After three action-packed events in Australia, the world's best surfers will now focus their attention on Strickland Bay on Rottnest Island, for the event whose window runs from May 16 to 26.

The island is offshore from Western Australia's capital, Perth, and its breaks are some of the most consistent in the state.

Strickland Bay is predominantly a left and is considered one of the best waves in south-west Western Australia.

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With unforeseen injuries taking out numerous athletes from the draw, new and returning faces will join the world's best surfers, potentially shaking up the event and the battle to make the final five on the road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals.

United States duo Kolohe Andino and Kelly Slater withdrew from the Australian leg due to respective ankle and foot injuries and continue to focus on their recovery.

Andino will again be replaced by Culburra Beach's Mikey Wright - the men's injury replacement.

Slater will now be replaced by Gold Coast's Liam O'Brien, who sits inside the top four Australian male surfers on the Australia/Oceania Qualifying Series.

This event will mark O'Brien's first time competing on the elite CT - a tour he has been knocking on the door of for the last couple of years.

Other wildcard positions have been granted West Australian icon and former CT competitor Taj Burrow (who has come out of retirement to replace Adrian Buchan (back)), Lennox Head's Stuart Kennedy (who takes the place of two-time world champion John John Florence (knee)), Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki (continues to replace US' Lakey Peterson who withdrew due to a back injury ahead of the Rip Curl Narrabeen Classic), Margaret River's Mia McCarthy, Yallingup's Kael Walsh (who both earned entry into the Rip Curl Rottnest Search via the local trials) and Margaret River's Jacob Willcox (through event title's partner Rip Curl).

In the seeding round, Mikey Wright will go head-to-head with older brother Owen and US' Griffin Colapinto in heat one.

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While Mikey and Owen's sister Tyler Wright will start her assault on the event in heat six against France's Johanne Defay and Phillip Island's Nikki Van Dijk.

The final South Coast surfer at the event is Gerroa's Sally Fitzgibbons, who will battle Coolum Beach's Isabella Nichols and US' Sage Erickson in heat five of the opening round.

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