Hardy takes victory at inaugural Nias event

Margaret River’s Willow Hardy claimed the women’s title at the first Nias Utara International Surfing Competition in Indonesia last week.

In the best wave conditions of the event, the final day of competition saw Hardy take the win alongside men’s winner, Made Pajar Ariyana (IND).

Hardy endured a hard fought final battle with Anne Dos Santos (BRA), Giada Legati (ITA), and Hanasuri Jabrik (IDN).

Dos Santos scored the highest wave score of the final, an 8.33 (out of a possible 10), but Hardy was always on the best waves during the final and put up great scores to come out on top.

“Since I was already in Indonesia at Krui for the contest, and this opportunity came up, it was hard to say no to trying a new spot,” said Hardy, who was in Afulu with her father Gene, who also competed in the event.

“I had no idea what the place was going to be like, if we would be sleeping in tents or what the waves were like.

“We heard it was a bit like the jungle, but the wave looked really good, so we decided to come.”

Hardy praised the pristine conditions on offer.

“The waves here are pretty similar to home, with beachbreaks and lots of left hand reefs, but the water much warmer here,” she said.

“I feel so stoked, so grateful to be able to surf with my friends here, and to win in such great waves.

“The wave here can be so perfect…even when it was small it lines up really nice, with barrel sections, turns, a bit of rock dodging going on.

“In the final I got such a good rhythm going, I got so many good waves, it was amazing,” she said.

In the Men’s Division, Bali’s Made Pajar Ariyana was always the one to beat, scoring an almost perfect 9.50 points (out of a possible 10) and the highest total heat score of the event with 18.33 points (out of a possible 20) in his Semifinal heat for a series of barrels, turns and a straight air on the end section that was almost on dry reef.

He would go on the win the final against fellow Bali competitors Made Dera, Made Joi Satriawan, and Takuto Ohta from Japan.

“The set waves were so good today, just perfect,” he said.

“I just had to wait on priority, catch the good ones, and surf my best.

“My best waves were in the semifinal, I even got an 8.5, but in the final I got a few good ones also that I could do some snaps, a few carves, and other manoeuvres.”

A total of 39 male and 8 female competitors competed in the first ever international surfing competition in North Nias, with Indonesians locally from Afulu, Sorake, and Gunung Sitoli and also from West Sumatra, Mentawai, and Bali, along with international competitors from Australia, Basque Country, Brazil, Canada, Canary Islands, Italy, Japan, Switzerland, and the USA.