Top juniors set to light up Bells

GET ready for an influx of Australia’s top pro-junior surfers aged 18 and under who will be on the Surf Coast this weekend for the annual Hydralyte Sport Pro Junior World Surf League event.

It’s the opening event to the Australian pro-junior circuit with about six pro events that decide the annual pro-junior champions.

The top qualifiers also get to compete in the world junior championships each year.

As a professional surfing pathway, all the surfers who compete at this weekend’s event will have pro surfing career aspirations and, with about 100 male and female surfers in attendance, it’s fair to say maybe 5 to 10 per cent will eventually make it through to top ranks.

It’s a very significant pathway. Past winners of the Aus- tralian pro-junior circuit include surfers like Joel Parkinson, Mick Fanning, Stephanie Gilmore, Tyler Wright and Sally Fitzgibbons.

Being a new year, new faces will appear but I’m keen to see Surf Coast surfers take it right up to Australia’s best.

Victoria has many emerging youngsters who are primed for these types of events and in local waters, with added local knowledge about the waves here, they are sure to be very prominent across both divisions this weekend.

The other good news for this event is that the waves should be good, with a nice long-distance groundswell forecast to deliver just enough swell for good waves at Bells Beach — along with good winds.

Check it out all weekend at Bells.

Four-day surf forecast: What a great summer it has been on the Surf Coast with waves almost every day and lots of good winds. The next four days also look good with beach-break waves today and then good reef waves throughout the weekend.