Opening Ceremony Kicks Off Rip Curl Cup 2017

Padang Padang is the sacred jewel of Balinese surfing, a rare gem where the next RIP CURL CUP 2017 will take place. Invited athletes and surf fans from around the world gathered last Sunday for the opening ceremony at Padang Padang, to bless the event with good waves, a safe competition and officially start the waiting period for the surf contest. The ceremony started off with a traditional Balinese Kecak Dance and went on to the prayer of the Balinese Gods for permission to hold the contest at this sacred spot. The standing only crowd gathered to watch the presentation and meet and greet several of the 16 invited surfers, including defending champion Mega Semadhi (IND). The opening ceremony marks the first day of the event’s one-month holding period, from July 10 – August 10. The event is on when it’s on, meaning that all 16 surfers – eight Indonesians and eight international surfers – are now on-call to be at Padang Padang within 24 hours’ notice if and when the event directors decide the waves are good enough. A series of Indian Ocean swells are forecasted to reach Bali in the coming weeks. According to Surfline, the first significant swell will reach on July 15-16, and a possible better swell is currently on the charts for the 20-22. Contest directors are monitoring these swells closely so stay tuned to www.ripcurl.asia for the latest event status.