The City of Azaleas; A unique character of typical east Asian shade with western influences which lie atop a small island located somewhere in the Western Pacific.

We’re 100 miles off the mainland of China, where Mad Max-esque factories sit between dense jungle covered mountains leading to hot springs and some of the finest Asian cuisine the world has to offer. Following whispers of an untouched coastline with pristine turquoise waters and empty point breaks, we set our sights on this remote corner for Db journey’s annual luggage R&D trip feat. Craig Anderson and Kaito Ohashi – Welcome to Taiwan.

The Championship Tour headed for the high-performance gem of El Salvador’s Punta Roca. A long, powerful, cobblestone point break that is one of Central America’s top waves to push progression amongst the world’s best. A perfect venue that added fire to the race for the WSL Finals as stop No. 7 got underway.

It’s ON – Rip Curl Grom Search at Fistral beach in Newquay promises to be an exciting stop on the Europe Rip Curl calendar.

We are thrilled to be able to call the event ON, taking place across the dates of Saturday 15th – Sunday 16th June in Newquay. Due to a powerful six foot swell showing on the surf charts, the contest beach location is subject to change to a more sheltered Newquay beach on one or both days of competition! For real-time updates, please join our WhatsApp group HERE

We extend a warm welcome to the UK’S finest Junior (Grom) shortboarders. Divisions running are Under 12 boys and girls, Under 14 boys and girls, and Under 16 boys and girls.

What is the Rip Curl GromSearch?
For the 2024 edition, French, English, Spanish and Portuguese Groms will go through their National event to qualify for the European Final. Location for the final TBC.
The Rip Curl GromSearch series started as a one-day surfing event at Victoria’s Jan Juc beach in 1999 and has developed to a worldwide series of events designed specifically for the 16 years and under surfer, commonly termed ‘Grommets’.

The series is designed to provide fun events for groms to enjoy themselves and meet crew from around the country, whilst developing their competitive game. As athletes progress to finals the elite level of competition comes into play, with many previous GromSearch competitors going on to the WSL world tour.

Men’s World Surf League athletes that were former GromSearch finalists include: Gabriel Medina, Owen Wright, Italo Ferreira, Jordy Smith, Kolohe Andino, Filipe Toledo, Kanoa Igarashi, Ryan Callinan, Leonardo Fioravanti, Connor O’Leary & Morgan Cibilic. (Note that 4 of the top 5 surfers in the 2021 WSL Finals are all former GromSearch finalists, as well as 20 of the 34 athletes on the men’s WT)

Women’s WSL athletes – Tyler Wright, Carissa Moore, Steph Gilmore, Sally Fitgibbons, Malia Manuel, Nikki Van Dijk, Tatiana Weston-Webb, Bronte McCaulay, Caroline Marks, Macy Callaghan, Brisa Hennessy, Isabella Nichols.

GromSearch competitors have won the last 13 World Surf League women’s World Titles & compile 12 of the current 18 athletes on the women’s WT.

All age divisions will be represented at the GromSearch European final.

All the event winners will qualify for the European final.

The under-16, under 14 and under 12 male and female surfers from the countries where the GS will not take place in 2024 will have a chance to score a wildcard entry to the European Final somewhere in 2024.

Rip Curl European Gromsearch online wildcards up for Grabs
Rip Curl will be awarding lucky surfers from the European countries where the Rip Curl Gromsearch didn’t take place in 2024 the chance to score a Wildcard entry to the European Final somewhere in September 2024. So how do you score a Wildcard spot? Rip Curl is welcoming the return of #GromSearchOnline. This online event will allow you to submit your greatest surf clips via Instagram.

A panel of former GromSearch finalists, now professional Rip Curl athletes, will judge and decide on winners based on their favourite clips.

Who will be the judges of the Final contest?
Former GromSearch Finalists, now Rip Curl professional athletes: – Alys Barton (UK) – Kyllian Guerin (France)

Here’s What You Need To Do To Enter:
1 – Post your best surf clips on Instagram with the hashtag #GromSearchOnline.
2 – Tag @ripcurl with your name, age division and location.
3 – You can enter as many times as you like.
4 – Entries are open until the 15th of July 2024

If you are a Wildcard winner: one wildcard per age division. Each wildcard chosen gets to compete at the Rip Curl GromSearch European Final Somewhere in Fall. 

Located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, this remote and pristine spot is renowned for its thick-lipped, consistent, deep hollow barrelling waves, which break over a sharp reef. The consistency and quality of the surf, combined with the stunning natural beauty of the Mentawai Islands make this mystical spot a challenging but rewarding wave for those who take her on.

Following a sick session at basically empty Macaronis like we had never seen before, we kept sailing south to our original plan and guess what? We got the reward.

One of the heaviest Greenbush of the decade. It was an absolute mind-blowing session. – Nic Von Rupp

Kelly Slater, the GOAT, widely regarded as the greatest in the history of the sport. 11 World Surf League (WSL) titles, showcasing his dominance and longevity in competitive surfing. Slater’s influence extends beyond his competitive achievements; he has revolutionised the sport with innovative manoeuvres and his deep understanding of wave dynamics and his mystical abilities in the water. Additionally, his environmental advocacy and entrepreneurial ventures, such as the creation of the artificial wave pool technology, further cement his legacy as a transformative figure in surfing. Slater’s impact on surfing culture and the broader athletic community continues to resonate globally, let’s see how he gets on becoming a dad again at 52, ouch. Good luck Kelly, good luck. @goofysurfista

Are you not entertained? Sensational performances from Caroline Marks and John John Florence throughout Finals Day crowned them ultimate victors to close out proceedings. Marks’ astonishing form from the Elimination Round scare to the Final showed she’s up for the task to stay in the Top 5 and fight for back-to-back World Titles after going back-to-back here in El Salvador over Gabriel Bryan. The men’s finalist put on a masterclass of aerial antics and one of the most progressive showings in recent memory on Tour, but it was Florence who claimed the crown over an in-form Yago Dora for his first win since 2021. The dust has settled and the fight for the Final 5 narrows to just two events and everything left to compete for. The World Title race now heads for the Vivo Rio Pro presented by Corona June 22 – 30.