3 December 2011, Terengganu-Malaysia: It was a very full day of competitive surfing today at Batu Burok Beach, highlighted by some exciting aerial surfing by some of South East Asia’s best professional surfers including Indonesia’s Raditya Rondi, whose amazing air 360 earned him the highest single wave score of the day, 8.5 points out of a possible 10, as well as the highest heat score of the day, 15.83 out of a possible 20. Rondi current leads the points standings as the number 1 ranked surfer on the Asian Surfing Championship tour.
The waves were great out there, said a grinning Rondi. There were lots of good sections and so I just went for it. I really like this beach break and am having a great time here in Malaysia. I’ve been to Malaysia before but never up here to Terengganu, and I’m so glad I made the trip. It's fun to meet and surf with the locals here.
Fellow Indonesian’s Dede Suryana and Made Darmayasa also took to the air at every opportunity, to the delight of the crowds on the beach who had never seen this level of surfing before at their local beach.
After 20 heats of the Men’s Open Division were run today, the field has been narrowed down with only the semifinals left to run tomorrow. Still in the hunt for the prize money and a place on the podium are 8 surfers, from Indonesia, the Maldives, and Japan.
The day started off with the Master’s Division (over 35 years of age) contestants taking to the 2-3 foot glassy waves and proving that age has no effect on the stoke and motivation to compete, with Australia’s Sean Gilhooley posting the highest score of the morning to advance into the semifinals. Competing with him tomorrow in the semifinals will be two surfers from Thailand and five surfers from Malaysia.
Yesterday saw the Women’s Division and the Bodyboard Divisions competing through to the semifinals, so tomorrow will see all divisions competing from the semifinals through to the finals.
After the Men’s Open quarterfinals had finished in the late afternoon, Quiksilver pro surfer Ry Craike put on an expression session for the crowd, being towed behind a jet ski and launching high into the air, then he and team riders Tipi Jabrik, Made Darmayasa, Sandi Selamat and Devis Ratif did a meet and great and poster signing to wrap up the full day of excitement on Batu Burok Beach.
To watch the video highlights of yesterday’s action click on http://www..youtube.com/watch?v=drXHQAA-Prk
The Terengganu Quiksilver Best Event Surf Contest 2011 is a 3-star Asian Surfing Championship event, stop number 7 of 8 events in the ASC’s inaugural 2011 season. The contestants will be competing in 4 divisions of competition, Men’s Open, Women’s Open, Master’s Open, and Bodyboard Open, with a total combined prize pool of over $10,000 USD (RM 31,000) coming from the State Government of Terengganu. In addition to cash, the finalists will also be receiving trophies and prize packs from Quiksilver, Roxy and other sponsors, as well as valuable ASC Championship points.
Though not widely known as a surfing destination, Malaysia’s east coast is rife with points and beach breaks that can offer up super fun and high performance waves when the South China Sea turns on its charm during the Monsoon Season months of October through March each year. This time of year is typically quiet along the coastal beaches for non-surfers, but for those surfers in search of uncrowded waves the Surf Season is welcomed with great anticipation.
The Terengganu Quiksilver Best Event Surf Contest 2011 is sponsored by the State Government of Terengganu, Quiksilver, Roxy, the Ministry of Tourism Terengganu, Tourism Malaysia and the Marang Village Resort & Spa, in conjunction with event organizer EC Extreme. The Sumai Suite Hotel is the official hotel of the Terengganu Quiksilver Best Event.
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