Slater is a confirmed starter at the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach which is scheduled to begin today.

The event's waiting period stretches out until April 19 with organisers able to pick days with good surf to compete.

And they have confirmed the American superstar is on his way, hoping to make amends for being bundled out of the world tour-opening Quiksilver Pro at the Gold Coast last month by 20-year-old wildcard Julian Wilson.

While the doubters are now speculating whether the 37-year-old still has what it takes to win an unprecedented 10th world championship, a more plausible excuse might be reports Slater is experimenting with different types of surfboards.

A three-time Bells winner, Slater will defend the title he won at the Victorian beach last Easter, under a new competition format.

The top 16 surfers are fast-tracked into round two, with the remainder competing in one-on-one elimination heats to join them.

The format has won praise from the sport's leading competitors, with 2007 world champion Mick Fanning among the supporters.

''It's great. For a place like Bells, it can be fickle at times and getting rid of that first round is great,'' Queenslander Fanning said.

''It gets you straight into the game. Sometimes the first round was a little bit like a warm-up, this gets everyone fired up straight away.''

The competition has also been reduced to three full days of surfing within the 13-day waiting period.

With good surf predicted today, organisers will decide at 7am whether competition will go ahead or the start will be delayed.

The men's event will be run in conjunction with the women's Rip Curl Pro, although the women's competition has a shorter waiting period and has to be completed no later than Easter Monday.

Australian two-time world champion, Stephanie Gilmore goes into the event unbeaten in her past eight women's tour events, and as winner of the past two Bells titles.

Gilmore will face a youthful challenger first-up Victorian wildcard entry Nikki van Dijk a 14-year-old from Phillip Island.

The tiny youngster won through the weekend's pre-trials to win a spot in the main competition, pitting her against her surfing idol when the event kicks off.

The sport's governing body, the Association of Surfing Professionals, Surfing Victoria and Rip Curl have also announced the Rip Curl Pro will be held at Bells until 2018 confirming a new nine-year contract extension yesterday. AAP