Out of respect for the local surf culture, The Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang 2024 Trials gives local Indonesian surfers the opportunity to qualify for the main event. For these local surfers, it is the most anticipated competition of the year.
August 1st, the morning of the trials, dawned as most do at Padang Padang, with troubling looking conditions. But the more experienced surfers, reading the day, knew that the seasonal offshore winds were going to be grooming perfect 6 foot surf in no time. Giving this select group of locals perhaps the best waves for any trials competition in the world.
“This has to be the best of surfing in a contest I have ever been involved in,” Says Harrison Mann, Rip Curl Marketing Manager, “These trialists, both men and women, really showed up in absolute pumping waves at of the best waves in the world”.
Veterans dominated the day with former Cup Champion Garut Widiarta putting on a barrel-riding clinic with excellent scores every time he took off. And two-time former champion Made ‘Bol” Adi Putra proved he’s still a serious contender for a third title by scoring a 9.17 and a 9.33 to win the event. He positioned himself deeper than anyone and emerged clean from some of the biggest, hollowest waves of the day with style.
Next-generation challengers: Bronson Meydi, Westen Hirst, Varun Tandjung, and Made Joi all stepped up, challenging the old guard by posting excellent scores and proving that the future of Indonesian surfing is in good hands. Bronson qualified for the main event by scoring a 9.0 for the longest tube ride of the day with a very technical backside stalling technique all his own. And Bingin Beach local Tommy Sobry fired off heroics in the last moments of his heat with a double barrel on one of the biggest waves of the day. The wave came in at an 8.67 and qualified him into the main event. Keep an eye on all these locals in the main event as the live coverage will be looking directly into the barrel from the channel.
The women were fearless, of course. All childhood friends, they took on the 6-foot Padang Padang sets with verve, pulling into the dry end section time after time despite the tremendous punishment they were absorbing.
“As beautiful as Padang Padang looks, it’s still a very serious wave,” Mann continues, “and these women trialist’s really took it on. Today they announced a whole new era of gutsy female Indonesian performance”.
It was Taina Izquierdo who stood out in the end, surviving through the end-section time and again to take the win. And ISA world champion Ziggy Mackenzie knifed some very late take offs and pulled into some wild tubes to qualify for the main event as well.
“All in all an epic day of surfing in pumpung waves” Says Mann, “highlighting not only superb local performances, but also providing a preview for all the excitement to come when the main event gets underway”.
The Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang 2024 waiting period is the entire month of August, ensuring that this one day tournament will feature the best waves and the best surfing Indonesia has to offer.
