Rip Curl is a company for, and about, the crew on The Search. The products we make, the events we run, the riders we support and the people we reach globally, are all part of the Search that Rip Curl is on.
The Search is the driving force behind our progress and vision. When crew are chasing uncharted reefs, untracked powder or unridden rails, we want to arm them with the best equipment they’ll need. No matter where your travels lead you, we’ll have you covered. We’ve been the market leaders in surfing wetsuits for over 30 years, and our ultimate stretch neoprene and zip-free entry technologies have set the standard for wetsuits of the future. The Curl’s watch technology is more advanced than one ever thought possible. With a quick glance at your wrist our tide watches let you know what the tide is doing and our revolutionary SearchGPS watch let’s you track every surf and every ride. Our mountainwear is designed to give the rider ultimate amounts of freedom, while keeping them warm, comfortable and stylish on the snow.
Rip Curl will continue to stick by the grass roots that helped make us the market leader in surfing, but we’ll also charge on into the future and push riding to a new level. We know what we are doing and we will be around for a long time.
Rip Curl, the Ultimate Surfing Company…
What started in 1969 as a vision, or Search, of two surfers has evolved into a way of life for surfers and board sport enthusiasts worldwide. Rip Curl remains a private company committed to the mission of being regarded as The Ultimate Surfing Company. Now designing, producing, and distributing a variety of highly innovative clothing, wetsuits, boardshorts, watches, mountainwear, footwear, eyewear, accessories, and other equipment for the range of board sports through more than 60 countries around the globe, Rip Curl prides itself on its world class roster of athletes and the simple objective to Live The Search.
Company Overview Rip Curl – The Ultimate Surfing Company. A worldwide manufacturer of high tech surf gear, Rip Curl features a wide selection wetsuits, boardshorts, watches, apparel, and travel gear dedicated to all those who Live The Search…
Products Rip Curl manufactures quality surf, snow, skate, wake, street & beach products.
Clothing
Tops,Shorts,Jumpers,Jackets,Bottoms,Accessories
Equipment
Bags,Wallets,Towels,Surf ,Hardware,Footwear,Sunglasses,Kids Clothing,Wetsuits, Steamers,Spring Suits,Jackets,Rash ,Vests,Accessories,Peak,Wake board Vests,Kids Wetsuits,Watches,Surf,Style,Mountain wear,New Arrivals,Collections,Rip Curl Pro eGift Vouchers,Mick Fanning,Anti-Series,Mirage Board shorts,Vapor Cool,Surf Craft
The Beginning In March of 1969 two surfing friends Doug “Claw” Warbrick and Brian “Sing Ding” Singer bumped into each other in Gilbert Street, Torquay. Claw had just finished a summer shaping stint with Fred Pyke and Brian was a science teacher. As the conversation progressed, and no doubt thinking about how they could stay surfing Bells in the pumping months ahead, Claw posed the question that started something great… “Do you want to start making surfboards together?” he asked. Brian immediately figured this would mean a lot more time surfing, so on the spot said, “Yes!” and resigned from teaching a couple of days later.
The timing was perfect and just like that… Rip Curl was born…
The Garage While Claw could mow foam, Brian’s main attribute was that he had a tail-planer for shaping and a garage at 35 Great Ocean Road (towards Jan Juc) to work from and soon the sound of cold chisels could be heard hammering into the garage’s concrete floor to build stands as they set up over the next month. In April 1969 the first boards were made with Claw doing four boards a week for the best surfers in Torquay and Brian doing the “shittiest job in the world” sanding and making fins in the yard.
The Bakery They had enough work to keep them going through the winter, which was one of the best for surf on the reefs in memory, so product-testing was free-flowing with a lot of time spent in the water at Bells Beach. In November of that year they realised they needed a better spot than the garage. So they went and found the Old Torquay Bakery at 5 Boston Road and for the princely sum of $10 a week rent they moved on up. Inside they set up a proper shaping bay, glassing and sanding rooms and lifted production to 12 boards a week.
Wetsuits In December 1969 another local surfer, Alan Green, joined the duo and they started making wetsuits to complement the boards in the basement of a house in Beale Street behind the Torquay Pub.
Greeny had spent some time at a wetsuit dive company “Australian Divers” and they found a sewing machine, a “Pffaf 138 zig zag”, which worked on thick rubber sourced in Clayton in the back-blocks of Melbourne.
Outsourcing much of the work at first, they soon realised that to keep up with orders and get the quality they wanted, they needed to do it all themselves so the wetsuit operation moved into Claw’s flat at 66 Zeally Bay Road.
