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Tom Lowe in Western Australia PHOTO: MICKEY SMITH
Rip Curl surfer Tom Lowe first ever Brit to the Padang Padang Cup in Bali
British surfer Tom Lowe has become the first ever UK surfer to receive an invite to the exclusive Rip Curl Cup held at the legendary wave of Padang Padang in Bali, Indonesia. Tom, who has been leading the charge of big wave riding in Britain over recent years, will head to Bali in July to compete against the world’s best tube riders on one of the planets heaviest waves.
In its seventh year, the Rip Curl Cup Invitational is the longest running contest in Indonesia and invites 32 of the world’s best barrel riders (16 Indonesian and 16 International invitees) to prove their skills, with previous competitors including Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Koby Abberton, Koa Smith, Luke Egan and last year’s winner Hawaiian Jamie O’Brien. The wave at Padang Padang is known as the ‘Balinese Pipeline’ for its deadly tubes that only work when the largest Indian Ocean swells storm into the shallow water, forming a wedging slab with almond-shaped barrels that run over a razor sharp reef and detonate just a few feet from jagged rocks. Tom will get the chance to surf Padang Padang with just one other surfer out, looking to perform with the eyes of the world upon him and show off the skills he has honed in the cold and hostile waters of Ireland.
James Hendy, Marketing Manager for Rip Curl SE Asia region said “Tom Lowe has constantly pushed the boundaries of British big-wave surfing, from holding his own on the North Shore of Hawaii to pitching his skills against Koby Abberton on the intense slabs of Western Australia, and dominating in the freezing and isolated waves of Ireland. Tom is one of the world’s best when it comes to barrel-riding so we’re stoked to have him involved in the contest.”
Hailing from St Ives in Cornwall, Tom made his name surfing huge waves at spots like Aileens and Riley’s in Ireland, pioneering one of the most inhospitable surfing environments on the planet and producing some of the most groundbreaking and intense footage to come out of Europe in the process.
Speaking about his invitation to the event, Tom said “It’s an amazing opportunity to surf against some of the world’s best surfers, I’ve looked up to these guys for such a long time so it’ll be incredible to surf against them in one of the most impressive contests in the world. I can’t wait to arrive and get started, Bali is a beautiful place and Padang Padang is one of the most perfect waves in the world, so it’s going to be insane to surf the place with only a couple guys in the water in front of the world surfing media.
Rip Curl has set aside a 5 week long waiting period to hold the “one-day, one-swell” event, ensuring the biggest swell with the heaviest waves. The contest window runs from July 25th to August 29th and the contest will be run entirely on the one chosen day. When contest directors see an ideal “Padang swell” in the forecast, they will give the green light and the 32 competitors will have 24 hours to make their way to Bali’s Bukit Peninsula.
Real-time contest status and updates can be found at www.RipCurl.com.
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