Padang Padang standout and former event winner, Mega Semahd. Photo: WSL / Curley
Padang Padang, Indonesia is a tube-pig’s dream wave. When the WSL added it to their roster of surfing events, chances were very good that the surfers invited to compete there would be nothing short of the best. And now, the list of invitees is out… and it lives up to the expectations. It’s not a regular event, though.
“The Rip Curl Cup is a unique contest,” said Balinese legend and defending champ Garut Widiarta. “The invitational format means there are no easy heats for anyone. If you look at last year’s bracket, every matchup in the first round could have been a final. It’s a challenge that myself and every other Indo surfer is excited to meet. I’m ready to defend my title against anyone.”
The wave at Padang is nearly perfect when the stars align. “Padang is our proving grounds,” Garut says. “There are so many amazing barrels in Indo, and every year it seems like there is a new discovery of some crazy new wave, but Padang is still the original Bali Pipeline. It’s the spot where you’re guaranteed to see the boys like Rizal and Bol out when there’s a really big swell in prime season. In Bali, if you want to be respected in big barrels, you have to show up at Padang. Padang works best on a huge southwest swell – the more west the better – and medium-low tides. It needs SE dry season trade winds to really be classic Padang and the early can suffer from morning sickness lumpiness a lot of the time. It’s super fickle and doesn’t all come together very often, but when it does, Padang is still one of my all time favorite barrels in Indo.”
Here’s what it looks like when it really does its thing:
It’s going to be an uphill battle for Widiarta–it’ll be an uphill battle for every single competitor, in fact. Among the all star cast are Tom Curren, Bruce Irons, Clay Marzo, Jack Robinson, Mason Ho, and Jamie O’Brien, just to name a few.
The event’s waiting period gets underway in just a few days, starting on August first and running through the rest of the month.
Here’s the rundown of who we’ll be seeing:
1. Tom Curren (USA)
2. Pat Curren (USA)
3. Mason Ho (HAW)
4. Damien Hobgood (USA)
5. Bruce Irons (HAW)
6. Clay Marzo (HAW)
7. Jamie O’Brien (HAW)
8. Dillon Perillo (USA)
9. Jack Robinson (AUS)
10. Bruno Santos (BRA)
11. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
12. Tim Bisso (FRA)
Note: Only 8 international surfers will receive a spot in the event; entry granted on first-come, best-dressed basis.
Indonesian Surfers:
1. Bol Adi Putra
2. Raditya Rondi
3. Mega Semadhi
4. Rizal Tandjung
5. Usman Trioko
6. Garut Widiarta
7. Lee Wilson
8. TBD (winner of local trials)
Watch the 2016 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang at live.ripcurl.com and on WorldSurfLeague.com.
