The Rip Curl Hell Team is a tradition that’s been in place within our company since 2012, and it’s a huge part of the future development of our elite team. Each year we select our best international junior talent, gather them together and take them to an epic location to chase waves.

The aim of each trip is simple – get sick waves and provide a great experience for the up-and-coming youth of our sport. We want to fast track the development of the next generation of our sport, of our elite junior surfers, and the #HellTeam is the ideal opportunity to do so…

This year the crew travelled to Peniche, Portugal, during the waiting period of the Meo Rip Curl Pro. We chose this location because it not only offers up some of the best waves in Europe, but also a wide variety of options that are consistent during the season…

We intentionally timed the trip around the CT event, giving the groms exposure to some of the best surfers in the world, allowing them a first-hand look at what they need to do to reach the top.

Participants in the 2016 Hell Team Portugal trip were Mikey McDonagh (Lennox Head, NSW, AUS), Xavier Huxtable (Jan Juc, VIC, AUS), Luke Gordon (South Carolina, USA), Crosby Colapinto (California, USA), Diego Suarez (Canary Islands, Spain), Killian Guerin (FRA), Sean Gunning (Spain), Ketut Agus (INDO) and Taina Izquierdo (INDO).