The Medewi Board Riders Challenge surf competition has returned to Medewi Beach (Pantai Medewi) in Jembrana after a four-year break. A total of 192 competitors, from children to adults, took to the water.
The heats took place over two days: qualifiers on Saturday, August 8, and finals on Sunday. There were six categories: grommets under 14, juniors under 18, open under 35, masters aged 40 and over, women’s, and longboard. The judges assessed board control, ride length, and power. The organisers announced a prize pool of 100 million rupiah.
Competitors came from Bali and Java, Nias and Sumbawa, as well as Medan. The organisers said the four-year break was due to a lack of funding for the tournament.
The competition has now been included in the programme of events marking the anniversary of Negara, Jembrana’s administrative centre, and the organising committee hopes to secure government funding next year. District officials say they want to make the tournament an annual fixture on the calendar.
Medewi is a left-hand point break on the west coast. Its wave is said to be the longest in Bali: rides can exceed one hundred metres at a moderate speed, making the wave easy to catch and leaving plenty of room for manoeuvres. The bottom is rocky, and at low tide the rocks come close to the surface. The wind also picks up in the afternoon.
In February, the Medewi Board Riders community closed the outer line-up to beginners: surfing the point without an instructor is not allowed, and learners may only practise in the inner zone near the shore. Surf schools in Bali offer lessons with instructors through MyBaliTrips.
Dea Natasya was among the women competing. In May, she won the World Surf League longboard event in Japan and became the first Indonesian woman to compete on the world tour. She has been surfing since the age of nine and has competed in Ecuador, Australia, and Japan.
This was her fourth time competing at Medewi. “The waves at Medewi are very good. I love competing here because the wave is long. The only issue is the wind,” she said.
Local and international tourists came to the beach for the final day, and the organisers said cafés and guesthouses near Medewi were noticeably busier than usual.
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