GEORGE NEWS - The 2026 Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro is building strong momentum ahead of its return to Victoria Bay in June, with growing interest from surfers, sponsors and the broader surfing community ahead of the opening heats.

The event will feature both the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Men’s and Women’s World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 2,000 competition, alongside the Rip Curl Vic Bay Pro Junior Men’s and Women’s WSL Junior Tour events.

Entries for all divisions close on 26 May:
QS Men – Entries here
QS Women –  Entries here
JQS Men –  Entries here
JQS Women –  Entries here

Presented by Rip Curl South Africa in partnership with the World Surf League, the event marks the official start of the 2026/2027 Africa Qualifying Series season. It is expected to attract many of the country’s leading surfers to the Garden Route in pursuit of early-season ranking points and prize money.

Strong momentum around Victoria Bay

Anticipation has been building around the return of a major surfing event to Victoria Bay, widely regarded as one of South Africa’s premier high-performance right-hand pointbreaks.

Vic Bay has long held iconic status within South African surfing, and the reinstatement of a QS-level event has been met with strong support from the local and national surfing community.

Support from George Tourism and the George Municipality has helped strengthen the platform around the event, alongside a growing list of partners and sponsors.

Supporting sponsors include Bilt Surfboards, Bliz Eyewear, YETI, Red Bull, The Pottery in George, and The Royal St Andrews Hotel in Port Alfred. Recent additions Sir Fruit and Betify have further boosted momentum heading into the contest.

Rip Curl South Africa looking ahead

Rip Curl South Africa CEO Stuart Daykin said the response to the event has been overwhelmingly positive.

“There’s a really good feeling around this event already,” said Daykin. 

“Vic Bay has always held a special place in South African surfing, and the response from the surfing community, our partners, and the broader public has been incredible to watch. There’s been a strong sense of excitement around the return of a major event to this coastline, and that energy has carried through everything leading up to the contest.

“This contest is also part of a much bigger picture for us. We have some very exciting long-term plans taking shape for Rip Curl events and competitive surfing in South Africa, and Vic Bay feels like an important step forward in that journey. The level of support already coming into this event gives us a lot of confidence about where things are heading.”

Important start to the season

With a strong field expected across both QS and Pro Junior divisions, the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro is set to play a key role in launching the new South African competitive surfing season.

As winter swells begin to line up along the Garden Route coastline, Victoria Bay once again prepares to host one of the country’s most iconic surf competitions.

Competitors during the 2025 event. 

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