- WSL / Steve Sherman
- WSL / Steve Sherman

The 2019 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro Qualifying Series 6,000 event has been bolstered with 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater confirming that he will return to Manly to compete this March.

Having competed at Manly Beach a number of times throughout his career, even winning the event in 1997, Slater has a strong affiliation with the Northern Beaches of Sydney.

Kelly Slater: "It's Good to Be Back"
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The 7x Pipe Master feels right at home as he returns to the Championship Tour at Pipeline for the 2018 Billabong Pipe Masters.

"I've always loved the northern beaches having lived part-time in Avalon for 15 years," said Slater. "I miss it and I'm looking forward to getting back to some old familiar territory. I'm also getting a nice warm-up prior to jumping back on Tour full-time after close to a year and a half hiatus from competition".

The event is the second major Qualifying Series event of the WSL season and will play a pivotal role for competitors hoping to qualify for the elite Championship Tour that Slater has dominated for over two decades.   "Manly became a mainstay for a number of years on Tour," continued Slater. "There's a lot of history dating back to surfing being introduced at Freshwater some hundred years ago by Duke and many years later hosting some classic events with legendary performances by Larry Blair and Wayne Lynch. The more recent years have shown some serious highlights for Tour surfers such as Julian Wilson and as a jumpstart for rookies and QS grinders looking to stamp their mark on the start of the year."

2018 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro in Manly Day 1 Crowds Crowd on day 1 of the 2018 Vissla Sydney Surf Pro in Manly. - WSL / Tom Bennett

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro is a collaboration between World Surf League and Surfing NSW to run Sydney's largest surfing event at the iconic Manly Beach. The event is proudly supported by the NSW Government. The event is also proudly supported by Vissla, Sisstrevolution, Northern Beaches Council, WSL, KeySun, Hotel Steyne and Surfing NSW.

The Vissla Sydney Surf Pro will run from the 18th March - 24th March 2019 at Manly Beach.

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