Former professional world surfing champion Chelsea Hedges to be inducted into Australian Surfing Hall of Fame at Bondi

Former world surfing champ Chelsea Hedges may have swapped ten-point tube rides for toddlers over a decade ago, but her dedicated contribution to the sport has not gone unnoticed.

Former world surfing champion Chelsea Hedges after a surf at Burleigh Heads. Chelsea is an Australian hall of famer in 2024. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Former professional world surfing champion Chelsea Hedges may have swapped ten-point tube rides for toddlers over a decade ago, but her dedicated contribution to the sport has not gone unnoticed.

Hedges, who grew up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, will be honoured at the Bondi Pavilion on February 28 after being inducted into the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame.

The 40-year-old, who announced her official retirement in 2011 after a whirlwind tour career and a 2005 world championship crown, now enjoys a somewhat slower pace of life in laid-back Kingscliff on the NSW North Coast.

Her main focus in recent years, besides being mum to girls Mieka, 15, Indi, 12 and Stella, 11, has been coaching the next crop of surfing’s brightest stars at Surfing Australia’s High Performance Centre at Casuarina.

Hedges now coaches some of the sport’s brightest up and comers at Surfing Australia’s High Performance Centre at Casuarina in the Tweed. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The former pro says by the end of her tour career the sport had taken a toll.

“At the tail-end of 2011 I was funding most of the tour on my credit card. A few years earlier I lost my major sponsor, Roxy, after the surfing industry took a huge nosedive,” Hedges said.

“I coached the high performance team for a while and ended up taking a break from the sport entirely, working at Bunnings for four years before coming back to coaching.”

A young Hedges after winning the prestigious women’s world title in 2005. On the Gold Coast with husband Jason. Picture: Adam Head.

Hedges said the Hall of Fame announcement was a “surprise” – “my professional career feels like a whole different life”.

“There doesn’t ever seem to be any rhyme or reason to the inductees but I do appreciate that they are seeing the work I’m currently putting in for the sport,” she said.

Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore said: “Chelsea’s induction into the HOF is long overdue. She was my hero as a young surfer and a huge inspiration to many young females in surfing around the world. I’m very excited for her to finally receive this recognition.”

Gilmore is being nominated in the awards for Female Surfer of the Year.

The Australian Surfing Awards and Hall of Fame event will be held at the Bondi Pavilion on Bondi Beach on Sunday, February 28.