Investigators look into role of sea foam in surfer deaths

DutchNews, May 13, 2020 

Friends and family of the dead surfers have been placing flowers on the beach.
Photo: Robin Utrecht HH

Dutch sea research institute NIOZ is investigating the possible role of a thick layer of sea foam in the death of five surfers off the coast of Scheveningen on Monday evening. 

Several experts have suggested the surfers may have become disorientated in the foam, which according to some eyewitnesses was over two metres high as it approached the harbour wall. 

Sea foam is formed when sea water has a high concentration of dissolved organic matter from algal blooms and is whipped up by the wind. 

‘There was a lot of foam and this may be due to the large quantity of algae,’ researcher Katja Philippart told broadcaster NOS. ‘This might be due to the good weather of recent days, combined with the strong winds.’ 

However, Philippart told NOS she is not aware of any cases in which people have been suffocated by sea foam. 

One body has not yet been recovered and the search resumed on Wednesday morning. Two other bodies were found earlier on Tuesday morning and two others died after being pulled from the sea on Monday evening. Three of the men who died came from The Hague, the other two from Delft. 

The Hague mayor Johan Remkes told reporters at a press conference that a thorough investigation into what happened would now take place. ‘How can it be that people with so much experience and who knew this place so well came to die,’ Remkes said. 

In total, 10 people are thought to have been in the water at the time, a group of six, a group of three and one single surfer. 

Community 

Friends and family of the dead have been flocking to the location where the five men died, to leave flowers and comfort one another. The deaths have caused shock throughout the Netherlands’ surfing scene. 

‘These were very experienced surfers and swimmers, with a great love for the sea and their sport,’ the Holland Surfing Association said. ‘They were caught up in extraordinary circumstances and lost their lives in such a tragic way.’

Surfer survives shark attack in Japan

Yahoo – AFP, 10 June 2014

Map of Japan locating Aichi, where a man was seriously injured after being

attacked by a shark while surfing.

AFP/AFP - Map of Japan locating Aichi, where a man was seriously injured after being attacked by a shark while surfing

A 43-year-old man has been seriously injured after being attacked by a shark while surfing off central Japan, officials said Tuesday, warning local beachgoers to be alert.

Tsuyoshi Takahashi, an off-duty life guard, was rushed to hospital on Sunday afternoon after the shark sank its teeth into his left arm some 30 metres (100 feet) offshore, a fire department official said.

The accident occurred while Takahashi was surfing with his colleagues in the Pacific off the Atsumi peninsula in Aichi, some 250 kilometre (155 miles) west of Tokyo, a spot well-known for its big waves.

"He was seriously injured and got 30 stitches to the wound, but there is no threat to his life," said the official, adding: "We are calling on other surfers to be on the alert against sharks."

Japan's long coastline is home to a variety of sharks, but attacks on people are relatively rare. The species of shark involved on Sunday was not known.

According to the local government, the weekend incident was the first shark attack in the prefecture since 1995 when a fisherman was killed by a great white.

Surf's up in Sierra Leone

Deutsche Welle, 14 February 2014

When we think of surfing in Africa, it's usually images of South Africa and its high waves that come to mind. In West Africa surfing is not so common but the tiny country of Sierra Leone could be the next hot spot.

As 17 year-old Kadiatu Kamara (known for short as KK) waxes up her surf board and gets ready to hit the waves, she explains how her local surf club has not only helped her gain self-confidence but has also helped her stay in school because money from the club goes towards her school fees. And that's the whole idea - to give back to the community the money the surf club brings in.

"I like surfing because surfing can keep me busy and it changed my attitude. My mother doesn't have money to pay for me to go to school and surfing helps me to pay my school fees," KK told DW.

Young surfers head for the waves
of Bureh Beach

The club, which opened in 2012, is located near a fishing village called Bureh Town which has a population of about 200 people. It's home for KK and most of the surfers.

Club manager Jahbez Benga says part of the takings also goes towards paying for transport for children and young adults to attend school as as well as towards health services in Bureh Town. A share of the proceeds is also invested in the club itself.

Sustaining the environment

Benga told DW help has also come from German nongovernmental organization Welthungerhilfe which provided funding for the surf club. The NGO wanted to offer an alternative sustainable lifestyle for people in the community.

