Every morning of competition at the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, the longest running surfing event in the world, begins with AC/DC. Hells Bells by the iconic Australian rockers booms through speakers around the contest site on the Victorian surf coast. The bell tolls slowly, before the guitar riff gradually builds – an overlay of drums lifts the tempo until finally, a full third of the way into the song, Brian Johnson’s booming vocals begin.
When the 62nd edition of the legendary surf competition begins on Friday, the backing track will serve as a useful metaphor for the World Surf League season to date. After four gripping but relatively slowly-building events so far, the world’s best surfers begin the first of three legs in Australia: Bells, the Gold Coast Pro and then the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia.
