Australians Nichols and Robinson win Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro 2025

Australian surfer Isabella Nichols has delivered an amazing performance at the iconic* Bells Beach pro tour event in Victoria, taking down Brazilian surfer Luana Silva to claim the title.

Nichols, 27, knocked out some big names in surfing when she went through the rounds at this year’s Bells event, taking out former world champion Tyler Wright, rising star Erin Brooks and current world No. 2, Gabriela Bryan of Hawaii, on her way to the final.

It was the Queenslander’s first time in the final at Bells and she made it count, with an overall score of 16.26 from her best scoring waves (8.33, 7.93).

The Australian’s high scores put enormous pressure on Silva, who could not get a result from the judges above 7.

Immediately after the final Nichols said she was thrilled to have her family on hand to watch the big moment.

“Nothing beats this,” she told the WSL.

“I’ve been chasing that feeling since I won Margs (Margaret River Pro) three years ago. I thought that feeling could never be topped and I was always chasing it … this is the best day of my life.

“I just had to have complete trust out there because I have spent so many hours surfing out at Bells Bowl*.”

Nichols said it would be hard to fathom* coming back to Bells in 2026 with her name etched on the famed steps to the beach as one of the event champions.

She now moves to No. 4 on the rankings and will take plenty of confidence into the rest of the Australian leg of the tour – heading to her adopted home* on the Gold Coast next for the return of the World Tour’s elite to the Glitter Strip*.

Then it’s on to Western Australia and the Margaret River event, which Nichols won in 2022.

The Aussie domination didn’t stop there, with Nichols joined by Jack Robinson as a Bells champion.

Gold Coast-based Robinson won the men’s final with a tight victory over Japanese surfer Kanoa Igarashi (14.14 – 13.87).

Also a first-time winner at the event, Robinson said he drew inspiration ahead of the final by watching classic Bells showdowns involving Aussie greats Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson and Taj Burrow.

“It hasn’t really sunk in … just enjoying it,” Robinson said when asked about winning the event and joining the likes of those famous names.

“It’s been a special week. Got a win this year and now we’re ready to go.”

The competition window for the Gold Coast Pro begins May 3.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• iconic: symbolic or representative of a culture or sport
• Bells Bowl: the main break at Bells Beach, which is made up of different sections that are excellent for surfing
• fathom: understand
• adopted home: a city she has a close connection with
• Glitter Strip: the coastal area of the Gold Coast

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QUICK QUIZ
1. Who are some of the big names in surfing that Isabella Nichols beat to win the Rip Curl Pro?
2. Who won the men’s division of the Rip Curl Pro?
3. What ranking has Nichols moved to after winning at Bells Beach?
4. What did Robinson draw inspiration from ahead of the competition?
5. Where is the next destination for the Australian leg of the tour?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Surf’s up!
The following information is how the sport of surfing is judged in the Olympic Games from olympics.com:

The scoring system is based on five criteria that reflect the core elements of the sport.

1. Commitment and degree of difficulty
2. Innovative and progressive manoeuvres
3. Variety of manoeuvres
4. Combination of major manoeuvres
5. Speed, power, and flow

It’s not about how many waves one surfer can catch, but rather the combined total of their highest two scores.

Wave selection can be crucial, especially given the unpredictable nature of waves and the ocean.

If you had to judge a local surfing contest, what would your criteria be if you could judge it anyway you like?

Write your judging criteria and scoring system below.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
What would be some advantages and disadvantages of a career in pro surfing?

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.

Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.

Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.

Take two turns each.

Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?

Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?