Focus Change was rampant back then, such was the flower power and anti-establishment mood of the time. Business was no different to life in general and Greeny left Rip Curl in April 1970 to do his own thing, forming Quiksilver, with Claw and Brian as equal partners in the new venture.
Eventually it was time for them all to focus on one thing or the other and the partnership dissolved. Brian recalls that he swapped his Quiksilver shares for Greeny’s half of the land at the back of Bells Beach where he still lives today. “There was a bit of a difference in opinion over the value of the land, $5000 or so,” he recalls “So we tossed a coin for it, I don’t remember who won, but the deal was done.”
Claw later sold his shares to Greeny so they could be issued to his new partner John Law.
When asked now, Claw has no clue how much he got for them!
Shipping Our standard delivery service is FREE for all orders over $75. Orders under $75 will be charged AU$9.95 for Standard shipping, or $14.95 for Express shipping. We provide a fully traceable and secure service with Australia Post eParcel for all deliveries in Australia, and Express Courier International (ECI) for all deliveries in New Zealand.
Please Note: Unfortunately we can only ship to Australia and New Zealand.
Track & Receive your order
A unique tracking number will be emailed to you once your order has shipped. Enter your tracking number on the Australia Post website to track it’s progress.
If you’re not at the address when Australia Post attempts delivery they will leave a card for you to either nominate another delivery time, or direct you to your local Post Office where you can pick up your parcel. Your parcel will need to be signed for.
Bulky / Heavy / Specialty Items
All shipping is subject to volume and weight, and in some instances a freight charge may be incurred for extremely heavy or bulky items. You will be notified of this as the point of purchase.
Duties for New Zealand Customers
Some orders may incur a duty or customs charge. Rip Curl are unable to advise this at the time of purchase.All related duties and customs charges are to be paid by the customer. Click here to read more from NZ customs.
Return Request
We are committed to customer satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with your Rip Curl Online purchase, simply return it to us following the procedure outlined below within 21 days of purchase and we will issue you an exchange or full refund for the product, as long as it meets the following conditions;
Items must be returned via the below process, unfortunately at this stage items are unable to be returned or exchanged in-store.
1. The item is in the condition that you received it.
The item has not been worn, marked, used or damaged, and includes all tags (including hygiene sticker for all swimwear) and packaging (unless faulty). If you are wanting to exchange or return boxed or packaged goods, they must be returned to us in the original unmarked packaging & in good condition. For returns via post, please ensure you pack them inside a satchel and do not attach anything to the outside of the original packaging. Should the packaging be marked or in unsatisfactory condition there may be a chance that we will not exchange or refund the goods.
2. You have an invoice / proof of purchase.
The item must have been purchased through the official Rip Curl Website only (purchases through eBay or other non-official online retailers will not be accepted).
3. Request your return within the required timeframe.
You must have requested your Return Authorization using the online form below, within 21 days of receiving your goods.
If you meet the above criteria and you would like to return or exchange a product to us please follow the simple instructions below.
Complete the Returns Authorisation (RA) form online. You will receive an exclusive RA number via email from a Customer Service representative. Pack all items together with a copy of your invoice in a secure carton or reuse the original packaging and clearly address it as instructed in the email you receive from our Customer Service team. Remember to use your Unique RA Number. NOTE: When returning a wetsuit please pack appropriately to prevent damage. Returning in the initial delivery box is the best option – don’t scrunch it up, roll it if you have to! Clearly address your parcel and be sure to cover or remove original shipping label. Returns for change of mind must be received within 21 days of the RA number being supplied. For security and peace of mind we strongly suggest insured registered post as we are not liable for lost returned parcels. The customer is responsible for all related freight charges, with the exception of the return of faulty goods. Please allow approximately one week for the processing of your return or exchange once received. Your issuing bank may take an additional billing cycle to apply the credit to your card. Returns that do not follow the above procedures will not be accepted.
Afterpay Enjoy now. Pay later. Interest-free. We have partnered with AfterPay (Australia Only) to bring you simple, interest-free payment plans. Buy what you want today, pay when it suits you best.
Service Centre Can’t find the answer you’re looking for in our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’? Please contact a service centre listed below.
Australian Service Centre 101 Surfcoast Hwy, Torquay, Vic. 3228. (03) 5261 0022 (03) 5261 4700 9:00am to 5:00 pm Mon-Fri E.S.T. service_centre@ripcurl.com.au
New Zealand Service Centre Tenancy 1, Ground Floor, Neilsen Building, 129 Hurstmere Road, Takapuna, Auckland 0622 (09) 477 2685 (09) 4759752 8:30am to 5:00pm Mon-Fri servicecentre@ripcurl.co.nz