The 2012 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang is ON!

A massive southwest swell has lit up the southern coast of Bali, and the waves are pumping into Padang Padang! Heat 1 is now in the water: Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii), Asher Pacey (Australia), Putra Hermawan (Nusa Lembongan), Mega Semadhi (Bali). Stay tuned all day for photo and video highlights!

IndoSurfLife.com | August 9th, 2012 | Padang Padang, Bali – The 2012 Rip Curl Cup Invitational at Padang Padang is now ON. A massive southwest swell has lit up the southern coast of Bali, and the waves at Padang Padang have finally reached the world-class caliber required to run “The Ultimate Tuberiding Contest.” Thirty-two of the best barrel riders in the world, including Jamie O’Brien (Haw), Rizal Tanjung (Bali), Chris Ward (Calif), Lee Wilson (Bali), Ozzie Wright (Aus) and the event’s first-ever female competitor, Bethany Hamilton (Haw), have gathered at Padang and are prepared to battle it out.

The drama begins at 9 am Thursday morning with Heat 1: Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii), Asher Pacey (Australia), Putra Hermawan (Nusa Lembongan), Mega Semadhi (Bali).

You can now watch all the surfing action from the Rip Curl Cup on the contest website. Heat highlights, including interviews with the surfers, and photos will be available on the website all day today. See it all at: www.asia.ripcurl.com/padangcup12

A TV news feed of the Rip Curl Cup will also be available for download and free use after the championship final, at approximately 10 pm (local time). The news feed will feature footage of all the day’s surfing action, the awards presentation, interviews with the local and international surfers, and generic Bali and beach lifestyle footage.

Official 2012 opening-round heat draw:

Heat 1: Jamie O’Brien (Hawaii), Asher Pacey (Australia), Putra Hermawan (Nusa Lembongan), Mega Semadhi (Bali).

Heat 2: Kevin Bourez (Tahiti), Bobby Hansen (New Zealand), Rahtu Suargita (Bali), Made Lana (Bali).

Heat 3: Ry Craike (Australia), Pepen Hendrik (Bali), Lee Wilson (Bali), Dylan Lightfoot (South Africa).

Heat 4: Mustofa Jeksen (Bali), Ryan Hipwood (Australia), Bethany Hamilton (Hawaii), Wayan Gobleg (Bali).

Heat 5: Rizal Tanjung (Bali), Garut Widiarta (Bali), Ian Cosenza (Brazil), Mikala Jones (Hawaii).

Heat 6: Tom Lowe (England), Jesse Merle-Jones (Hawaii), Marlon Gerber (Bali), Darmaputra Tonjo (Bali).

Heat 7: Betet Merta (Bali), Chris Ward (USA), Dean Brady (Australia), Dede Suryana (Java).

Heat 8: Flynn Novak (Hawaii), Bol Adi Putra (Bali), Raditya Rondi (Bali), Ozzie Wright (Aus).

About the Rip Curl Cup

Now in its ninth year, the Rip Curl Cup Invitational at Padang Padang is Indonesia’s longest-running surfing competition and the only ISC tour event featuring top international surfers alongside Indonesia’s best. The field of 32 surfers is split equally between 16 of Indonesia’s all-time greatest and 16 of the world’s best barrel riders. This invitational format, along with the allure of the wave at Padang and a $10,000 prize purse, makes the Rip Curl Cup the most anticipated event of the Indonesian surf season.

For 2012, Rip Curl has extended the event waiting period to a grand total of six weeks to ensure catching an epic swell for the “one-day, one-swell” event. This year’s window will run from July 15th through Aug. 26th and the contest will be run entirely on the chosen day. When contest directors see an ideal “Padang swell” in the forecast, they will give the green light and the 32 competitors will have 24 hours to make it to Bali’s Bukit Peninsula.

Real-time contest status and updates can be found at: www.asia.ripcurl.com/padangcup12

See the 2012 Rip Curl Cup event trailer below: