Patience paid off at the Simeulue Pro with organisers waiting two days and on a slight swell pulse, beginning today in excellent 3 feet surf at the famous break known as 'Dylans'.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the men's QS1,000 were completed in clean, high-performance waves that offered enormous scope for on face moves coupled with neat barrel sections, along with aerial opportunities.
Elliot Paerata-Reid throwing caution to the flats. - WSL / Rahmat R Ong
Elliot Paerata-Reid from New Zealand set the scene in Round 2 Heat 2. The powerful Kiwi was languishing in 4th place most of the heat, but remained calm and found his rhythm in the final ten minutes, posting two strong scoring rides and taking the win.
"On a small swell at the moment, but still this is a super fun wave and a great venue for a QS contest," said Paerata-Reid after his win.
"I made errors early in the heat while the other guys played safe and got reasonable scores and were way ahead of me, but I was always confident I'd find the waves and be able to win. It just took a little longer than I expected, but I feel good for the next round."
The standouts today included Japan's Kaito Ohashi who last week placed second at the Nias Pro and seems focused on other big result here.
Chris Zaffis is handy in the air and in the tube. - WSL / Rahmat R Ong
Indonesia's Dede Suryana put on a flawless display of power surfing to take an easy win while talented young Australian's Sheldon Simkus and Liam O'Brien were extremely impressive.
"It's surprising how much fun this wave is," said O'Brien who posted an excellent 8-point-ride to win the day's final heat.
"I'm sure when it's a little bigger it goes to an even greater level of quality, but I'm loving surfing it at this size and we should have great waves into the finals days."
Skip McCollough is hungry to improve on his 3rd place finish in Nias last week. - WSL / Rahmat R Ong
The event will begin early tomorrow, possibly with Women's Quarterfinals and then into Men's and if the surf remains good there's a chance the event could run through to winners across both divisions tomorrow.
With great waves all around the event site, the Simeulue Pro is proving to be a popular event as surfers and staff enjoy the paradise setting within the Aceh Province.
Simeulue Opening Ceremony - WSL / tim hain
An opening ceremony was also run today with everyone enjoying the cultural performances from the locals.
Surfers Score Big on Day 1 of Simeulue Pro
WSL
Patience paid off at the Simeulue Pro with organisers waiting two days and on a slight swell pulse, beginning today in excellent 3 feet surf at the famous break known as 'Dylans'.
Rounds 1 and 2 of the men's QS1,000 were completed in clean, high-performance waves that offered enormous scope for on face moves coupled with neat barrel sections, along with aerial opportunities.
Elliot Paerata-Reid from New Zealand set the scene in Round 2 Heat 2. The powerful Kiwi was languishing in 4th place most of the heat, but remained calm and found his rhythm in the final ten minutes, posting two strong scoring rides and taking the win.
"On a small swell at the moment, but still this is a super fun wave and a great venue for a QS contest," said Paerata-Reid after his win.
"I made errors early in the heat while the other guys played safe and got reasonable scores and were way ahead of me, but I was always confident I'd find the waves and be able to win. It just took a little longer than I expected, but I feel good for the next round."
The standouts today included Japan's Kaito Ohashi who last week placed second at the Nias Pro and seems focused on other big result here.
Indonesia's Dede Suryana put on a flawless display of power surfing to take an easy win while talented young Australian's Sheldon Simkus and Liam O'Brien were extremely impressive.
"It's surprising how much fun this wave is," said O'Brien who posted an excellent 8-point-ride to win the day's final heat.
"I'm sure when it's a little bigger it goes to an even greater level of quality, but I'm loving surfing it at this size and we should have great waves into the finals days."
The event will begin early tomorrow, possibly with Women's Quarterfinals and then into Men's and if the surf remains good there's a chance the event could run through to winners across both divisions tomorrow.
With great waves all around the event site, the Simeulue Pro is proving to be a popular event as surfers and staff enjoy the paradise setting within the Aceh Province.
An opening ceremony was also run today with everyone enjoying the cultural performances from the locals.
Simeulue Pro
Opening Rounds from the Inaugural Simeulue Pro QS1,000.
Farmer takes her second QS victory in a week while O'Brien his second in less than a year in pumping Indonesian surf.
Small, but perfect surf on the forecast for the start of Indonesia's newest QS.
Another Men's and Women's QS1,000 to be held in Indonesian perfection!
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