"Some of the guys before, they were charcoal burning, they cut down the trees to burn coal. We all agreed if they build us this surf club, some of the guys would stop going to the forest and the surf club would support the community and now we all have a lot of trees and it's good for all of us," Benga said.

Forestry management is one of Welthungerhilfe's goals and country director Jochen Moninger is pleased with the community's decision to stop cutting down trees.

"If you go out there in the bay, in your boat, you see the hilly mountains with the rain forest - it's just beautiful," Moninger said. He estimates that the club brings in about 2,000 euros ($2,700) a month.

Gaining confidence

For 17 year-old surfer Charles Samba, being a part of the surf club and working there as a volunteer has helped him gain self-confidence, just like KK.

Charles Samba works as a volunteer
at Bureh Beach Surf Club

He says his social skills have improved because of the clientele the club brings in, many of whom are foreign nationals.

"Now I know how to speak with people. Before I didn't know, like if I saw white people I would run, but now surfing makes me speak with different kinds of people," Samba said.

Bureh Beach Surf Club was initially set up by an Irishman named Shane O'Connor. He has always been an avid surfer himself and when he discovered the untapped beach in Bureh he decided to create the surf club with the goal of helping the community. Many surf boards were donated from Ireland.

Promoting tourism

O'Connor says eventually the hope is to get other West African countries all working together to promote tourism through surfing.

"Here in Sierra Leone we have a club now. There's also one in Liberia, one in Ghana, one in Ivory Coast and we're trying to form a little bit of a West African association, which is slowly coming together," said O'Connor.

Sierra Leone's young surfers are now eagerly looking forward to an international surfing competition to be held at Bureh Beach this coming September.

I'm a surfer, but oppose culling sharks

Great whites are capable of eating us. Wreaking environmental havoc won't change that fundamental fact

theguardian.com, Jock Serong, Friday 29 November 2013

Catastrophic and unstoppable ... a great white shark off the coast in Mexico.
Photograph: Daniel Botelho/AFP/Getty Images

In conversation with non-surfers, surfers will generally deny dwelling on the spectre of shark attack. They’ll blithely point out that there are plenty of other ways to die surfing, including drowning, impacts, hypothermia or, most commonly of all, driving to the beach. Most of these dangers, they’ll argue, can be minimised – if not eradicated – by taking some care. Shark attacks on the other hand are random in nature and extremely rare. So why worry about it, is the standard closing flourish.

But among other surfers, the same people will mutter uneasily about sightings, about “spooky” water, about bad feelings that seem to emanate from deep instinct. We’re all scared to some degree, no matter how irrational that fear might be. A long way from shore and all alone, it can be an unsettling thing to look at your own feet, dangling above the abyss.

Where I live and surf, in western Victoria, the sharks fall into two categories. There are all the ones doing their biological thing without posing any risk to anybody: gummies, Port Jacksons, wobbegongs, blues, school sharks and many more besides; all of them at far greater risk from us than we are from them. In the other category, there are great whites. This year I went cage diving to look at great whites in the wild. I learned several things that day. I learned that they are very cunning when stalking prey; that their movements alternate between extreme languor and equally extreme speed; and most of all I learned that the force they exert is massive. Catastrophic. Unstoppable.

Despite that very humbling experience, and the awful tragedy of this week’s news from Gracetown, Western Australia, where surfer Chris Boyd was killed by a shark, I remain opposed to any cull of great whites, which some are calling for. Why? Well, the reasons are many and they have scientific backing. But for a lot of people, the science is nothing but background noise. When I wrote on the topicfor Coastal watch.com last year, my original article was dwarfed by a torrent of angry and emotional comments, arguing both for and against culling. This is the most emotive of all conservation issues.

There are three main justifications for culling in response to a fatal attack. First, the culling is an act of vengeance against the specific animal. Here, the problems are self-evident: how do you identify the culprit in open ocean without killing it pre-emptively? And is there anybody who really believes in the logic of punishing a wild animal? Second, it is sometimes put that a shark which has attacked a human has become a “maneater” and is more likely to attack again. Killing all similar sharks in the area ensures the recidivist is denied the chance. But there is no evidence for this occurring anywhere. It made Peter Benchley rich, but it’s nonsense, propagated by the authors of penny dreadfuls in the 1800s and passed on unquestioningly ever since. A shark confined in an enclosed space may bite repeatedly, especially if sick or starving, but that’s an entirely different proposition.

