Former world champion Adriano De Souza is set to return to Surfest for the first time in six years after gaining the World Surf League wildcard into next month's Newcastle Pro at Merewether.
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De Souza, 33, is on the comeback from a knee injury that cut short his 2018 season then all but wiped out his campaign last year.
The Brazilian surfed in just three championship tour contests mid-season in 2019 before succumbing again to the knee problem.
He kept his place on the elite series for 2020 via an injury wildcard and he is set to make his competitive return to surfing at Merewether's 5000-point qualifying series event, which starts March 2.
De Souza won Surfest's Mark Richards Pro at Merewether in 2008 when defeating Frenchman Jeremy Flores 18 to 9.84 in the final.
He last came to the event in 2014 when beaten in the semi-finals by eventual champion, Port Macquarie's Matt Banting. The following year De Souza won the world title. He will start in the round of 96 in his return to the contest.
In other news, trials will be held for a spot in the main draws of the men's Surfest Newcastle Pro, presented by Burton Automotive, and the Doyle Partners Women's Pro.
Surfest's 5000-point QS contests received 208 men's and 122 women's entries this month, prompting organisers to run trials on Sunday, March 1.
The men's winner gains a position in the field of 144, while the female champion goes into a 96-strong main draw. The trials are available to all WSL accredited surfers and entries opened on Tuesday afternoon through the Surfing Australia website.
Bateau Bay's Joel Vaughan and North Narrabeen's Tru Starling have secured main draw starts through winning the Port Stephens Toyota Wildcard Trials at Birubi Beach last month. North Narrabeen's Jamie Thomson is another wildcard in the men's and starts with Vaughan in the round of 96
Surfing NSW will also nominate wildcards for Surfest's main contests.
World No.11 and Novocastrian Julian Wilson is the men's top seed, while France's world No.8 Johanne Defay, the 2017 winner, is the leading women's competitor.
Merewether's championship tour duo Ryan Callinan and Morgan Cibilic are the second and sixth seeds respectively.
Surfest continues this weekend with the under 14 and 16 Sanbah Cadet Cup.
On Wednesday, the 1000-point men's and women's Great Lakes Pro events start at Boomerang Beach.
Merewether's Jackson Baker begins in round three of the men's. Round one starters Ethan Hartge, Mikey Clayton-Brown, James McMorland and Connor Lee are among other Hunter hopes.
Amelie Bourke, Jasmine Sampson, Ellie Lambkin, Elle Clayton-Brown and Madison Poole are in round one of the women's contest.
