International Surfing Competition Held At Amban Beach, Manokwari, West Papua

JAKARTA - The West Papua Provincial Government together with the Indonesian Wave Surfing Association (PSOI) held an international surfing competition in 2024 at Amban Beach, Manokwari Regency, for five days on December 1-5, 2024.

Acting Governor of West Papua Ali Baham Temongmere in Manokwari, Sunday, said the international scale event was an effort by local governments, both local provinces and regencies, to encourage the development of tourism potential.

"Each district in West Papua has specific potential, and Manokwari has the potential for surfing," said Temongmere, as reported by Antara.

He admitted that the promotion of the potential for wave surfing or surfing has not been carried out massively, even though the implementation of the international scale event has presented 40 athletes from seven countries and a number of regions in Indonesia.

International athletes participating in the Manokwari World Surf League Series QS1000 Mens, Women and Junior from Japan, Australia, Malaysia, France, the United States, Britain, and Spain after signing a collaboration with PSOI.

"Later every year the surfing event will be held even better, and it needs to be improved in promotional strategies," said Temongmere.

Acting (Plt) Head of the West Papua Tourism Office Yakobus Basongan explained that the local government has considered establishing wave surfing competition as an annual event to promote tourist destinations.

This has a positive impact on the efforts of local governments to increase the number of tourist visits to the West Papua region, and later the implementation of the wave surfing event will be thoroughly evaluated in order to determine the increase in levels.

"If the level can go up from QS1000 to QS3000 to QS5000, then more and more international surf athletes can participate," said Yakobus.

According to him, the potential for wave surfing is not only in Manokwari but other districts such as Fakfak, Teluk Wondama and Kaimana, but needs to be identified directly by the Asian Surf Cooperative (ASC) as a professional surfing organization.

Therefore, the provincial government also invited regional heads throughout West Papua to attend the opening of an international surfing competition on Amban Beach, Manokwari, so that they could present their respective potentials.

"But unfortunately, regional heads from five districts were not present. Everyone has potential except the Arfak Mountains and Bintuni Bay," said Yakobus Basongan.