BELLS BEACH, Victoria, Australia (Sunday, April 27, 2025) – Australians Isabella Nichols (AUS) and Jack Robinson (AUS) have claimed victory today at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy, Stop No. 5 of the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). It is the first time either surfer has won the event and will now have their names etched into one of the most iconic trophies on the CT. After a long week of waiting for waves, Finals Day saw the Bells Bowl continue to deliver with semi-clean surf in the four-to-six-foot range as all Finalists put on a show for thousands of long-weekend fans who lined the beach.
Jack Robinson Etches Name Into Surfing History
Today, Jack Robinson (AUS) claimed his eighth CT event victory by winning the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Along with a Pipe title, this will go down as one of his most cherished wins thanks to the historical significance of this event. After a slower-than-usual start to the season, Robinson has climbed six spots up the rankings to world No. 3 as he continues to search for a maiden World Title.
“It’s a special day. I have my whole family here, everyone is here. All my team, my whole crew,” Robinson said. “Right before the Semifinals, we were watching footage of [Joel] Parko and Mick [Fanning] surfing Bells, and then we watched Taj [Burrow], Andy [Irons], and Kelly [Slater], and I was all fired up. I drew some inspiration from those guys. I just channelled that and thought ‘be in the moment.’”
In the Final, Robinson came up against childhood friend and fellow Olympic Silver Medalist Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), who was contesting his first Final of the season after a solid run through the field this week. Igarashi surfed multiple waves in the Final while Robinson played a patient game, only surfing two waves of scoring consequence. His second was with less than ten minutes left and allowed him to open up, throwing a huge carve and finishing with a layback snap to post a 7.77 (out of a possible 10) and an unassailable lead with a total of 14.14 (out of a possible 20). Robinson joins a long list of his heroes with their names on the famous Bells Trophy and continues to solidify his name as one of the best of his generation.
“I thought there was going to be more waves in the Final. I just had to get in front of Kanoa [Igarashi] it was kind of getting slow, and I needed to turn the heat on. There was a reason why I didn’t go on his waves. The ocean is wild. Surfing is wild, the way that it chooses you. I’m super blessed, and I’m just really grateful. It hasn’t really sunk in. I’m just enjoying it, enjoying the moment, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Isabella Nichols Celebrates ‘Best Day of Her Life’ at Bells Beach
Less than two weeks after finishing runner-up at the Surf City El Salvador Pro, Isabella Nichols (AUS) has claimed victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, overcoming Luana Silva (BRA) in an epic Final on the Bells Bowl. After falling short of the Mid-season Cut for the last couple of seasons, today’s result has put the young Australian up to fourth on the rankings, as she now shifts her focus to her home event on the CT. Today marks Nichols’ second CT victory from four Finals, and by her own omission, this is the sweetest.
“Words can’t describe how I’m feeling right now. This is definitely the best day of my life,” Nichols said. “Ever since winning in Margaret River three years ago, I’ve just been chasing this feeling ever since, and I never thought that feeling could be topped, but getting carried up the stairs by my dad and coach and having most of my family here, it’s just an emotion I can’t describe. Every year I come here and look at those stairs and the names on them, and the thought of having my name on there amongst all of those others is such a dream.”
From the opening exchange of the Final, Nichols looked destined for the win, finding one of the best waves of the 40-minute matchup, and not wasting a moment, laying massive rail turns and snapping out of the lip with pure commitment to post an 8.33 (out of a possible 10) while Silva on the wave behind managed a 6.67. On her next scoring wave, Nichols posted a 7.93 for a heat total of 16.26 (out of a possible 20), which was too much for Silva to chase down, leaving Nichols to join an illustrious list of Bells winners from over six decades of competition at this famed stretch of coast.
“A comp win is a comp win, but being proud of your performance you’ve put in through the week and through the month is something different,” Nichols continued. “How you surf is one thing but for me it’s so much about the decisions you make in a heat and I’ve been coming out of the water proud of that and feeling like I’m in a rhythm for the first time is great because I’ve lost a loit of heats from not making good decisions. I’ve been coming to Bells for years, training in conditions like this, so I felt really ready for today.”
Silva Leaves Bells Beach with Career-Best CT Result
2024 World Junior Champion Luana Silva (BRA) will leave Bells Beach with the biggest result of her young career, finishing runner-up at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Silva was in great form all week, and her tight arcing turns perfectly matched the power of the Bells Bowl. On her way to the Final, Silva overcame Bells standouts Lakey Peterson (USA) and Brisa Hennessy (CRC) in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively and has now moved to 11th on the Rankings, and much closer to moving above the Mid-season Cut line.
“I’m really proud of my performance,” Silva said. “I’m glad I overcame some mental blocks, mental obstacles that I wasn’t overcoming in the beginning. It’s a huge achievement for me. It’s a step in the right direction to get past the mid-year cut, because the last two years, I haven’t made it past that. So, I feel really good about the next event, and I just want more after this. Because after coming in second place, you always want more, I feel. But, yeah, I couldn’t be more proud of myself and the way I was so determined the whole event. I’m already excited for the next one.”
Kanoa Igarashi Finishes Runner-Up to Robinson For Second-Consecutive Matchup
Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) was on a roll at Bells, taking down some of the event standouts on his way to his third CT Final, his first being a win at Keramas, and his second being a runner-up finish to Robinson at Sunset Beach in 2024. Today’s runner-up finish has put Igarashi six places up the rankings as he looks to find his way back into the Final 5 by season’s end.
“I’m stoked for sure. Just to be waking up on Finals Day is always nice,” Igarashi said. “You hear Hells Bells play right before the final, and all those emotions of being in the final are always so nice to feel. Jack [Robinson] and I have been hanging out all week, so it’s funny how that all happened, and it all came together. We were going to go gloves off no matter what. It just feels good to be on the hunt again. I just switched over to JS, and the boards are working super well. I’m just excited to have a good start to a pretty big leg [here in Australia].”
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Final Results:
1 – Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.14
2 – Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.87
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Women’s Final Results:
1 – Isabella Nichols (AUS) 16.26
2 – Luana Silva (BRA) 12.67
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 10.27 DEF. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 5.37
HEAT 2: Jack Robinson (AUS) 14.67 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.33
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Luana Silva (BRA) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRC)
HEAT 2: Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Men’s Quarterfinal Remaining Results [3 – 4]:
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 17.56 DEF. Samuel Pupo (BRA) 14.83
HEAT 4: Jack Robinson (AUS) 15.94 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 14.57
Next Up: Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented By GWM
The Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro Presented By GWM will hold a competition window from May 3 through May 13, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Presented by Bonsoy is proudly supported by Rip Curl, Bonsoy, Visit Victoria, Red Bull, YETI, Apple Watch, Surfline, True Surf, Surf Coast Shire, GWM, Stone & Wood, Oakberry, Hydralyte, Boost Mobile, Bioglan, Bond University, and Fatboy E-bikes.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
