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Indonesian Surfers Dede Suryana, Pepen Hendrik, and Made Awan Go Big at Garuda Indonesia Travel Scene Pro JPSA Comp in Keramas

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  Dede Suryana

  

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  Pepen Hendrik

  

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  Made Awan

  

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  JPA Winner

  

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  JPA Indo Winner

  

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  HeatDraw

  

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  Dede Suryana

  

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  Dede Suryana

  

14 April 2009, Gianyar-Bali, Indonesia:  At the end of the fifth and final day of the Garuda Indonesia Travel Scene Pro Japan Professional Surfing Association contest at Keramas Beach on Sunday the 12th of April, three of Indonesia’s best pro surfers all finished with spots on the podium, surfing against some very strong Japanese competitors in superb wave conditions.

Each year Bali plays host to a JPSA pro surf contest, this year named the Garuda Indonesia Travel Scene Pro, at the black sand beach of Keramas on the East Coast of Bali.  After four days of mediocre wave conditions, the morning light revealed the refreshing sight of 3-4 foot roping barrels breaking over the ragged lava reef, giving the surfers a real chance to bust out their most radical tricks for the judges. 

Long barrels, huge gouging cutbacks, radical vertical maneuvers, and aerials punctuated the JPSA Men’s quarter, semi, and final heats.  Indonesia’s Pepen Hendrik, the 2004 Indonesian Surfing Champion who at 32 years of age still surfs on both the ISC and the JPSA Tours, barreled and slashed his way into to a 3rd place finish against the much younger Japanese competition.

After the Men’s and Women’s finals, a select group of 8 Indonesian surfers were invited to compete against their Japanese peers in what was called the “Bali-Japan Friendship Game”.  Last year’s 2008 ISC Champion Dede Suryana from West Java headed up the group that included young rippers Garut Widiarta, Mustofa Jeksen and Raditya Rondi from Kuta, Robot Susiana and Putra Hermawan from Nusa Lembongan, and was rounded out by veterans Made Awan (Serangan) and Dedi Santoso (Kuta).

There was many a brilliant display of competitive surfing during the hotly contested event, with the boys going all out for that top spot on the podium and to claim victory for the national pride of their country.  Dede “Who’s your Dede” Suryana left no doubt in anybody’s mind that he wanted that top podium spot all to himself, busting out airs, tubes, and huge hacks to bring it all home in the final.  Second and fourth spots when to the Japanese guys, while Made Awan did himself proud with a third place finish, getting in some air time of his own.

The Sunday festivities concluded at the Istana Rama Hotel with the awards presentation and dinner around a big pool, which naturally resulted in a lot of empty Bintang’s and a lot of wet and stoked people having a great time! 

Text and Photos:  Tim Hain