The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) is the governing body for professional surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world’s best talent in a variety of progressive formats.

The predecessors of the ASP relates to what organization predominantly represented individual professional surfers at that time. This is an important point because the International Surfing Federation (ISF) still functions to this day as the International Surfing Association (ISA) and also refers to competition winners as world champions (or variants thereof).

Ian Cairns watched the demise of the IPS commence throughout 1982 and saw an opportunity. In January 1983, Cairns launched the ASP and lured the world circuit organizers to the new organization, which effectively pushed aside the IPS who were left to operate only the Hawaiian pro events. By December 1984, the ASP had sanctioned the IPS controlled Pipeline Masters as a specialty event available to ASP members to enter for the first time. The ASP has remained the predominant surfing organization and sanctioning body for professional surfers since its formation.

Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972, Cocoa Beach, FL, USA) is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest (at age 20) and the oldest (at age 39) to win the title. Upon winning his 5th world title in 1997, Slater passed Australian surfing legend Mark Richards to become the most successful champion in the history of the sport. In 2007 he also became the all-time leader in career event wins by winning the Boost Mobile Pro event at Lower Trestles near San Clemente, California. The previous record was held by Slater's childhood hero, 3-time world champion Tom Curren.

In addition to the ASP tour, Slater has also competed in the X-Games (in 2003 and 2004). After earlier being awarded the title prematurely as a result of a miscalculation by the ASP, on November 6, 2011 Slater officially won his eleventh ASP world title at the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, by winning his 4th round heat. In May 2005, in the final heat of the Billabong Tahiti Pro contest at Teahupo'o, Slater became the first surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores for a total 20 out of 20 points under the ASP two-wave scoring system. (The corresponding honor under the previous three-wave system belongs to fellow American Shane Beschen who achieved the feat in 1996.) Since 1990, Slater has been sponsored primarily by surfwear industry giant Quiksilver. He exclusively rides Channel Islands surfboards equipped with his own signature series of FCS fins.

Sally Fitzgibbons is an Australian professional surfer on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Tour (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012). She was born in Nowra, NSW Australia, on 12 December 1990.

As a fourteen year old, Fitzgibbons won the ASP Pro Junior open event, an event open to any female surfer 21 and younger. Fitzgibbons started surfing at a young age, winning the Icon All-Girls Open Event Lennox Head in 2006 at age 16. She represented her State and Australia on many occasions in a number of different sports, including athletics, winning gold at the [2007 Australian Youth Olympic Festival] 800m and 1500m, touch football, soccer, surfing and cross-country running while attending Kiama High School.

As a surfer, Fitzgibbons had her first significant results at the age of 14, becoming the youngest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Pro Junior (Under 21’s) event, also finishing second at the World Qualifying Series (WQS) Billabong Easter Girls Festival on the same day. She continued to set records throughout her junior years, winning the Australasian Pro Junior Series in 2007 and again in 2008. At 15, Fitzgibbons represented Australia at the International Surfing Association (ISA) U18 World Surfing Titles in Brazil placing second; at 16, she traveled to Portugal for the ISA U18 World Titles to win her first World Title and backed it up the following year winning both the Billabong ASP U21 World Title and the ISA World Games Open Title.