MARRAWAH/TASMANIA (April,7th/2025): The big guns of Tasmanian surfing are set to re-ignite long-standing rivalries when the 50th Rip Curl West Coast Classic gets going in Marrawah this Easter Friday, April 18th.
The mind games will begin well before the first hooter in the North West this year, with the half-century instalment of the event one of the biggest bragging rights opportunities in recent Tasmanian Surfing history.
Four Mile Creek local Dustin Hollick will make the journey northwest, confident, but wary of several good friends and sparring partners with eyes on the same prize.
“It’s all in the spirit of competition but there’s one hundred percent some serious rivalries set to resume at this year’s event. Guys like Jy Johannesen will have their sights set on nothing short of victory in the Open Men’s division this year. I am just an old battler now, no real threat to anyone,” Hollick says with a smirk that can only be produced by a man sporting far more wins than losses in the same division he has just mentioned.
Above Image: Young gun Jessica Gardner from Clifton Beach will be one to watch in both the Under 16 Girl’s and Open Women’s divisions.
In the Open Women’s draw, there is no shortage of potential combatants for the event’s most prolific winner, former World Junior Champion, Dara Penfold.
“A bunch of Tasmania’s young female surfers have improved dramatically over the past twelve months or so. Bo Ellis from up north is ripping these days and southerners like Jess Gardner and Sienna Lawrence have taken their surfing to the next level as well so it’s going to be a real challenge for anyone to get past the young guns this event,” said Penfold.
The 2025 Rip Curl West Coast Classic Presented by Surfing Tasmania is a 6500-point rated event on the Surfing Australian Junior National Rankings Schedule, with the event set to attract some of the country’s best junior talent on the hunt for all-important rankings points (counting towards State Team selection for the Australian Junior Surfing Titles and Junior Irukandjis Team selection) at the end of the calendar year.
This will not only give our home-grown talent an early warm-up for the Australian Junior Surfing Titles later in the year but also certainly see some cross-over into the Open Men’s and Women’s Draws in what is set to be a bumper year for entries and hopefully waves!
The 2025 Rip Curl West Coast Classic Presented by Surfing Tasmania will run from April 18th – 21st with capped numbers in each division. Please click through the link below to access the event entry portal!
SURFING AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL RANKINGS HERE
The 2025 West Coast Classic is supported by Rip Curl, Surfing Tasmania, SeaFM Devonport, Red Herring Surf Co, Circular Head Council, Marrawah Inn, Woolnorth Renewables, Tasmanian Government, Craig Garland, Ocean & Earth, Reef Australia, ATR Accountants, Supoto Dairy Australia, We Are Feel Good Inc, Dometic, Canoe and Surf, Flowerdale, SIN eyewear, Far King Surf, Natural Edge, John Van Der Woude, McGrath & Co Lawyers, Duncan Sadler, Everett Flight & Associates Lawyers, Brittons Timbers, Polished Concrete Tasmania, Marrawah Kelp, Thistle Hut Cafe, Marrawah Store, King Island Brewhouse and Bradley Surfboards.
