It’s no secret that Rip Curl is investing heavily in the future of wave pool surfing. Visit any surf park today and  you’ll find a hire kit of the brand’s wetties and a wide selection of gear in that pool’s branded surf shop. So how did an Australian company that was founded in 1969 (at a time when the Clairol hair company was funding Arizona’s Big Surf coincidently) become providers of the de facto pool kit? The answer seems to be a relentless salvo of events, comps and partnerships targeted at the non-salted set.

In June the company announced a partnership with Perth developers and just this October, Rip Curl Europe held a special air event at The Wave while Rip Curl America held its GromSearch final in a pool. For more on the “why” to Rip Curl’s involvement in the space check out our podcast with Marketing Manager Angus Forrest to learn why Rip Curl identified surf parks as the next growth step for the company.

Coinciding with the 5 year anniversary of The Wave, a rubbered-up crew of rippers took to Bristol, attacking Wavegarden’s special air setting. The foamy section for surfers to punt off of is produced by the machine’s wave-making modules which send out a side wave that intersects with the main wave.

The festive nightime event drew a large crowd of onlookers with stand-out performances by surfers like Lila and Lukas Skinner. Lukas recently broke the internet with his two-air-one-wave combo at the Munich pool.

Across the pond in the USA the company held its National Finals at the Palm Springs Surf Club in 110-degree heat. 

Champions were named in four divisions: Girls Under 14, Boys Under 14, Girls Under 16, and Boys Under 16. Eden Walla from San Clemente, California, won the Girls Under 16 title, and Lucas Cassity from Todos Santos, Mexico, took the Boys Under 16 championship. Participants qualified through events in California, Florida, and Hawaii, along with select wildcards.

The event attracted an impressive 25,000+ viewers who tuned in via the @couchsurfingshow to catch all the action. For those who missed the live broadcast, the full replay is available here: Watch the Replay.  

As champions, Walla and Cassity will represent the USA at the GromSearch International Final in Bali, Indonesia, scheduled for November 13^th – 17^th, 2024. They will compete against regional champions from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, France, Spain, Indonesia, and more, all vying for the prestigious International Title. 

Girls Under 14 
1^st Place: Zoey Kaina 
2^nd Place: Isla Hardy
3^rd Place: Zoë Panettiere 
4^th Place: Happy Sager 

Boys Under 14 
1^st Place: Merrik Mochkatel 
2^nd Place: Finn Castle 
3^rd Place: Zion Walla 
4^th Place: Wyatt Yount 

Girls Under 16 
1^st Place: Eden Walla (heading to International Final in Bali) 
2^nd Place: Bailey Turner 
3^rd Place: Alana Lopez 
4^th Place: Lanea Mons 

Boys Under 16 
1^st Place: Lucas Cassity (heading to International Final in Bali) 
2^nd Place: Makai Castle 
3^rd Place: Pax Tybuszewski 
4^th Place: Tommaso Layson 

Why is Rip Curl aggressively backing wave pools and surf parks? Find out in our podcast with Rip Curl Marketing Manager Angus Forrest