It is with great pleasure that Rip Curl announces the addition of USA’s Conner Coffin to their elite team, competing on the Top-34 WSL World Tour and travelling the globe on The Search.

“I’m so grateful to have this opportunity with Rip Curl,” says Conner. “To be a part of a brand that has stayed so true to surfing over the decades is awesome. I think we have similar goals, and I’m so excited to have their support on the Tour at this stage in my career. It’s a great crew, and going on Search trips with some of my favourite surfers doesn’t sound too bad either…”

Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Conner has spent years racing down the line at Rincon, honing his skills and preparing to reach his dream of competing on the World Tour. In 2016 that dream came true, and Conner finished a stunning rookie year sitting at 17th in the rankings.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a strong American surfer on our elite team, and it seems about time,” says Neil Ridgway, Rip Curl’s Chief Brand and Marketing Officer. “Conner is a great fit on the team, is a highly talented surfer, and we think he truly brings something unique to surfing and the World Tour. He’ll go a long way with the support from our crew, and we can’t wait to see the results.”

Dylan Slater, SVP of Sales/Marketing at Rip Curl USA, also agrees with this sentiment. “Conner not only has world-class surfing ability, but he’s also a world-class human. He adds a lot to our team, and I know we will achieve a lot together in this new chapter.”

Conner is looking forward to the start of the competitive season as a new member of the Rip Curl crew. “I’m fired up right now, and I want to stay that way. I feel like I learned a lot my first year on tour, and from here, it’s just trying to keep stepping it up with each event. I’d be really stoked to finish 2017 in the top 10.

“And now, being a part of Rip Curl, I have something else to look forward to – The Search. When I first started surfing, the first movie I ever had was the Searching for Tom Curren series. I grew up watching those over and over and over. That’s where I learned to bottom turn, and it’s where I fell in love with surfing. That aspect of The Search really grabbed me as a kid, and Tom is still one of my favourite surfers. Having the opportunity to be a part of all that is just so insane.

“I think that what’s so intriguing about the Search is that Rip Curl goes out and finds places that I’ve never heard of, that I didn’t even think would have waves – and the waves there are better than I could even imagine. So hopefully I end up in the middle of nowhere, getting barrelled for a really long time. That’s the dream.”

Welcome to the team, Conner – we can’t wait to see where this relationship will take you!