Olympic silver medallist Kanoa Igarashi from Japan leads the men's standings heading into the fourth event of the season, while Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy is the women's leader.

Igarashi has recorded top-five finishes in the previous legs at Pipeline and Sunset Beach in Hawaii, as well as Peniche in Portugal, to establish a 2,640-point lead from American great Kelly Slater.

Slater, now 50, won the season-opening event at Pipeline.

Hennessy left Sunset Beach with the victory and has an 860-point advantage over American Lakey Peterson and Hawaii's Carissa Moore.

Moore is the reigning Olympic and WSL champion, as well as a three-time winner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

American Courtney Conlogue is also a three-time winner and has tasted victory in three of the last four editions of this event.

Bells Beach was not on the 2021 WSL calendar, with this event last contested in 2019.

Hawaii's John John Florence won the men's contest on that occasion, while Slater is a four-time champion and Olympic gold medallist Italo Ferreira from Brazil won in 2018.

Competition at Bells Beach precedes another Australian leg at Margaret River.

It is after that competition that the mid-season cut is due to take place, meaning only the top 24 men and 12 women will survive to compete in the season's remaining events.