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The opening round of the men's Rip Curl Pro is underway in clean, two-to-three-foot waves at Winkipop.
World Surf League chief of sport Jessi Miley-Dyer said the decision was made to start the men's and women's competitions on Thursday, with conditions predicted to tail off from Friday.
The start comes after a two-day delay in the event waiting period and organisers have moved to Winkipop from the neighbouring Bells Beach.
"We are going to call competition on at Winkipop today," Miley-Dyer said.
"There isn't quite enough swell at the moment on the Bells side, but Winki is offering up some really fun waves.
"We have called both the men's and women's opening rounds on and hope to complete both by day's end.
"This swell is a short one for just today and maybe tomorrow morning, so we want to make the most of the opportunity before we face some challenging conditions over the next couple of days."
The first heat of the event is Australian Ethan Ewing taking on American Nat Young and Costa Rican Carlos Munoz.
The last non-elimination heat of the day will be eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore up against veteran American Courtney Conlogue and Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy.
Gilmore, the reigning women's champion, and Conlouge are in danger of missing the mid-season cut.
Australian Owen Wright is a wildcard entry for his retirement event from professional surfing.
Wright's heat features Brazilian world champion and defending Bells Beach champion Filipe Toledo, plus Hawaiian Ian Gentil.
Australians Jack Robinson and Molly Picklum are the No.1 seeds after three rounds of the world tour, while compatriot Tyler Wright is the defending women's Rip Curl Pro champion.
