Greetings From Padang Padang

This past Saturday, August 1, the waiting period for the Rip Curl Cup PadangPadang Invitational kicked of with small but perfect, reeling teasers. Lastyear this time, the 'CT Search event was gearing up to take over PadangPadang; an abandoned Taiwanese fishing trawler had run aground on the reefand spewed fresh sushi and toxic oil into the lineup; and Bruce Irons was,unknowingly, about to seal his retirement from the World Tour with a win tohis name. Action packed, we know. Well, things are still hot in Bali andwith this full 30-day waiting period to work with, there's no question thatthe Invitational will end in spectacular fashion. Stay tuned toSURFINGMAGAZINE.COM and RIP CURL for dailyhighlights and photos. Here's some fine imagery to remind you of the magicthat is surfing at Padang Padang. —Andrew Lewis