Afternoon swim at Padang

Spanish Rip Curl surfer Pablo Gutierrez was in Bali for the Rip Curl Cup. This was his first time surfing Padang. The swell was just arriving the afternoon before the contest and Pablo managed to get a taste of Bali perfection.

Koa Smith speed blur at Padang Padang

Here's Hawaiian Supergrom Koa Smith speeding through another Padang barrel. Koa surfed well in the Rip Curl Cup last week but was up against a pretty heavy crew in the line up. Here he's just snagging another sunset barrel while Jamie O is being drowned in Bintang's on the beach. Trophy in hand.

Jamie O'Brien wins the Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang

Everyone surfed incredibly, but Jamie O outdid them all. With 4 ten point rides on the day (2 in his round 2 heat), going switch foot in the barrel in round 3 and staying deeper longer all day, he was on a rampage.

The forecast was right on, the swell arrived big and on time and it was on.

It was the best surf competition I've ever seen. The massive barreling waves that came all day long, the format of a single day with 16 local pros and 16 International pros made it the most well-surfed and exciting event to watch.

Ten point rides, switchfoot barrels and the storybook sunset final between Made "Bol" Adi Putra (two-time winner) and Jamie O (renegade tube rider) in the green gold of the Balinese Pipeline. It was epic in so many ways.

more pics below

"Bol" found the best barrels of his life today. He's tucking in to another long one here in the final just before being comboed by Jamie O.

The WCT should take note, this is what the Dream Tour should be like. One day, perfect waves, no wasted heats and pit the best locals against the rest of the world's top 16. Every heat was stacked with well known talent. Heat 8 of round one was one of my favorites. Mikala Jones, Garut Widiarta, Rizal Tanjung and Jamie O'Brien all together. Ridiculous!

Mega Semadhi with arms wide open in his front yard.

I wasn't able to get access to the water for the event so I stationed myself at various points along the cliff throughout the day.
Here's a few shots from the day below. There will be more to come in the next week as I get through the day's take. (2000 images)

Laurie Towner in the quarter finals.

As always click an image for the large version. TR

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Rip Curl Cup: this weekend

Here's the overview of Impossibles down on the Bukit peninsula in Bali. It was a clear day, volcanoes visible and a solid swell arriving.

This weekend, if the forecast is right, should see this stretch of coastline absolutely going off. The Rip Curl Cup contest is on high alert. The sleeping giant of Padang Padang shall awaken. I'll be there.

Ready For Launch... Another Photography Blog

I've just launched a new photography blog. You won't find any surf photography over there though. It's about travel, portrait, architecture and animal photography. It's really intended as a place to share my stories from some current projects as well as anecdotes from my portfolio images. Of course, in the stories, I talk about technique and gear too. Check it out. Here

Shots published: Surf Time Magazine Aug-Sep issue.

Surf Time magazine in Indonesia published four of my shots in the current issue. Picked up a copy yesterday. It's a good looking magazine: glossy, nice layout and good writing. Stoked.

The Art of the Bailout: Bol

Bol explores the hidden beauty of a beach closeout. (click an image for a larger version)

There's been a lot of talk of "bailouts" this year. I shot this "bailout" recently and I think its worth talking about too. 

I'm a huge fan of Bali pro Made Adi Putra (aka Bol) he has such a smooth style in what can seem a ridiculous situation. Like a Ninja or a cat. 

An Empty Wave

(click an image for a larger version)

There aren't a lot of waves that go unridden here in Bali. This one came in under the radar in the shadow of a volcano.

Something in the Air: Dedi Santoso

Dedi Santoso stylin in Bali (click for large image)

Here's a nice shot of another Bali ripper. Dedi Santoso always has a smile on his face and one or two meters of air between his board and the wave.