GALLERY: Bells Beach Moments, 2000-2015

At 19 years old, Mick Fanning made the most of his wildcard opportunity and charged into the 2001 Rip Curl Pro, defeating veteran Tour surfer Danny Wills by a narrow 1.70-point margin in the Final. Fanning's unlikely win at Bells proved to be the catalyst for an incredible year that saw him win the Qualifying Series, secure a place on the Championship Tour for 2002, and be named Surfer magazine's 'Breakthrough Performer of the Year.'

1999 World Champion Mark Occhilupo's impressive style trumped all other surfers at the 2001 edition of Australia's then-richest professional surfing event, which held a prize purse of $250,000. He didn't win the contest that year -- Garcia beat him in Round 4 -- but he made a big impression.

Garcia's win over Padaratz in the Final put him into the World No. 1 position ahead of Australian Taj Burrow (AUS), kickstarting the Hawaiian's inaugural World Title season.

Andy Irons (HAW), then 23, finally got his chance to hoist the iconic surfing trophy at the 2002 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

On the wrong end of the very narrow point-spread in the 2002 Final, Garcia's runner-up finish spelled the end of another year for the burly Hawaiian's push to equal Australian surfing legend Mark Richards' record of four titles at Bells.

Then the reigning World Champion, Irons scored back-to-back titles at the Rip Curl Pro in 2003 when he defeated Joel Parkinson (AUS) by a score of 17.57 points to 15.40 in the Final.

Irons' 2003 victory made him the first surfer to claim consecutive Bells titles since 1996, when fellow Hawaiian Garcia -- whom he beat the previous year -- earned his second of three titles.

After taking down Pat O' Connell (USA) in the Semis, Burrow was no match for Parkinson in the 2004 Final.

Kelly Slater proved too much for Joel Parkinson in the final of the 2006 Rip Curl Pro, when he rang the Rip Curl Pro Bell for the first time in 12 years.

Parkinson rang the Bell after securing his first-ever Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach title in 2004.

In 2005, the final day of the Bells event ran at Woolamai Beach on Phillip Island. Irons looked brilliant throughout the day's heats and was the favorite going into the Final against Trent Munro (AUS).

After nearly four years without a Tour win, journeyman Australian surfer Trent Munro managed to dream double in 2005, earning a Bells title and a victory over the reigning World Champ.

Parkinson earned a spot in the 2006 Final after defeating fellow Australians Fanning and Occhilupo in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals respectively, progressing to his showdown with the then-seven-time World Champ Slater.

Burrow rang the prestigious Bell trophy after defeating former event winner Irons in 2007. In the last two minutes of the Final, Burrow posted a 9-point ride to take the lead and win.

Bede Durbidge (AUS) finished runner-up in 2008, leading for most of the Final before his opponent, Slater, paddled away from the main lineup towards Rincon. It was there that he slipped into the winning wave.

Slater's 2008 win was his third at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. During Bells and the event that preceded it, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, he hadn't lost a single heat.

Slater defeated Durbidge by a score of 15.63 to 15.16 in the 1.5-meter surf at Bells and cemented his position as World No. 1.

Parkinson won the 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, for his second title at the event. He defeated wildcard Adam Robertson (AUS) in pumping 6-foot (2-meter) conditions.

Despite his defeat in 2009, Robertson did Victoria proud. He had surfed his way from the local trials to the Final of the main event, with his fairytale run coming to end at the hands of an in-form Parkinson in perfect conditions. With his remarkable performance, Robbo became just the second Victorian after Terry Wall (in 1962 and 1966) to finish runner-up at Bells.

In 2010, it was Fanning whose hopes of winning were crushed: Slater stopped him from ringing the Bell for a third time after their Final at Johanna Beach.

Fanning was forced to settle for runner-up when Slater went on a tear, blasting a huge alley-oop air and a searing blow-tail 360 to end the Aussie's run.

The next year, Fanning again put on an inspired performance in the 2011 Final. But this time is wasn't Slater who ended his run, but his longtime friend, Parkinson, who would use priority to get the better of their last exchange.

Fanning opened his Final campaign with an explosive 8.83. His power and drive were evident as he tore the face of the wave apart with a series of hacks, cutbacks and controlled turns.

Their Final was gripping: Parkinson scored a Perfect 10 on his last wave of the heat to take the win and secure his third Bells Beach title.

But 2011's finale paled in comparison with what followed in 2012: In what was hailed as the one of the best Finals in the event's history, Fanning finally defeated Slater. The Australian edged out his American opponent by the narrowest of margins, with a pair of 9-point-range rides that just barely topped Slater's 10 and 8.07. Fanning's win marked his 14th elite Tour title and his first Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach win since 2001.

Still, Slater's runner-up finish was remarkable: He had fought his way back from an early combination situation, completing an incredible full-rotation aerial for a perfect 10 against Fanning in the Final. The legendary naturalfooter backed it up moments later with an 8.07 to take the lead, though he would only hold it briefly.

In 2013, it was Adriano de Souza (BRA) who triumphed. He won his fourth Tour victory at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach after defeating Nat Young (USA) in the Final.

Bouncing back from a sponsorless start to the 2013 season, De Souza went on to fulfill his dream of ringing the event's famous bell.

Young's performance, however, was a strong one: It was his relentless backhand surfing at the iconic righthander that earned him the runner-up finish.

Fanning became a three-time winner of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach in 2014, defeating Burrow in the all-Australian Final at Winkipop.

Despite a near-perfect score of 9.63, the highest of the Final, Burrow couldn't deliver on a decent backup score and was relegated to second place.

In 2015, Mick Fanning and would-be World Champion Adriano de Souza faced off in the event Final. Whoever won the event would be leaving the contest with the Jeep Ratings lead and the coveted yellow jersey.

With a higher single-wave score than De Souza, it was Fanning who once again claimed victory.