Third, a cluster of attacks (such as occurred along the Western Australian coast last year) is taken as evidence that great white numbers must be climbing, and should therefore be pruned. The mathematical fallacy built into this notion is obvious: there is no demonstrated statistical link between attacks and great white numbers, because nobody knows how many great whites are out there. But the "pruning" argument has political appeal: politicians want to be seen to be doing something, and complex, scientifically-based responses like tagging take much too long for the media cycle.

Our civilising ambition brings with it a certain arrogance: we refuse to believe we are any longer a part of the food chain. But it remains a fact that in some natural environments, there are large carnivores capable of eating us. A more effective means of combating that prospect is by tagging and genetic coding the predator. The risk of shark attack could be dramatically lowered through such scientific interventions: already, instances have occurred where local authorities have been warned of the presence of a large shark when its tag has “pinged” on acoustic posts underwater.

On average, 87 people drown at Australian beaches every year. These are preventable deaths. On average one person will die by shark attack in the same period. And it probably won’t be preventable. I pondered those numbers when I wrote for Coastalwatch last year: “For the cost of a national shark cull, for the environmental damage it would do, how many sharks could we tag? How many kids could we teach to swim? How many more beaches could we patrol? This is the delicate dance of numbers, so easily skewed by fear."

Related Article:

Kryon Q&A

Question (2002): Dear Kryon, A friend and I are meditating on the recent shark attacks and feel that it has to do with the planetary changes. We just can’t understand why they have become aggressive. What is the message the sharks are bringing? Why is this happening?

—Thank you,

Maryann

Answer: Indeed there are changes with the environment and also with biology regarding the 12-year grid change. I will first give you what was happening in general: What you are seeing are mammals, amphibians, insects, and even fish that are in areas that are new to them. Every life-form that migrates is effected by magnetics. All life forms that follows certain feeding scenarios and are “following the food” have the potential to be affected. This is due to the changing of the magnetic ley lines of the earth as we have stated before.

The areas where you can see in the ocean most clearly are within those migration patterns closest to the land. Where the ocean interfaces with the land, there are challenges for all these creatures for at least one of their generations. Whales will beach themselves by following old magnetics headings that now “drive” them into peninsula’s and other land areas that were marginally on the edge of their old paths. Birds, amphibians, and insects will be seen to do odd things for awhile.

So these shark fish may be in greater numbers in these coastal areas than in the past, but the increased aggressive behavior was actually something else: There was a tremendous “release” of energy due to the Sept. 11 event. Much like the energy of earthquakes and other earth movement, much of the environment “feels it” coming. We have spoken about how the Sept. 11 event was not a surprise to the earth. [See Lee’s article “Did Kryon give us hints”] So, some of the new actions of these fish were due to an actual energy buildup of coming events... of which you now understand.

If you are paying attention, therefore, you might ask, “Does this mean that Human consciousness issues affect the actual earth?” Yes they do! Finally you may begin to see how global consciousness is tied into the environment, and even to basic physics and reality. They are not separate, and never were. The indigenous knew it, and now the “modern” world is beginning to wonder.

Blessed is the Human Being who understands that what they think, do, and intend, actually drives the reality of the dirt of the planet!

Surfer knocked out by whale at Bondi Beach

The Daily Telegraph, Peter Bodkin, July 8, 2013

Bishan Rajapakse in St Vincents Hospital after he was knocked unconscious 

by a whale while surfing at South Bondi Beach, Sydney. Picture: Gregg Porteous

Source: The Daily Telegraph

TALK about a sting in the tail. Surfer Bishan Rajapakse was lucky to be pulled from the waves with only a headache and sore shoulder after he was knocked unconscious by a southern right whale yesterday.

The 38-year-old hospital emergency unit doctor was heading back to the beach at Bondi about 10.30am when he saw "a big, black shadow" as the whale surfaced near him.

"Some other surfers were quite close to it and I remember wondering to myself about that tail - I thought 'Wow, this could just go and knock us all out'," he said.

The next thing Dr Rajapakse remembers is lifeguards treating him on the sand. Lifeguard Anthony "Harries" Carroll said: "The whale has lifted his tail and it's come down and struck the (surfer) on the head and knocked him out."

