A 23-strong women’s field, led by Challenger Series campaigners Louise Lepront, Jessie van Niekerk and Sarah Baum, will open the new South African competitive surfing season when the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro gets under way at Victoria Bay in George, Western Cape, on Thursday, 19 June 2026.
The World Surf League Qualifying Series 2,000 contest runs through to Saturday, 21 June 2026, and marks the official start of the 2026/2027 WSL Africa Qualifying Series, with early-season ranking points and prize money on the line at one of the country’s most celebrated right-hand point breaks.
Rip Curl South Africa joins as headline sponsor, and a Pro Junior women’s division, a WSL Junior 1,000 contest, has been added to the programme for the first time, opening the door for the region’s leading juniors.
Louise Lepront, the reigning WSL Africa Qualifying Series regional champion and a full-time Challenger Series competitor, anchors the local charge alongside Jessie van Niekerk, who is into her third season on the Challenger Series, and Paris 2024 Olympian Sarah Baum.
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They headline a deep home contingent that includes 2025 Vic Bay champion Natasha van Greunen, Anastasia Venter, Zoë Steyn, Emily Jenkinson, Sophia Jackson and Gabriella Herbst.
The draw also carries genuine international depth, with Australia’s Philippa Anderson and Morocco’s Lilias Tebbai confirmed alongside Hina-Maria Conradi, Sarah Leiceaga and Ninon Mattei.
In the new Pro Junior women’s division, Leah Lepront leads a strong junior entry. The younger sister of Louise Lepront, Leah Lepront is a back-to-back Rip Curl GromSearch under-16 champion who recently booked her place at the Rip Curl International Finals, and she carries a confirmed berth in the senior QS 2,000 field as well. She is joined by Emily Jenkinson, Jasmine Venter, Camilla Heuer, Sophia Jackson and Nina Bone, among others.
WSL Africa Regional Director Tasha Mentasti welcomed the event’s growth. “WSL Africa is excited to return to the iconic Garden Route for the 2026 Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro, marking our second consecutive year hosting this event in one of South Africa’s most celebrated surf destinations,” Mentasti said.
Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro, Women’s Qualifying Series 2,000 (confirmed entries)
Natasha van Greunen
Katie Winter
Sarah Leiceaga
Emily Jenkinson
Anastasia Venter
Philippa Anderson
Hina-Maria Conradi
Louise Lepront
Zoë Steyn
Jessie van Niekerk
Gabriella Herbst
Sophia Jackson
Lilias Tebbai
Jasmine Venter
Sarah Baum
Leah Lepront
Demi Rowe
Lila Aszalos
Max Kauffman
Maya Malherbe
Camilla Heuer
Taylor Emslie
Ninon Mattei
Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior, Women’s WSL Junior 1,000 Entries
Emily Jenkinson (confirmed)
Anastasia Venter (confirmed)
Jasmine Venter (confirmed)
Louise Lepront (waitlisted)
Camilla Heuer (confirmed)
Gabriella Herbst (confirmed)
Sophia Jackson (confirmed)
Max Kauffman (confirmed)
Leah Lepront (confirmed)
Nina Bone (confirmed)
Lila Aszalos (confirmed)
Maya Malherbe (waitlisted)
Taylor Emslie (confirmed)
Main Photo Caption: Defending champion Natasha van Greunen returns to lead a 23-strong women’s field into the season-opening Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro, a World Surf League Qualifying Series 2,000 contest at Victoria Bay in George, Western Cape, from Thursday, 19 June to Saturday, 21 June 2026. Photo: Kody McGregor
Photo 2 Caption: Natasha van Greunen on her way to victory at Herolds Bay in George during the 2025 edition. File Photo: Kody McGregor
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