Clear, golden, early morning skies greeted competitors and spectators alike as they approached the newly transformed beach that would host the Quiksilver Open, the 4th leg of the Indonesian Surfing Championships. The Quiksilver team had been working feverishly to set up the judging tower and grandstands to make all comfortable and give everyone the best possible viewing for what promised to be the highlight of the Indonesian Surfing Calendar. The Ocean fulfilled its part of the bargain too by providing perfect 1.5 metre glassy waves. The day began with a trials event with 14 hopeful competitors battling it out for 6 spots into the main event. The Cimaja surfers used local knowledge to their advantage by getting well positioned for the set waves and outclassing some of the more experienced surfers from Bali and other parts of Indonesia. Local Surfers, Jerry, Suparman and Cakra Yuda joined Muklis and Akung as the successful trialists to advance to the Quiksilver Open 2004. By the time the first round started the waves had jacked to 2.0m which really saw all competitors excel. Quiksilver team rider Dylan Amar performed some radical carves and aerial attempts to see him progress into the quarter finals where he met fellow Quiksilver Team rider Devis Ratif who was on fire! Devis, who eventually went on to win the event, was having some great luck catching winning waves in the dying seconds of his heats. The highlight of his second round heat was a great 3 second tube ride which is the ultimate in competitive surfing scoring very high points with the judges. One of Indonesia’s other top surfers, Rizal Tanjung, lost a fin on his favourite surfboard which saw him have to change his board mid-heat and frantically hop over the rocks lining the beach to find a replacement. He still managed to win that heat but unfortunately for him he was knocked out later in the day in the semi-final giving him an equal 5th finish. The conditions deteriorated as the day progressed but this didn’t stop Indonesia’s elite putting on a great show. Highly rated surfer, Made Adi Putra, surfed like a mad man, paddling and catching anything that resembled a wave in the dying swell and tough on-shore conditions of the final. Other finalists Ketut Suarta and Made Arta made the most of the decreasing swell but could only achieve low scoring rides, which was a shame as they both surfed extremely well earlier in the day. In a closely fought final, Devis came out on top by 1.4 points over Made Adi Putra.

Final placings :
1st Devis Ratif
2nd Made Adi Putra
3rd Made Arta
4th Ketut Suarta

Coinciding with the Quiksilver Open was the Roxy Jam competition, the first all girls surf competition in Java. Competitors from Australia, Japan, Singapore and Indonesia excited the building crowd with their skill and courage. This would have to be the first time a crowd this big had ever seen girls ripping up the waves. The conditions that, late in the day, were tough for the boys also plagued the girls. On top of that, the wave at Cimaja is challenging as it wraps along rocky boulders that line the point. The girls showed great courage to get amongst it like the guys. Madelaine Taylor of Australia was the standout of the Roxy Jam and took home the coveted trophy.

Final placings:
1st Madelaine Taylor ( Australia)
2nd Ayako Miyashita ( Japan)
3rd Herlani ( Indonesia)
4rd Jasmine ( Indonesia)

FURTHER INFORMATION AND PHOTOGRAPHS:
Deasy Hapsari
Email: deasy@quiksilver.co.id
Phone: 0361 751214