PORT Stephens has become an iconic destination on the Surfing NSW event calendar over the past few years and 2023 will be no exception.

The Surfers Rescue Port Stephens Pro QS1000 is back from Monday 27 February to Wednesday 1 March 2023.

Each year the Surfers Rescue 24/7 Port Stephens Pro competition shifts between One Mile Beach and Birubi Beach.

The actual location is dependant on the swell each day.

With the east-facing beaches of the area continuing to produce incredible conditions for the athletes to showcase their focused strategies and fierce talent.

The Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series will return to the NSW coastline in 2023 with four elite World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) events throughout February and March of 2023.

The Surfers Rescue Port Stephens Pro is a part of the Vissla series.

Great Lakes, Port Stephens, Avoca Beach and Maroubra are the secured locations for the series, which will offer the athletes and local communities the opportunity to enjoy some of the most iconic destinations in New South Wales once again.

Surfing NSW, Destination NSW, Vissla, World Surf League, MidCoast Council, Port Stephens Council, Randwick Council and Central Coast Council have joined forces to deliver the series.

Spectators will have the opportunity to experience the high energy that pulsates throughout the beach.

NSW Minister for Tourism Ben Franklin expressed his excitement for the return of the 2023 Vissla Pro Surf Series.

“NSW is the number one surfing destination in Australia and we are incredibly blessed to have some of the most spectacular coastlines in the world to host world-class surfing events like the NSW Pro Surf Series,” Franklin said.

“The NSW Government is proud to partner with Surfing NSW on this event, which brings recreational tourism and economic benefits to our coastal communities by providing surfers and fans with an opportunity to experience the variety of surf breaks and unique surfing cultures that NSW has to offer.”

Surfing NSW CEO Luke Madden said, “This will be the eighth consecutive year running for the NSW Pro Surf Series and since its conception in 2016 it has become a key asset to our pathways and community that we want to continue to invest in and build on.

“We consider ourselves incredibly grateful that this series was able to run through Covid but now that we are coming out the other side, we anticipate that 2023 is going to be bigger and better than ever.”

The Vissla NSW Pro Surf Series was developed for Australian surfers to gain ranking points and prize money in the WSL Qualifying Series.

The series also creates a NSW coastal road trip for all to explore the variety of waves, visit local communities and enjoy NSW surfing culture.

By Marian SAMPSON