Mr Carroll said the force of the impact had punched a "large-sized ding" in Dr Rajapakse's surfboard.

"This could have been a major incident, a fatality, so for this guy to walk away with minimal injuries ... he's probably the luckiest emergency doctor to end up in emergency," he said.

Surfer Tony Spanos said the whale had made a "huge turn" and come out of the water directly underneath a group of surfers, knocking him off his board. He saw Dr Rajapakse get knocked out.

"I had to go under and quickly pull him out from underneath, from going down," he said.

A whale surfaces near surfers at Bondi Beach. Picture: John Brawley
Source: Supplied

St Vincent's head of emergency Gordian Fulde said Dr Rajapakse - who works at Wollongong Hospital - was fortunate not to have any broken bones but he remains in hospital for observation to see if he had suffered any underlying damage from the "unbelievable accident".

National Parks and Wildlife whale expert Geoff Ross said southern right whales were known for liking shallower water - and for their unpredictable behaviour.

"Whales are generally not aggressive animals but they will defend themselves - they can see people in the water as a potential predator," he said. "Like all wild animals, you need to respect them and their position in the ocean."

Swimmers and surfers are banned from going closer than 30m from whales in NSW waters.

Girlfriend Sanna Lundmark had been waiting on the beach when she saw people huddled around Dr Rajapakse. "I saw his feet and they didn't move. I was really worried ... then I saw him talking," she said.

Dr Rajapakse said the incident would not put him off surfing. "I think if I saw a whale again I'd probably tell other people just to hold back. I guess I've got the evidence to say things can go wrong."

Related Articles:

"The Akashic System of Remembrance" - Sep 2010 (Kryon Channelling) - Reference to Whales/Dolphins/Animals > 28:00 min

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: The Humanization of God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.) 

Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age – Jan 19, 2012 (Matthew Channelling by Suzy Ward)

“… The cetaceans’ spiritual mission, to embody in huge bulk and inhabit your oceans where they absorb and anchor the light beamed to the planet from distant civilizations, soon will have been fulfilled.  These whale and dolphin souls, which species-wide are the most highly evolved spiritually and intellectually on your planet, will soar to their original light stations when they leave physically, but they will continue to grace your planet with their love energy. ”

Indonesian fishermen find body of American surfer

The Jakarta Post, Associated Press, Jakarta | Fri, 07/29/2011

Washed ashore: This May 2008 file photo provided by family friend Maurice
 Mitchell shows Daniel Bobis on his wedding day in Point Lookout, N.Y. Bobis,
 32, a math teacher and coach at Long Beach High School in New York,
 disappeared during an apparent surfing accident off the coast of western
 Indonesia on July 24, 2011. Local fishermen say they found his body about 20 miles
 (30 kilometers) from where he's last been seen.  (AP/courtesy of Maurice Mitchell,
Allison Caviness)

Local fishermen Thursday found the body of an American surfer who went missing last weekend in waters off western Indonesia.

Daniel Bobis apparently hit another surfer's board after emerging from the barrel of a powerful, 10-foot (3-meter) wave. His leash broke and his board washed to shore. A member of the search and rescue team said Bobis' body was found about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from where he'd last been seen.

Bobis, 32, was a math teacher and coach at Long Beach High School in New York. He had been vacationing with his wife, Rachel, on Sumatra island. She did not wish to comment.

Friends in Long Beach, a seaside community on Long Island, said Bobis had seemingly boundless energy. He played drums in a band, taught karate and was an environmental activist. At the school, he started a competitive surf team and was head coach.

"Everybody's mourning," said Teresa Greifenberger, 53, whose son Jonathan is on the surf team.

School staff members were calling bereaved students to let them know counselors were available, she said. Some of the surfers were planning to paddle into the surf Thursday evening and observe a moment of silence, she added.

Sean Pearsall, 32, called Bobis a close friend. He said the news was devastating but there was a measure of relief that his body was found.

"He was such a staple in the community," he said. "There were just so many people whose lives he touched. He did more in 32 years than most people do in 80. He definitely lived his life to the fullest and that's how he was every day."

His friends are planning a benefit for the family in September. Pearsall said they already had an overwhelming response from individuals and businesses eager to donate items for a raffle.

"He knew the power of the ocean," Pearsall said, adding that Bobis was an extremely experienced surfer and swimmer.

