Catch a wave (and you're sitting on top of the world)

1. Young Bonza shocks veterans

Robert ''Bonza'' Conneeley came to compete in the junior division at Bells in 1965 but it was cancelled because the waves were too big. He went in the open division and won what was dubbed ''the greatest contest'', a description that still seems apt. Several surfers, including Terry Wall, Pat Morgan, Bob McTavish and John Witzig, had near-death experiences in the massive surf. ''I took off in a power crouch of panic and fear that relaxed halfway down the face,'' Conneeley recalled. ''I just had a wonderful, wonderful time.''

2. Queenslander becomes the king

Michael Peterson's victory in the first pro event in 1973 set the scene for three years of domination by the enigmatic Queenslander. The points-for-manoeuvres system accentuated his domination by playing to his strength. Peterson studied the points table like a kid swatting for an exam, and had his own summary on the dashboard of his car. In one rare interview with Tracks magazine, he summed up his strategy by saying he did everything as fast and radical as he could. ''I just didn't stop moving. I even zigged and zagged between my zigs and zags.''

3. Drouyn's big detour

Peter Drouyn came second at Bells four times and invented the man-on-man format for competition, but no episode was more packed with action, tension and theatre than the day he lost his board in big surf in 1973. In the days when leg ropes were banned, he slipped on take-off on his third wave and lost his board, which was whipped by the current and the wind way past Winki Pop. He retrieved it, scaled the cliff and persuaded a couple who were making love in the back of a panel van to drive him back to Bells. He then paddled out and caught a wave before his heat was over.

4. Three-fin thruster dominates

Simon Anderson won Bells during the epic Easter of 1981 on a board that changed surfing forever. Throughout the contest, he was able to demonstrate that the three-fin ''thruster'' could perform in everything from the massive waves of the Saturday to the clean Rincon surf of less than a metre in the very close final with Cheyne Horan. Four years earlier, Anderson had become the first surfer to win the trials and the main event. Of the 1981 effort, the laconic giant says: ''I guess I had something to prove, but I didn't really care whether I proved it or not.''

5. Richards takes fourth Bells crown

Mark Richards was not the crowd favourite when he attempted to win his fourth bell in 1982. The exuberant mob from Sydney’s northern beaches on the rocks off Rincon were cheering for the underdog, Tom Carroll, who would later win Bells and a world title. Both surfers were in top form in clean conditions. As Tom’s brother Nick recalled: ‘‘The difference came down to the fact that MR had five superhot rides, whereas Thomas only had four.’’

6. Winged keel reigns for Cheyne

Cheyne Horan was unlucky not to win in the giant waves of 1981 but made amends in 1984 when he rode a board with a winged-keel adapted from the Ben Lexcen design that helped Australia II win the America's Cup the previous year. ''The thing with Ben Lexcen is he was all about racing and speed,'' Horan recalled. ''My surfboard was the fastest on the planet at that stage and I was flying around these sections.''

7. The clash of the titans

The 1986 semifinal between Tom Curren and Mark Occhilupo is considered one of the greatest showdowns in the history of competitive surfing and became immortalised as the clash of the titans. Occy would recall 25 years later that he surfed a perfect heat but that Curren was just too good. ''If you look at the footage, he was just so smooth. His bottom turns were perfect. His waves were better than mine, he picked better waves.'' Curren would notch up two wins, in 1985 and 1990, but Occy's triumph in 1998 was the most popular in Bells history.

8. Injured Collins holds on

It was Richie Collins who suggested a 40-minute final in 1992 because the waves were inconsistent and he wanted to reward those who were on the beach with a spectacle. What he didn't anticipate was that he would badly injure his back with 10 minutes remaining, leaving Martin Potter alone in the line-up and needing only a seven-point ride to claim victory. The surf turned flat and Collins won the bell, although he was unable to attend the presentation.

9. 'Slater must be tripping'

Kelly Slater matched Mark Richards' four victories in 2010 but his most extraordinary win came in 2008 when Bede Durbidge had him on the ropes in the bowl. With Durbidge in control and with priority, Slater paddled to Rincon, where waves hadn't been breaking, and stunned the crowd by pulling off a spectacular aerial to secure victory with less than four minutes remaining. Although Durbidge thought the master was ''tripping'' when he made the move, he learnt a valuable lesson. Two years later, Slater honoured local indigenous people, the Wathaurong, by giving them his fourth bell.

10. Gilmore masters a master

Layne Beachley had three bells and seven world titles to her credit when she confronted Stephanie Gilmore in the semi-finals in solid waves in 2008. Beachley had been the stand-out woman of the contest and had priority when one of the better waves came through. When Beachley chose not to take it, Gilmore pounced and recorded a winning score. That one wave gave her the confidence to win back-to-back bells and set up her second world title. ‘‘Once I got past Layne, I just felt I couldn’t be beaten,’’ Gilmore said. Two years later, at the age of 22, Gilmore won her third bell.