BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Saturday, April 3, 2010) - The opening 10 Round 1 heats of the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by SNICKERS were completed this afternoon, and despite the shifty two-to-three foot (1 metre) peaks on offer at Rincon, the world's best surfers unleashed a barrage of high-performance talent..Event No. 2 of 10 on the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach finally commenced competition today after the completion of the women's event (won by reigning three-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22). After being put on hold for four and a half days, the greatest assemblage of surfing talent in ASP history injected a fury of hi-fi surfing into Bells Beach..Andy Irons (HAW), 31, former three-time ASP World Champion, saw a ferocious return to form today, besting new school phenom Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, and 2010 ASP Dream Tour rookie Nate Yeomans (USA), 28, in the opening heat of competition..A former two-time winner at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Irons has amassed an impressive 19 elite tour victories, and will be eyeing No. 20 at the Rip Curl Pro..Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, defending Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winner and 2009 ASP World Runner-Up, navigated the late afternoon conditions beautifully, posting the day's high heat total of a 16.00 out of a possible 20. Despite being the defending champ, Parkinson remains calm and collected heading into the remainder of the event..Adriano de Souza (BRA), 23, was the standout of the round this afternoon, executing a series of powerful turns and progressive aerials to net an impressive 15.07 out of a possible 20 to advance directly into Round 3..Also claiming Round 1 victories today were reigning two-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, Kelly Slater (USA) and current ASP World No. 1 Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, among others..Photo: joliphotos.com