"It just goes to show you that Mother Nature calls the shots, unfortunately."

Australian charter boat rushes to surf camp after tsunami

News.com.au, By Fred Pawle and Sallie Don, October 26, 2010 5:31PM

The Southern Cross has gone missing with nine Australians on board

• 7.7-quake hits Indonesian islands
• Aussie charter boat hit by 3m wave
• Fears for nine missing Aussies
• Volcano watch: Red alert for eruption

THE father of an Australian surfing guide missing after a powerful undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia says he hopes his son is simply out of mobile phone range.

Chris Scurrah, formerly of Melbourne, was the skipper on board the Sumatran Surfariis charter boat Southern Cross when the 7.7-magnitude quake hit Kepulauan Mentawai, off Sumatra's west, last night.

Missing Southern Cross skipper Chris Scurrah
/ Facebook

A staff member of the Padang-based company said the Southern Cross has not made contact since the quake.

"There is one boat that we haven't been able to make contact with, the Southern Cross," Yuli, a staff member of the Padang-based company said.

"Among the passengers there are nine Australian citizens."

On board are Chris Scurrah, his fellow skipper Akinori Fujita from Japan, and eight other Australians.

Chris's dad, Hal Scurrah, said he had yet to hear from his son but hoped to have contact soon.

"My feeling is that he's possibly out of range, and hopefully he's all well," Mr Scurrah said.

"I keep watching news, and I keep trying to text him or contact him on Facebook. He'll have a laptop with him.

"Generally he's not out of contact for a long time because often they will go into a sheltered spot or into a local town for supplies. That's when they can make contact, too."

Chris Scurrah survived last year's 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia, texting his family that he was running inland after the quake hit Padang, home to nearly a million people on the coast of Sumatra.

More than 1100 people were killed during the quake last October.

Mr Scurrah said the family was used to his son being in dangerous situations.

"(It's) something we sort of live with," Mr Scurrah said. "We're always on our toes."

Mr Scurrah said he hoped his son was north of the area hit by the quake, as that was generally the direction he headed on surfing adventures lasting between 12 and 14 days.

"I think he's probably been out for three or four days," he said.

"Hopefully, he should be making contact pretty soon."

But Surfaid's Mentawai Islands Program Manager Tom Plummer said the missing boat had been close to the quake's epicentre.

"There are genuine fears," he said.

The Sumatran Surfariis charter boat company says it has not been able to contact its boat Southern Cross since the 7.7-magnitude quake hit Kepulauan Mentawai, off Sumatra's west, last night.

Earlier, another Australian charter boat was rushing to the surf camp at Macaronis Resort to find out what damage was inflicted by a tsunami that hit the region last night, The Australian reported.

The camp is at a break known as Macaronis, in the southern Mentawais.

Three boats were anchored nearby last night. Two of the boats were smashed into each other by the tsunami.

The Southern Cross has gone missing with nine
Australians on board / Supplied

One, the Midas, was destroyed. All passengers - mostly Australian surfers - are safe and accounted for.

Charter boat Freedom III is on its way to the Macaronis Resort to see what damage was inflicted, and whether the guests had been injured.

“Freedom III is on its way there now, to do its duty of care,” said World Surfaris manager Shaun Levings. “We’re still waiting on a report.”

Asked if he was concerned about the resort, Mr Levings said: “Absolutely. It’s not looking too good for them.”

The Macaronis Resort is owned and run by Australians. “The owners have put years of work in building this beautiful resort,” Mr Levings said.

Related Articles:

Australians Recount Terrifying Indonesia Tsunami Ordeal

Australian yacht safe after losing contact

Hundreds of houses hit by tsunami wave in West Sumatra

Jeren Kiring crowned junior surf champion

The Jakarta Post, Tim Hain, Contributor, Kuta | Fri, 04/30/2010 12:25 PM

Thirteen-year-old Jeren Kiring claimed the 2010 Rusty GromFest Series Under 16 Division top place at Kuta Beach.

As the Under 16 Series champion, Kiring receives an all expense paid trip to Australia.

In Australia he will compete with other international GromFest winners in the 15th Annual Rusty GromFest at Lennox Heads this coming July.

It will not be his first trip abroad. This budding young surf star has been to Australia before and traveled to New Zealand in January to participate at the ISA World Junior Surfing Championships with the Indonesian Junior Surfing Team.

In the previous two events of the three-part Rusty GromFest series, Kiring surfed to second place at both Keramas Beach and Canggu Beach, putting him out in front of the series point standings to be selected to compete at the final Kuta Beach event.

On the beach after competing, Kiring said he was overjoyed.

"After coming second place at Keramas and again at Canggu, it feels good to get first place to end the series," Kiring said.

"Then to take the Under 16 division series victory and be invited to go to Australia is perfect."

If this young man keeps up his pace, he has the potential finish the 2010 season as the Coca-Cola ISC Junior Tour Champion.

In the Under 14 division, the day belonged to Nyoman Alit.

The overall Under 14 division series win, however, was taken by Komang Sastrawan.

Sastrawan was placed third at the Keramas event and finished second at Kuta Beach.

Sastrawan was also one of the recipient's of the Coca-Cola Youth Encouragement Award.

The award also came with a custom-made surfboard for his performance at the Keramas event.

All finalists received prizes such as Rusty branded clothing and accessories, and Sony Ericsson cell phones.

They also received Creatures brand board grips and leashes, free surfboard art and repairs from Freedom Surf shop among other products from event sponsors Sabre, Macbeth, Stomp, Zinka and Walls.

The Rusty GromFest Series Bali 2010 was part of the Coca-Cola ISC Junior Tour and is a yearly event created by Rusty to help develop surfing in Bali and throughout Indonesia.

Surfing Made Awan wins Oakley Pro 2010 at Canggu Beach

The Jakarta Post, Tim Hain, Contributor, Canggu Beach, Bali | Thu, 04/08/2010 11:40 AM

Balinese surfer Made Awan has taken out the first event of this season’s Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour, the Oakley Pro 2010, after defeating Dede Suryana of West Java.

Awan received a Rp 10 million cash prize from Oakley and now sits at number one in the ISC Tour rankings, collecting a whopping 3,000 championship points.

He also received the Coca-Cola Best Maneuver Award for recording the highest wave score of the event, nabbing an extra bonus of Rp 1 million.

Back on the beach, drenched in a combination of Coca-Cola and San Miguel Light courtesy of the sponsors and his friends, Made was ecstatic, “I won. Thank God I won. I’m number one! The waves were so good and I had so much fun out there”.

When he heard he scored a 9 on his final wave, he said he knew he had a chance to beat his opponent Suryana.

“Last year I was up against Awan back at my home break of Cimaja in West Java, and I beat him just near the end of the heat, so I guess we are even now,” Suryana said laughing.

“The next ISC comp is in Sanur, so it will be very interesting because that is almost Awan’s home break. He is surfing really well and is a great competitor, so I’m happy for him that he won. We’ll see what happens next time though!” he added.

Suryana went home with a Rp 5 million cash prize and 2,750 ISC Championship points.

The competition was the fifth and final day of the Oakley Pro 2010, a six star rated Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour sanctioned event, the first of the 2010 Tour season, which took place at Canggu Beach, a few kilometers north of Kuta on Bali’s west coast.

Around 64 of Indonesia’s best pro surfers as well as 11 masters (35 years and older) surfers competed for prestige, prize money and points on some of the best waves in the world.

Prior to the Pro Final, four of Indonesia’s best masters surfers took to the perfect Canggu waves to compete in their final.

Coming back to the beach in first place was Wayan “Ompong” Budayasa, competing in his very first Master’s Division event. He also competed in the Pro Division but failed to advance beyond Round 3.

The next stop on the Coca-Cola ISC Tour will be the Rusty Rumble in Da Jungle at Sanur Beach with a waiting period starting on April 26 and ending on May 16.

Coca-Cola ISC Tour Pro Division

Made Awan (17.25 pts)
Dede Suryana (15.50 pts)
Marlon Gerber, Agus Frimanto

Coca-Cola ISC Tour Masters
Division
Wayan “Ompong” Budayasa
Ketut “Kombong” Juliarta
Made Lapur

Indonesian Kids Ride NZ Waves in Style

Jakarta Globe, January 22, 2010

Putu Anggara riding a wave. Putu finished second in the first U-18 heat, one of three Indonesians to advance. (Photo courtesy of ISC Tour/Tim Hain)

Indonesian kids proved that they could really ride the wave.

