An abandoned Taiwanese fishing boat smashed into the reef of the famous Balinese wave Padang Padang on the day of the Rip Curl Cup opening ceremony on July 12, 2008. The over 100+ ft ship wrecked around midnight and was found the next morning devoid of its crew that had apparently bailed well before it hit the reef.
Shortly after dawn that Saturday morning, alarmed local fishing boats had pulled up outside of the beached vessel whose hold of oversized catch including tuna, sharks, and mahi-mahi had begun to be pilfered. It is not certain whether the boat had proper permits to fish or even be in Indonesian waters.
Government officials and local police are investigating and have taken the matter into their own hands. There were no explosives or anything of a dangerous or illicit nature found on board, although rumor has it that the ship has been in trouble for illegal fishing in the past. No-one was hurt in the wreck.
This spells uncertainty for the Rip Curl Cup as the boat's final resting place is directly in front of the surfing takeoff zone at Padang Padang. Clemens, Rip Curl Asia's Marketing Manager, reports that the contest is still on as scheduled.
Concerned with the environmental impact, Rip Curl is in contact with the WWF and supporting a solution with minimal environment damage. "We are in touch with the local authorities pushing for the vessel to be removed before it turns into a potential disaster zone when the next big swell hits on Friday," said Jeff Anderson Rip Curl Asia's CEO.
Seeing that waves were still being surfed alongside the wreck, the spot is still rideable when small. How it will break once there is a double overhead plus swell required for Padang Padang to work is anybody's guess. Some say the backwash off the boat will be a debilitating factor. Others reckon the reef might be altered, changing the wave. Besides speculating at wave quality, everyone seems to agree that the ship brings imminent danger to competitors and freesurfers alike.
Shipwrecks in Indonesia are no new phenomenon. From trade route shipping blunders centuries ago to present day acts of maritime misfortune, such accidents still occur regularly. Besides marring Padang Padang's lineup, there is also concern of potential ecological hazards. The supply of diesel has been siphoned out but the oil inside still remains a worry, especially if the forecasted swell begins ramming into the boat

Life’s A Beach
The Wave, Kuta | July 20, 2008

Terkait dengan masalah perubahan iklim dan pemanasan global, Poppies Dog Foundation, OutSIDers Inc, dan GUS mengadakan sebuah acara pengumpulan dana untuk melestarikan pantai, terutama di Bali.
Acara dimulai sekitar pukul dua siang di sekitar areal Satgas Pantai Kuta dengan adanya beach clean up yang diikuti oleh berbagai komunitas, lomba melukis tempat sampah yang dilakukan oleh anak-anak sekolah, parade sepeda dalam rangka kampanye gerakan pengurangan emisi, juga pengumpulan dana.
Selain bertujuan untuk membangun kesadaran masyarakat untuk menjaga kelestarian lingkungan, juga mengajak mereka melakukan tindakan nyata dalam menyingkapi masalah lingkungan secara global.
Malamnya acara dilanjutkan di The Wave dengan adanya panampilan berbagai band seperti Superman is Dead, Discotion Pill, Ripper Clown, Izzy KMC, Joni Agung & Double T, Suicidal Sinatra, The Brews, dan Navicula. Acara malam ini juga merupakan peluncuran DVD Superman is Dead Australian Tour 2007. Juga diadakan penyerahan bantuan alat-alat musik dari earthartist.com untuk musisi Bali. Seluruh dana yang terkumpul di hari ini seluruhnya disumbangkan untuk pengadaan tempat sampah di sekitar Pantai Kuta untuk menjaga kebersihannya.

Hot Air 2008
Sanur | June 20-22, 2008

Photo courtesy of Rip Curl

What seemed like a quiet start roared into an awesome rocking final on the last day of Bali’s premier kite surfing event, Hot Air – 3rd edition put on by Stiff Chili and Blue Oasis Beach Club, sponsored by Rip Curl and Cabrinha Kites.
The event began with a 2,5 km marathon, starting upwind outside the Stiff Chili restaurant. In the light winds many struggled to make it round the first buoy in front of the Blue Oasis Beach club, but it was Kadek Pande who came in first (winning an 18 m Airush ‘Reactor’), followed by his brother Komang and Lollo in third place. The wind at this point began to drop unnervingly and as the water was ebbing away, subsequent events were postponed.
The next day took off in the most promising of ways as the judges’ tent went into a back flip on Semawang Beach in 17 knot winds just before competitors assembled for ‘son of marathon’ as race director Mario Bari says ‘the high wind allowed all 17 competitors to take part in all the disciplines, despite the size of their kites plus the generous number of prizes allowed to run another long distance event’. First place of this round of the marathon went to, second was Kadek Pande and third was Mike.
The water and wind was still there for the start of the freestyle section – 90 mins of tricks and turns including lovely handle passes from Komang, thrilling front and back loop transitions from Bernie and some sweet unhooked maneuvers from Kadek Pande, but there was not enough wind to finish the event so the remainder was put off until the next day.
As all 17 competitors charged from the previous day’s action, arrived by 8.30am, the second half of the free style section got underway early at the Blue Oasis Beach Club on the final day of the event. A blistering 20 knots helped Bernie with his stylish skills, followe by Komang and Ketut Kecil.
In the hang time event, competitors win for the longest time in the air – won by Lollo and separately for cumulative time in the air, won by Bernie, Putu Eka and Kadek.
The signature jump for cash event was for safety reasons postponed until the water went sufficiently down in order for the organizers to place the stiff chili at the appropriate height upwind to avoid any entanglement, so to enjoy the perfect conditions a free expression session was enjoyed by all in front of the Blue Oasis Beach club. It brought out the best and most impressive in all the competitors, wowing the crowd whilst international deejays played and food provided by Ryoshi was served. It took approx. 10 minutes for local favorite and previous winner, Putu Eka to win the 5 million Rupiah cash prize to finish off what was so far the best day for conditions for the event and setting a high standard for next year’s edition.