterfinals and Isabella Nichols looks to join rarified air as a back-to-back Bell ringer after an incredible clash with Carissa Moore. Nichols' elimination of Moore kickstarted a trend of World Champs falling with Filipe Toledo and Italo Ferreira both eliminated after absolute battles with Leonardo Fioravanti and Gabriel Medina. Medina went El Monstro on Ferreira to punch his way toward the Quarterfinals.

Plus, reigning World Champion Yago Dora put on another backhand clinic after Barron Mamiya eliminated an event favorite in Jordy Smith.

Day 4:

Day 4 proved a different story than opening affairs at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, with World Champions and solidified Tour contenders holding firm - for the most part.

The Brazilian World Champs shined with defending champ Yago Dora leading the way before Filipe Toledo, Italo Ferreira, and Gabriel Medina all made a hefty impact on the field in their debuts. Upsets continued as Samuel Pupo continued the Brazilian Storm's charge, defeating 2025 Bells Beach champ Jack Robinson. Plus, Alyssa Spencer played spoiler to 2023 World Champ Caroline Mark's 2026 debut before Luana Silva disrupted 2x World Champion Tyler Wright, adding another World Champ to her elimination list at Bells so far. Plus, Molly Picklum and Gabriel Bryan provided a world-class clinic on power and precision to close out an exciting Day 4 of action.

Day 3:

It all began with a South African clash between Jordy Smith and Luke Thompson with the CT veteran flexing on the rookie before Barron Mamiya took down an all-Hawaiian bout against Seth Moniz. Jake Marshall survived a late scare from Joao Chianca and CT veteran Alejo Muniz made his last year among the world's best count with a big heat over a former Bell ringer in Cole Housmand. But the heat of the day provided a ridiculous showcase of aerial antics between Griffin Colapinto and wildcard Dane Henry as Colapinto overcame a phenomenal start from Henry to show his World Title contender caliber.

Day 2:

CT rookies Anat Lelior, Francisca Veselko, and Nadia Erostarbe disrupted early proceedings while the GOATs made their debuts. Solidified Bells icon and 5x World Champ Carissa Moore held her ground while 8x World Champ Stephanie Gilmore fell to 2025 event runner-up Luana Silva. All eyes shifted to men's Round 2 action as George Pittar upheaved event favorite and fellow Aussie contender Ethan Ewing in convincing form to fire his warning shots.

Round 1 Highlights:

2x Bells Beach champ Sally Fitzgibbons fires back in CT return

The long-time CT icon Sally Fitzgibbons is back among the world's best and strikes early against rookie Yolanda Hopkins with a 7.17. Fitzgibbons looks for a prestigious third Bell and now prepares for reigning World Champion Molly Picklum in Round 2.

Henry and Huxtable send shockwaves, Herdy and Thompson shine in CT start

Mateus Herdy's electric start lived up to the hype of his CT debut over proven CTer Liam O'Brien. Then, all eyes were on the 19-year-old wildcard, Dane Henry, in a dominant start toward fulfilling his goal of joining Mick Fanning as a former wildcard victor at Bells Beach. Luke Thompson looked calm, cool, and collected in his rookie debut over powerhouse Ramzi Boukhiam, posting the day's best performance, before Xavier Huxtable sent early shockwaves through his local crowd of Torquay with hefty upset.

A Brief History of the Rip Curl Pro

The Bells Beach contest began in 1962, making it the oldest professional surf competition still running today.

It is organised annually along Victoria’s Surf Coast near Torquay, widely considered the birthplace of Australian surf culture.

Key historical moments include:

1962 – The first Bells Beach contest is held
1973 – Becomes a professional event
1981 – Rip Curl becomes title sponsor
1990s–present – Event becomes a permanent stop on the World Surf League Championship Tour

Winning Bells means ringing the famous Bells trophy bell, one of surfing’s most recognised traditions.

Many of the greatest surfers in history have won here, including:

Kelly Slater
Mick Fanning
Stephanie Gilmore
Carissa Moore

Why Bells Beach Demands the Right Surfboard Fins

Bells is a long, powerful right-hand point break.

Unlike beach breaks, it rewards:

Speed down the line
Powerful rail engagement
Long carving turns

This means surfboard fins play a critical role in maintaining drive and control.

At Bells, the best fin setups typically emphasise:

Drive:
The ability to maintain speed through long arcs.

Hold:
Fins must grip the face during powerful bottom turns.

Smooth Release:
Controlled release allows surfers to redirect into the next section.

These characteristics are exactly why Eveley fins are engineered with balanced flex patterns and performance templates designed for real surfing conditions.

The Surfboard Fin Setups Most Often Seen at Bells

Performance Thruster

The most common configuration on the Championship Tour.

Why it works

Strong rail drive
Reliable hold in powerful surf
Predictable turning arc

Recommended product example:
Eveley 4.5" Progressive Thruster Fins

Performance Quad

Used when surfers want additional speed.

Advantages

Higher down-the-line speed
Fast acceleration through sections
Excellent hold during long walls

Recommended product example:
Eveley Classic Quad Surfboard Fins

Twin + Trailer

Occasionally used during smaller Bells conditions.

Why surfers experiment with it

Extremely fast
Smooth rail transitions
Looser feel compared to thrusters

Recommended product example:
Eveley Twin Fin with Stabiliser

Why Bells Beach Is the Perfect Testing Ground for Surfboard Fins

Unlike many modern tour stops, Bells is a pure performance wave.

The wave allows surfers to demonstrate:

Full rail engagement
Long carving turns
Controlled speed management

For surfboard design, this environment highlights how important fin template, flex, and base length are to overall performance.

Many innovations in surfboard fins have been refined through waves exactly like Bells.

The Bells Trophy Tradition

One of the most famous moments in surfing happens when the winner climbs the Bells podium and rings the bell.

This tradition symbolises victory at one of the most respected contests in surfing.

For Australian surfers, winning the Rip Curl Pro often marks a defining career milestone.

How Surfboard Fins Influence Performance at Bells

When watching the contest, notice how surfers use the wave.

The most successful competitors rely on fins that allow them to:

Generate speed from the bottom turn
Hold through high-speed carves
Release cleanly through the lip

These characteristics are precisely why carefully engineered Eveley fins focus on:

balanced flex
efficient foil design
proven performance templates

Good fins don’t just change the feel of a board — they change how a surfer connects with the wave.

Eveley Surfboard Fin Knowledge Hub

To understand more about surfboard fins and performance surfing, explore these Eveley guides:

• Surfboard Fins Australia – Complete Buyer’s Guide
• Thruster vs Quad Surfboard Fins
• Twin Fin Surfboard Fins Explained
• How Fin Placement Affects Water Flow

Each guide explains how fin design influences speed, control, and turning performance.

If you’re building a high-performance surfboard setup inspired by waves like Bells, Eveley fins are engineered to deliver the drive, hold, and control required in powerful surf.

Surfing events like the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach remind us that behind every great ride is not just a great board — but the right set of surfboard fins.

Eveley Surfboard Fins Australia

Graeme Gillmer