Surfpolitik I Dream of Macaroni

In: Surfpolitik by Stu Nettle 20 Comments Wed 2nd May '12

Tags: mentawai , rizal tanjung , peter mccabe , macaronis , indonesia , neil ridgway , Rip Curl

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When Indonesian surfer, Rizal Tanjung, first made a mark on the international surf scene he was asked in an interview how long it would be till his countrymen would also make an impact. Surprisingly, Tanjung was coy about their ability to crack the world stage. Not due to their talent - after all, many Indonesians are exceptional surfers - but because of their inability to travel. Tanjung recalled his early days in Australia under the tutelage of Peter McCabe longing for rice meals and other comforts of home.

More than ten years on there still aren't many Indonesian surfers known beyond their country, though they now have another reason to stay home. Two fledgling surfing tours, the Indonesian Surfing Circuit (ISC) and the Asian Surfing Circuit (ASC) provide a very good incentive to opt out of long-haul international travel, and the Indonesian Surfing Circuit in particular is going to the sort of waves the Dream Tour once did.

Last night Rip Curl announced a new competition sanctioned by both tours: The Rip Curl Pro Mentawai will be held at Macaronis from the 23rd - 30th May. Macaronis is one of the most consistent and best shaped lefthanders in the world and an ideal competition wave with an outside barrel and an inside section that horesehoes around the reef. 

Upon hearing the news the first thing I thought was 'webcast'. Would Rip Curl film the competition and beam it live to the wider world the same way they do their World Tour competitions? If Macaronis was six feet and firing I wouldn't care who was surfing, I'd tune in to watch it live as I'm sure many others surfers would too.

Unfortunately that won't be the case, at least not this year. "We'll probably go with high impact highlights packages on this one," said Rip Curl Advertising & Group Chairman, Neil Ridgway. I then asked him if webcasting from the Mentawais was even possible considering their isolation and lack of infrastructure. "You can do it, and we know how," though he wouldn't elaborate on when it would happen except to say that the Rip Curl Pro Mentawai fits into their "long term planning."

Long term planning. Was that a hint that Rip Curl has bigger designs on the archipelago? A WT event perhaps? Ridgway neatly evaded my not-so-subtle questions pointing out that Rip Curl sponsor the final event in the ISC calender, the Rip Curl Surf and Music Festival at Kuta, and also the Padang Padang Cup, an invitational with a month long waiting period. They're putting a lot of energy into domestic events, showcasing the Top 32 in Indonesian waves doesn't appear to be a priority yet.

But back to the Rip Curl Pro Mentawai: As expected the local Mentawai government view it as an excellent way to promote surf tourism with the attendant economic effects helping the poverty-stricken region. For their part Rip Curl will, for the duration of the event, be working in nearby Silabu building toilets for each household. They'll also plant native trees to offset the carbon footprint of the comp and replace trees lost during the October 2010 tsunami.

The Rip Curl Pro Mentawai will be held from 23rd - 30th May, 2012.

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