The Red Bull Cape Fear is back with a new location. The invitation-only event is heading to Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania's home of slab surfing.
Once known as "Devil's Point" for the apocalyptic headland that looms over the break, Shipstern Bluff will soon see 20 local and international surfers, including Mick Fanning, Ross Clarke-Jones, and 2016 event champion Russell Bierke, take on one of the world's most intense waves.
The five-month event window - August 1, December 31 - allows for the optimal swell to be forecasted for the big wave season in the hopes the best conditions come to life for Red Bull Cape Fear 2018.
Shipstern Bluff is one of the most challenging waves in the world, and it was first surfed in the early 2000s - imagine 27 Olympic pools worth of water breaking over a shallow reef.
At Tasmania's notorious surf break, triple-overhead waves measuring up to 20 feet in height break just ten meters from the rocks.
To get to Shipstern Bluff, athletes need a 30-kilometer boat ride or a multiple-hour trek. Once they've reached the dangerous surf zone, riders are towed in at speeds up to 50km/h.
Red Bull Cape Fear uses a unique, overlapping heat format.
Five surfers will compete in four heats with the winner of each heat progressing straight to the final.
The highest-placed surfer at the end of the final will be crowned the 2018 Red Bull Cape Fear champion.
Swell levels will be monitored from August 1 by Ben Macartney, Chief Swell Forecaster of CoastalWatch, and the event will only get underway when perfect conditions align.
If the green light is given, all 20 surfers will have 48 hours to make their way to Tasmania to compete in one of the world's most terrifying surfing events.
Red Bull Cape Fear 2018 | Invited Surfers
Russell Bierke (AUS)
Pedro Scooby (BRA)
Daniel Griffiths (AUS)
Michael Brennan (AUS)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Laurie Towner (AUS)
Shaun Wallbank (AUS)
Zebulon Critchlow (AUS)
Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS)
Ryan Hipwood (AUS)
James McKean (AUS)
Brook Phillips (AUS)
Jamie O-Brien (USA)
Nathan Florence (USA)
James Hollmer-Cross (AUS)
Marti Paradisis (AUS)
Kai Lenny (USA)
Billy Kemper (USA)
Tyler Hollmer-Cross (AUS)
Alex Zawadzki (AUS)