Bali, barrels, and big airs. Why wouldn’t you tune in? Photo: ASP
Stop number five of the ten event 2013 ASP Men’s WCT Season will convene at Keramas in Bali, Indonesia, for the Oakley Bali Pro on June 18th with a waiting period through June 29th. The ASP Men’s Top 34 and surf fans the world over have been awaiting the start of the Keramas event ever since ASP International announced the event was sanctioned on February 4th. Keramas is one of the most high-performance waves in the world and, given proper conditions, we are sure to see some electric surfing.
Oakley has awarded their sponsor wildcard to team rider Bruce Irons for this maiden event at Keramas. Bruce’s sole WCT victory came in Indonesia in 2008; however, the victory came at the left-hand barrels of Uluwatu. Look for Bruce to surf inspired, and with power and progression, but to ultimately come up short against the high-seeded and competitively in-form surfers he will inevitably face in the early rounds.
A wild card spot will also be given to the winner of the Oakley Pro Bali trials. The trials event is scheduled to run until June 17 pitting the top 16 Asian Surfing Championship (ASC) professional surfers and eight special invitees, including locals, against one another. This rounds out the 24-man heat draw.
A big question mark at the Oakley Pro Bali will be whether the goofy-footers rise or fall. The lightning-quick backhands of Ace Buchan, Matt Wilkinson, and Nat Young will excel on the groomed right-handers at Keramas. It remains to be seen if their right-foot-forward thinking will translate to advancement in the business end of the event.
Predicting an event champion is difficult as the Top 34 features more ripping surfers on tour than ever before. The potential of Keramas’ perfect waves leaves the door open for the strong possibility of a break though victory that could come at the capable hands of surfers the likes of Josh Kerr, Dusty Payne, Kolohe Andino or a large pool of others steeped in talent. This depth of parity is guaranteed to provide surf fans with a great deal of excitement and unpredictability in every round. Since this is an inaugural event, look for all the competitors to go off and fiercely contend to be the first to win the prestigious brand new event.
Check out the action at the official event website and Oakley’s event trailer below.