The first day of the ISA Quiksilver World Junior Surfing Championships in Piha, New Zealand, ended on Wednesday and three of the eight Indonesians advanced directly into Round 3, while the remaining five will surf in Round 2 on Friday in hopes of joining their teammates.

Jeren Kiring and Ediana Putra both put on impressive displays to nab second-place finishes in the Under-16 division, while Putu Anggara also finished second in the Under-18 division.

“It was really hard out there because the waves were all over the place,” Putu Anggara said in an ISA release after his heat. “I was lucky to get a nice right-hander that walled up so I could do a couple of turns.”

“I had no idea about my score because the wind was so strong I could only hear the final horn,” he added.

Jeren had a similar opinion about the day’s surfing.

“I was so happy when I heard I got second, because I didn’t hear anything out in the water. I was pretty busy out there,” he said.

Against a field of the top junior surfers in the world, and entering such a huge international competition for the first time, the Indonesian boys were doing a good job. Especially considering that they also had to battle against initial hurdles of money, visas and logistics just to get to New Zealand.

But several sponsors stepped in to allow the Indonesian team to compete in their first World Junior Championship.

Coach Tipi Jabrik was very pleased with the results.

“Considering that Indonesia has the lowest seeding, since this is our first time competing in this event, we did really good to get three of our boys into second-place finishes,” Tipi said.

The third round is on Saturday, while the finals are on Sunday.

Related Article:

Indonesia's Best Junior Surfers to Join World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand

Indonesia¹s Best Junior Surfers to Join World Junior Surfing Championships in New Zealand

Surfline, January 16, 2010

Ready to make history as the first Indonesian junior surfers to travel outside of Indonesia as a team to compete in a world junior championship surfing competition are Putra Hermawan, Putu Anggara, Agus Frimanto, Koko Mitsu Antara, Ediana Putra, Jeren Kiring, Sandi Selamet, and Oney Anwar.

Chosen for the honor of representing Indonesia in the 2010 ISA Quiksilver World Junior Championships based on their outstanding competitive surfing performances last year, these "best of the best" young Indonesian surfers ranging in age from 11 to 17 years old will fly from Bali to the city of Auckland and then travel to the scenic surf town of Piha to compete against the best Under 16 and Under 18 surfers in the world for the pride of their country. The event will take place from the 20th to the 28th of January 2010.

The last time Indonesian surfers participated in an International Surfing Association event was in 1996 at the ISA World Surfing Games held at Huntington Beach in California. Those surfers were Rizal Tanjung, Dully Ismael, and current Indonesian Team Coach Tipi Jabrik.

The only other time that an Indonesian team of junior surfers represented their country in an international event was at the Quiksliver World Grommet titles held at Kuta Beach in Bali in 1993. Rizal Tanjung, Pepen Hendrik, Wayan Wirtama, Tipi Jabrik, Dully Ismael, and Wayan Darmawan were among those that participated in that competition almost 17 years ago.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Tipi Jabrik and others, the Indonesian Surfing Federation (Persatuan Selancar Ombak Indonesia) has now become the ISA's National Governing Body for surfing in Indonesia, as well as has been officially recognized by the Indonesia Department of Sport (KONI) and the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI).

The result is that Indonesian surfing athletes may once again participate in international ISA events such as the World Junior Surfing Championships, the World Surfing Games, World Masters Surfing Championships, World BodyBoarding Games, and more. In addition, Indonesia can now lobby to host these internationally visible events and further develop their tourism industry, and Indonesian Surfing Championship (Coca-Cola ISC Tour) judges may now participate as judges in these events as well.

The funding for the Indonesian team's trip comes from the generosity of the surf industry and its supporters in Bali: Billabong Asia, Hurley, Oakley Indonesia, Quiksilver Asia, Rip Curl Asia, and Rusty Asia, Coca-Cola Bottling Indonesia, the Coca-Cola Indonesian Surfing Championship Tour and KCB Travel. In addition, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Nick "Chongee" Ngau-Chun in Piha for his tireless efforts, the incredible generosity of Fiona Anderson at the Piha Camp Ground for the lodging, transportation and meals for the team, and a special thanks to Ben Kennings of Surfing New Zealand for his help with sorting out the team's visa's.

Throughout the event you can find daily updates at www.isctour.com