The second season of the Rip Curl Virtual Pro surf competition, presented by Western Australia, has drawn to a close, with the winner soon to be announced.

The global virtual surf competition, first launched in 2023, utilises data from the Rip Curl Search GPS watch developed in partnership with VML.

The product allows individual surfers to compete against each other by logging a surf on their watch over a 10-day period. The data is then analysed and scored by a unique algorithm based on five key criteria: distance paddled, surf time, total waves surfed, top speed, and longest wave. The inaugural Rip Curl Virtual Pro winner in 2023 was primary school teacher, Nick Cashin.

This year's competition took place from 25-30 May, with surfers from 34 countries participating. The winner will receive a dream surf trip with three mates to Western Australia’s Margaret River.

The campaign has garnered multiple accolades at both Spikes Asia and D&AD and has become an annual fixture on the surfing competition calendar.

VML Sydney and Melbourne Executive Creative Director, Jake Barrow, said: "We noticed a disconnect with how data was used from the Rip Curl Search GPS watch and came up with the Virtual Pro as a way to enhance our customers surfing experience. When we first launched the Virtual Pro, we didn’t realise just how successful and enduring it would become. We now have brand partners eager to become sponsors of a surfing event that is essentially made up of a bunch of 1s and 0s. That’s the power of data when it’s combined with insightful creativity."