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The Ultimate Surfing Company

Rip Curl is a major Australian designer, manufacturer, and retailer of surfing sportswear (also known as boardwear) and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest board wear brands in Australia, Europe and South America, and is also active in North America and South Africa. Globally, Rip Curl is considered a member of the "Big Three", of the surf industry alongside Quiksilver and Billabong.

Rip Curl is a private company and, as of December 2013, Michael Daly is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Rip Curl Group.

The company was founded in 1969 by Doug Warbrick and Brian Singer in Torquay, Victoria, Australia, and initially produced surfboards. In 1970, they decided to begin production of wetsuits, with an emphasis on transforming diving technology into a wetsuit suitable for surfing. Alan Green (co-founder of Quiksliver) was a Rip Curl employee in 1969 and developed the first Quiksilver boardshorts at the Rip Curl Factory in April 1970.

In The Beginning

In Australia, surfing is at a curious stage of its development. The “short board revolution” of 1967 has created a frenzy of experimentation in surfboard design and surfing technique.

In the cool climate of Victoria, sanity prevails in design and technique, if not in the temperaments of the surfers. The cold, always a great leveller, has created a hardy breed of surfer who has no time for the hoopla and hype of the glitter beach capitals of the world. And by 1969 these like-minded souls have begun to gravitate towards the equally no-frills seaside town of Torquay, just a couple of kilometres away from Bells Beach, home of some of the most challenging waves in Australia.

And it is into this environment that Doug “Claw” Warbrick and Brian “Sing Ding” Singer decide to pitch their fledgling surf company, Rip Curl. And yes, it will be called Rip Curl.

Rip Curl Surfboards did well in a highly competitive market which had opened up in response to the revolution in design. Pioneers like Gordon Woods and Barry Bennett in Sydney and George Rice in Victoria had been joined by hundreds of wide-eyed hopefuls operating, like Rip Curl, out of garages and tool sheds.

In many cases enthusiasm and innovation overshadowed technical expertise and quality, but Rip Curl concentrated on producing a small number of functional surfcraft for local waves.

In 1970, however, Warbrick and Singer made the decision which changes forever the nature of their fledgling company. Looking at the essential needs of their fellow surfers in cold-water Victoria, they see that one – a board to ride – is being serviced by too many companies, while the other – a wetsuit to keep out the cold – is being serviced by only two, one of whom makes wetsuits for divers and has only a marginal commercial interest in surfing.

Rip Curl took over an old house in Torquay and the partners made a small investment in a pre-World War II sewing machine. They put together a crew of locals and went into production, cutting out the rubber on the floor and handing the pieces to an over-worked and underpaid machinist.

By today’s standards, the prototype Rip Curl wetsuits were primitive, but they differed from others on the market in that they evolved through interaction with surfers.

Size Guide

Rip Curl Wetsuits
Size A| Height Height Range Weight B| Waist C| Neck D| Chest E| Leg Length F| Body Length
S 174 170-175 60-70 76 38 95 68 64
MS 174 170-175 65-70 81 39 100 68 64
M 178 175-180 70-80 81 39 100 71 66
MT 183 180-185 70-80 81 39 100 74 68
LS 178 175-180 80-85 86 40.2 105 71 66
L 183 180-185 80-85 86 40.2 105 74 68
LT 188 185-190 80-85 86 40.2 105 77 70
XLS 183 180-185 85-95 91 42 110 74 68
XL 188 185-190 85-95 91 41.4 110 77 70
XLT 198 193-200 90-105 91 41.4 110 73 74
XXL 193 188-195 95-105 96 42.6 115 80 72
XXXL 193 188-195 105-115 101 43.8 120 80 72

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Tops
Size A| Chest B| Height C| Waist
XS 85-87.5 168-171 85-87.5
S 90-92.5 173-176 90-92.5
M 95-97.5 178-181 95-97.5
L 100-102.5 183-186 100-102.5
XL 105-107.5 188-198 105-107.5
XXL 110-112.5 195 110-112.5
XXXL 115 195 115

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Bottoms
Size A| Height B| Waist C| Hip
XS 85-87.5 168-171 85-87.5
S 90-92.5 173-176 90-92.5
M 95-97.5 178-181 95-97.5
L 100-102.5 183-186 100-102.5
XL 105-107.5 188-198 105-107.5
XXL 110-112.5 195 110-112.5
XXXL 115 195 115

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Mountainwear
Size A| Height B| CHEST C| Waist D| Hip
XS 168-171 85-87.5 70-72.5 85-87.5
S 173-176 90-92.5 75-77.5 90-92.5
M 178-181 95-97.5 80-82.5 95-97.5
L 183-186 100-103 85-87.5 100-103
XL 188-191 105-108 90-92.5 105-108
XXL 193-195 110-113 95-97.5 110-113

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Footwear
Europe USA Australia
40 7 7
41 8 8
42 9 9
43 10 10
45 11 11
46 12 12
47 13 13

*  Note Rip Curl Footwear is in US sizes.

Rip Curl Wetsuits
Size A| Height B| Chest C| Waist Seat D| Thigh E| Arm F| Leg G| Body
4 155 78 61 86.5 48 48.4 66 54.8
6 160 82 63.5 89 51 49.6 68.5 56
8 165 86 66 91.5 53.5 50.8 71 57.2
10 170 90 68.5 94 56 52 73.5 56
12 175 94 71 96.5 58.5 53.2 76 59.6
14 178 96 73.5 99 61 54.4 78.5 60.8

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Tops
Size A| Chest B| Height C| Waist
6 77.5-80 157-159 60-62.5
8 82.5-85 162-164 65-67.5
10 87.5-90 167-169 70-72.5
12 92.5-95 172-174 75-77.5
14 97.5-100 177-179 80-82.5
16 103 182 110

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Bottoms
Size A| Height B| Waist C| Hip
6 157 60 86
7 159 62.5 88.5
8 162 65 91
9 164 67.5 93.5
10 167 70 96
11 169 72.5 98.5
12 172 75 101
13 174 77.5 103.5
14 177 80 106
15 179 82.5 108.5
16 182 85 111

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Mountainwear
Size A| Height B| Chest C| Waist D| Hips
XXS 155-157 75-77.5 57-60 83.5-86
XS 160-163 80-82.5 62.5-65 88.5-91
S 165-168 85-87.5 67.5-70 93.5-96
M 170-173 90-92.5 72.5-75 98.5-101
L 175-178 95-97.5 77.5-80 104-106
XL 180-183 100-103 82.5-85 109-111
XXL 185-187 105-108 87.5-90 114-116

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Footwear
Europe USA Australia
36 5 5
37 6 6
38 7 7
39 8 8
40 9 9
41 10 10
42 11 11

*  Note Rip Curl Footwear is in US sizes.

Rip Curl Boys
Size A| Height B| Chest C| Waist D| Hip E| Head Circumference
8 130 65 55 70 52
10 140 70 60 75 54
12 150 75 55 80 54
14 160 80 60 85 56
16 165 85 65 90 56

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Girls
Size A| Height B| Chest C| Waist D| Hip E| Head Circumference
8 130 65 55 70 52
10 140 70 60 75 54
12 150 75 55 80 54
14 160 80 60 85 56
16 165 85 65 90 56

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.

Rip Curl Toddlers
Size A| Height B| Chest C| Waist D| Head Circumference
0-1 80-85 45-47.5 45-47.5 48
2 90 50 47.5 48
4 100 55 50 50
6 110 60 52.5 50
8 130 65 55 52

*  Note sizing information is listed in centimetres.