Dawn revealed corduroy lines stretching to the horizon as a field of surfers witnessed Padang Padang as good as it gets with solid 6-8 feet bombs raging in against fierce tradewind conditions. Padang Padang at this size and power is not to be taken lightly, with giant sets closing out the channel.

It was an all Indonesian affair by the time the finals arrived. International surfers such as California’s Chris Ward, Hawaii’s Kekoa Bacalso, and in form juniors Luke Hynd and Jacob Willcox, were felled by local knowledge as cousins Garut Widiarta and Raditya Rondi stampeded into the final with grace and guts. It was these two cousins who paddled out into the afternoon glare and did epic battle in career defining waves that set a new standard of performance in Indonesian surfing. 

It has been a long road for Bali’s favourite son, Garut Widiarta, whose flamboyant style has taken him close to the most prestigious winners dias in Indonesia but has never afforded him the win. Today, Garut charged every gun nest and rifled his way through impossible barrel after barrel to ride to a convincing win.