Team Nusa Lembongan Wins First Heat of Oakley Tag Team Challenge

3 April 2011, Canggu-Bali: In the final minutes of the one hour first heat/round of the inaugural Oakley Tag Team Challenge today at Canggu Beach in the pouring rain, Team Nusa Lembongan blitzed past rivals Pererenan, Legian, and Canggu to take the win.

2010 Coca-Cola ISC Champion Putra Hermawan was shivering with the cold but wore a big grin as he said “I’m so stoked for me and my team…it was hard work out there but we Lembongan boys always seem to do good here at Canggu. It’s our favorite beach outside of Lembongan! We had a massive fan club standing in the judging tower giving us support too, so it was a great morning even though the weather was bad.”

The Lembongan team consisted of Putra Hermawan, Agus Purnawan, Ediana Putra, Angga Mardiana, and Lhaerun. Runner up was the Legian team that was made up of Darmaputra Tonjo, Darmayasa, Dylan Amar, Jhi Prut, and Raju. Coming in third spot was the Pererenan team of Wayan Andika, Putu Swastika, Julio Rodriguez, Arya Wijaya, and Made Palguna, followed by the Canggu team of Jun, Moi, Gus Adi, Sodox and Pandu.

The next heat/round of the Oakley Tag Team Challenge will happen during the Oakley Pro Junior event at Canggu in August, with the grand final scheduled during the Oakley World Pro Junior event at Keramas.

The weather today varied from overcast from 7:00 am until about 8:30 am, to light drizzle and then a full on downpour with winds blowing the rain almost horizontal towards the end of the Tag Team event at 10:00 am.
Before the Tag Team event got going at 9 am, Mike O’Leary and his team from the R.O.L.E Foundation set up a display under one of the Oakley Tents and explained their mission in Bali and about their new initiative at the Oakley event to the attendees and the video crew. Shortly thereafter, Mike together with Oakley Surf Team riders Wayan “Robot” Susiana and Made Dewa Ardika took a paddle up the Canggu River to check it out. As Mike said afterwards, “It is indeed a dirty job, but somebody’s gotta do it! If we don’t, who will?”

The R.O.L.E Foundation in partnership with Oakley will be working to complete a number of pilot studies and initiatives with the goal of the implementation of a long-term program to improve the health of the waterways leading to the surf break at Canggu, such as:

• River mapping of the major tributaries leading to Canggu Beach
• Research to identify the type of waste, where it accumulates, and if possible it’s source
• Netting of the Canggu River
• Water Testing

According to a variety of swell forecasts, the swell should be picking up through this afternoon and be delivering some great waves for tomorrow’s continuation of the Oakley Pro 11 Open Division Round 2. Rain or shine, if the waves are pumping the boys will be in the water and ripping it up.

The contestants have been told to standby at Canggu Beach at 6:30 am, as the low tide is a .3m at around 5:00 am and rising to a 2.5m at 11:00 am.

Check out www.isctour.com/events/oakleypro11 for all the heat scores, heat draw, and more

The Oakley Pro 2011 is sponsored by Life, Extreme Toys, Firewire Surfboards, Skull Candy, San Miguel Light Beer, Lines Magazine, SurfTime Magazine, supported by GUS, the R.O.L.E Foundations, and is sanctioned by the Coca Cola ISC Tour and the Asian Surfing Championship Tour.

News and picture source: ISC Tour