Rio Waida, a 22-year-old Balinese phenom, has reached uncharted territory for Indonesian surfing: He has earned a spot on the 2023 World Surf League Championship Tour.
Waida burst onto the global surf scene in 2019 by earning a spot at the sport’s debut in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He kept his momentum going in 2022 – currently sitting second on the qualification rankings that feed into the tour.
By passing his second-round heat at the EDP Vissla Pro Ericeira in Portugal, Waida secured enough points on the WSL Challenger Series to guarantee a top-10 finish and a berth on the 2023 Championship Tour.
Indonesia is known as arguably the best surfing nation in the world as far as wave quality and consistency. It has long been a rite of passage for any serious surfer to travel internationally and explore the countless world-class reef breaks littered throughout the archipelago.
But opportunities have been harder to come by for the Indonesian locals. In the nearly half-century since the inception of the professional tour, an Indonesian surfer has never qualified – until now.
We caught up with Waida to hear how it feels to write a new chapter in surfing history and what it means for more representation in the sport.
TGR: As the first Indonesian to qualify for the CT, how does it feel to make history for your country?
Rio Waida: I am just stoked that I did it. I have always dreamed about qualifying since I first saw pro surfers like Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning. I wanted to be like, surf like, and compete like them.
TGR: When did you find out you qualified? What was your reaction?
RW: My reaction was weird. I made my heat, but I was super mad about how I competed. I didn’t get good scores and I was selecting bad waves.
I got the job done, but I was mad. I came in to do the post-heat interview and they told me I qualified.
When I got back home I was so happy that I started to cry. Everyone started calling me and sending messages. I realized that I did it. It’s crazy.
TGR: What does your qualification mean for surfing in Indonesia? Could it open the door for others?
RW: Some kids in Indonesia tell me that they want to be like me. I hope they stay focused and try to become better surfers.
I know if I get good results I can convince the Indonesian government to support surfers more. So many kids don’t have enough money to travel, train, or hire a coach. I hope this leads to more government support.
TGR: What was the biggest challenge of pursuing a professional surfing career in Indonesia?
RW: Countries like America and Australia have been surfing for maybe 100 years. They have lots of pros on the tour, world champions, and coaches with experience.
We don’t have that in Indonesia. We’ve never been there. There are not many people who can teach me how to do it. I am lucky to have sponsors like Quiksilver and other pros who give me advice. They encouraged me to keep learning and get better.
TGR: On your Instagram, you said that you almost gave up on competitive surfing at one point. What happened?
RW: Before COVID, I was doing a lot of qualification events. I kept losing and I felt like competition wasn’t fun. I don’t enjoy it when I am losing and I didn’t want to surf bad waves anymore. If I were a free surfer I could surf the best waves and never hate surfing.
As I got older I realized that I needed to calm down and not be so hard on myself.
TGR: How did you get into surfing?
RW: I started surfing when I was 4 years old. My parents are bodyboarders, so I started with a bodyboard. Then I started to stand up on the bodyboard and my mom and dad bought me a surfboard.
At first I didn’t like to go deep into the ocean. I was scared. I had friends who liked to surf too, so eventually, I followed them to the outside.
TGR: How does qualifying for the Championship Tour (CT) compare to qualifying for the Olympics?
RW: It’s different. Both are hard. But I had been dreaming about the CT since I was a grom. The Olympics was something new, so I had never thought much about it. I’d say because of that I was happier when I qualified for the CT. I worked harder.
TGR: What’s next for you? How will you prepare for the 2023 CT season?
RW: I have two more events left this year in the Challenger Series. My dream came true, but now I want to stay in the top position.
Next year I will be on tour. It will be a totally different strategy. I need to work on bigger waves, ride bigger boards, and get my body bigger and stronger, too.
I am not expecting to finish in the top five in my first year. I want to learn as much as I can and get better every day.
Abe214
October 23rd, 2022
Congratulation. Goodluck. You desrve it.
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Joana
November 25th, 2022
Congrats, Rio from all of us here at www.cctv717.com You are amazing!