The 2019 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro World Surf League Qualifying Series 6000 event has been bolstered with 11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater confirming that he will return to Manly to compete this March.

Having competed at Manly Beach a number of times throughout his career, even winning the event in 1997, Slater has a strong affiliation with the Northern Beaches of Sydney

“I’ve always loved the northern beaches and having lived part-time in Avalon for 15 years, I miss it and am looking forward to getting back to some old familiar territory. I’m also getting a nice warmup prior to jumping back on tour full-time after close to a year and a half hiatus from competition,” said Slater.

The event is the second major Qualifying Series event of the WSL season and will play a pivotal role for competitors hoping to qualify for the elite Championship Tour that Slater has dominated for over two decades.

“Manly became a mainstay for a number of years on tour. There’s a lot of history dating back to surfing being introduced at Freshwater some hundred years ago by Duke and many years later hosting some classic events with legendary performances by Larry Blair and Wayne Lynch. The more recent years have shown some serious highlights for tour surfers such as Julian Wilson and as a jumpstart for rookies and us grinders looking to stamp their mark on the start of the year. It should be a fun week,” said Slater.

Surfing NSW CEO Luke Madden expressed his excitement at Slater’s addition to the event and believes his involvement will bolster an already massive year for the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro.

“I think it’s fair to say that Surfing NSW is over the moon to have Kelly confirmed for the 2019 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro,” said Madden. “His involvement will strengthen and enhance what was already looking like being a huge event. We can’t wait.”

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is a collaboration between World Surf League and Surfing NSW to run Sydney’s largest surfing event at the iconic Manly Beach.

For more information and 2018 highlights, check out sydneysurfpro.com. The live broadcast will be available on worldsurfleague.com

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Government. The event is also proudly supported by Vissla, Sisstrevolution, Northern Beaches Council, Hotel Steyne, WSL, KeySun and Surfing NSW.

 

KEY SUN ZINKE SYDNEY PRO JUNIOR TO OPEN 2019 VISSLA SYDNEY SURF PRO.

The 2019 Key Sun Zinke Sydney Pro Junior will serve as the opener to the 2019 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro when the event kicks off in March.

The elite two-day junior event will bolster the Men’s and Women’s QS6,000 events and run on the weekend of March 16 – 17.

A massive international field is expected, all vying for a top spot on the WSL Australia / Oceania JQS Rankings and a start at the 2019 World Junior Championships.

Member for Manly James Griffin expressed his excitement at seeing the next crop of local junior surfers shine when the event kicks off.

“From Manly to Curly, we have always had a strong pipeline of young surfing talent. That’s no different this year and will be on display at the Key Sun Pro,” said Griffin. “I know the younger members of our local boardriders clubs are absolutely thrilled that the Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is only weeks away. It’ll serve up some great inspiration for young and old surfers alike.”

Key Sun owner Chris Logan said the Key Sun Zinke Sydney Pro Junior perfectly fit with the companies brand values.

“After last years’ successful inaugural event we’re proud once again to be supporting up and coming young surfers at Manly in March,” said Logan.  “The Key Sun Zinke Pro Junior is an ideal opportunity for us to have involvement with the surfing community and to assist talented junior surfers transition into professional surfing. The atmosphere at last years’ event was vibrant, and it was fabulous to see the local community fully involved and to experience some top-level surfing in our own backyard. When this years’ event was confirmed, Key Sun jumped at the chance to be involved again.”

Northern Beaches Council Mayor Michael Regan attributed the region’s rich surfing identity and deep talent pool to the large range of different beaches that exist between Manly and Palm Beach.

“Surfing and the surfing culture is part of our identity and engrained in the Northern Beaches cultural fabric,” said Regan.

“Manly is loved by locals and is a must-visit location for international tourists so it’s no wonder it’s been chosen again to host this world-class event. Our 80km of coastline and 21 ocean beaches make up the majority of Sydney’s beaches with small waves for beginners to big breaks for the more experienced and adventurous. In addition, Manly is one of four national Surfing Reserves in Sydney – a honourable accolade. Events like this are the perfect opportunity for locals and visits to experience all that the Northern Beaches has to offer so make sure you come down and check out the many activities on offer during the event.”

The World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 6,000 rated events will feature some of the world’s best surfers as they look to kick their 2019 competitive campaigns into gear prior to the start of the 2019 Championship Tour (CT).

The WSL QS 6,000 rated events will feature some of the world’s best surfers as they look to kick their 2019 competitive campaigns into gear prior to the start of the 2019 Championship Tour (CT).

For more information and 2018 highlights, check out sydneysurfpro.com. The live broadcast will be available on worldsurfleague.com

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is proudly supported by the NSW Government. The event is also proudly supported by Vissla, Sisstrevolution, Northern Beaches Council, Hotel Steyne, WSL, KeySun and Surfing NSW.