COOLANGATTA, QLD/AUS (Tuesday, November 16, 2021) - The World Surf League is excited to announce professional surfing's return at all levels to Australian shores in 2022 with a huge list of regional and international events commencing in February. It will be the biggest consecutive run of WSL events globally in nearly three years and will have the surfing world's eyes fixed firmly on Australia's coasts for 4 months.
"We're beyond happy to be welcoming professional competitive surfing back to Australian shores this summer," said WSL APAC General Manager Andrew Stark. "We had a good run of events earlier this year and are excited for even more action in the Summer and Autumn months of 2022. The spread across multiple tours is unprecedented with multiple junior, qualifying, Challenger Series and Championship Tour events taking place across four states in four months. It's going to be an exciting time not only for competitors, but for surf fans here in Australia and watching live around the world."
The 2022 Aussie Leg of WSL events will kick-off with a series of men's and women's regional Qualifying Series and Pro Junior events. These events will see the best up and coming talent from Australia and New Zealand duke it out for a spot at the Challenger Series and World Junior Championship levels respectively.
This back-to-back run of regional events will see a mix of old classics and fresh locations while giving aspiring professional surfers a unique opportunity to focus their energy and ambitions into a short, intense run. The QS will culminate at the Iconic City of Newcastle Pro with the top 10 men and 6 women on the regional rankings after this event being awarded a spot into the Challenger Series which will commence on the Gold Coast in early May.
Pro Junior Events
- March 12 - 13 - Lake Mac Pro Junior, Newcastle NSW
- March 21 - 23 - Tweed Coast Pro Junior, Tweed Coast NSW
- May 4 - 6 - Gold Coast Pro Junior, Gold Coast Queensland
- May 14 - 16 - Sydney Surf Pro Junior, Manly NSW
Qualifying Series Events
- February 10 - 13 - Phillip Island Pro QS1,000, Phillip Island Victoria
- February 22 - 25 - Carve Great Lakes Pro QS1,000, Pacific Palms NSW
- February 27 - Mar 1st - Port Stephens Pro QS1,000, Port Stephens NSW
- March 4 - 6 - Mad Mex Maroubra Pro QS1,000, Sydney NSW
- March 14 - 19 - Vissla and Sisstrevolution Central Coast Pro, presented by Mad Mex QS3,000, Avoca NSW
- March 21 - 27 - Tweed Coast Pro QS5,000, Tweed Coast NSW
- March 28 - April 3 - City of Newcastle Pro presented by Burton Automotive QS5,000, Newcastle NSW
The focus will then shift to the elite Championship Tour which will land in Australia for the fourth stop of the season, the iconic Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach which will run for the first time since early 2019. The CT will continue on to the picturesque Margaret River for stop 5 of the 2022 season.
Championship Tour Events
- April 10 - 20 - Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach CT, Bells Beach Victoria
- April 24 - May 4 - Margaret River Pro CT, Margaret River Western Australia
The action won't stop there either as surfers unlucky to miss the mid-season cut in WA will join the best up and coming competitors from around the globe for the opening event of the 2022 WSL Challenger Series, the Gold Coast Pro at Snapper Rocks. Taking place at one of the world's most perfect waves, this event will set the stage for the 2022 CS Season which will continue the following week at the birthplace of surfing in Australia, Manly Beach for the Sydney Surf Pro.
Challenger Series Events
- May 7 - 15 Gold Coast Pro Challenger Series, Coolangatta Queensland
- May 17 - 24 Sydney Surf Pro Challenger Series, Manly New South Wales
Stay tuned for more exciting news to come around what is set to be a blockbuster Australian leg from February - June 2022.