Padang Shipwreck Update

All chances to pull the boat off the reef were completely gone by Friday morning as a solid SW ground swell filled in over night. The combination of the morning high tide of 2.4 meters and the waves getting bigger and bigger by each set caused the boat to move closer to the cliff at Padang Padang, a good 30 meters from where it stood on the reef for more than a week.

Efforts to remove the boat were in action. Mainly from the ex-pat crew who call Bali's Bukit their home. Jon "Aquaman" was the leader of the operation and quickly went to hire a tug boat close by. 3 days after the boats arrival to Rip Curl's contest site, the tides look good and the swell looked promising, dead flat. Hopes of getting this toxic crash off the reef were looking good.

There were Indonesian police, Navy, Ocean Police, Military, Taiwanese Interpol, the owner of the boat, the supposedly murdered captains wife and child, and a group of concerned people who live close by. The smell of fish bbq changed in a matter of days to the smell of diesel and engine oil.

So the plan was to tug the boat off with a tug boat. The price, $2,000. Easy. The tide is high at 9am, the boat was to be there at 6 to get things ready. But then plans changed. Head of police says it's too dangerous to tug the boat off. And it's a crime scene so police have the authority. Money is brought into the equation, like it is so often in Indonesia. Cops want $3,500 to do the operation. So bribe money is coughed up. One day of bribe negotiations and day one of 2 days in a row with high tides and no swell is lost. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.

6am hits the clock and no boats to be found. Phone calls are made. Few officials are on site and even fewer surfers are showing up to lend a hand. Or an idea of how to get around this mess. Except for a few. ROLE (Rivers, Oceans, Land, Environment), a non-profit newly formed organization, has been on site since day one. Aqua-man is losing more hair my the minute, as he is the one leading the talks with Police, Military, and whoever else is trying to get their hand in the cookie jar. Rip Curl is standing behind everyone with their bank account ready to be emptied as months and months of labor and headache could be ruined. See, the cat is out of the bag. Rip Curl's famed CT event, "The Search" was supposed to be located directly where this boat is sitting. Now fishing nets, shark lines, diesel and oil take over the majority of the contest area. So Rip Curl was keen on doing whatever they could to help. .

Well let's get back on track. Aqua-man is running all over the place. He shows up to the Police Captains house and knocks on the door. The captain answers the door in his boxers and tells Aqua-man to come in. Coffee? Cigarette? "No, we just want to get this boat off the reef," exclaims Aqua-man, "the tide is gonna be too low soon."

And the tide did get too low. Although the captain did come through on his word. He got boats out there tugging it. The only problem is he got about 15 small fishing boats with at most 100hp on each boat. $3,500 down the drain, or into big boss' pocket.

So now it's Friday and the swell arrived. Boat got a pounding. Now the boat is located directly below the cliff. No longer a danger to hit when riding the wave, but the hull of the boat cracked pretty bad. Lots of oil and gas. The hot midday heat has got it evaporating into the air. But surfers are still out there.

Rizal, Bol, and Mega get a ride out on the lifegaurd boat. The smell of fumes seems like you sitting at a gas station. They jump off and paddle deep in the lineup. Benji Weatherley opts to walk out and survey the damage of the boat. He walks behind it and then tiptoes to the edge of the reef and jumps in. Rizal catches the first set. Barrel. Bol's on the next wave, barrel. Benji paddles for the last wave of the set and goes head first towards the reef. He comes up screaming. "My board is like a bar of soap!" He paddles over to the boat. "This is my life right now.Padang looks so fun and I gotta watch it from the channel. Not even catch one wave....ahhhhhhh!"

I feel Benji's board and it's true. Wax, tail pad...it's all slippery as a bar of soap. His body beads up as the water gathers in little pellets and beads down his arms. "I'm just gonna lay on my back and bronze," Benji tries to use humor to deflect his frustration. "It's like I just threw some cooking oil on me and paddled out."

But the waves kept coming and people somehow got barreled. How their skin or brain is feeling today I don't know. Which bring us to this. Are the top 45 in the world gonna want to paddle out in this? With J-Bay wrapped up and most of the tour on enroute as we speak, where will the contest move to? Swell on Monday, Swell on Friday, and a huge one out the back, stay tuned as things are going to heat up big time. Just remember not to light a match.

[Stay tuned for more updates from SURFINGMAGAZINE.com]

Reader Comments 

Posted Sun Jul20, 2008, 10:18 PM — By Aquaman

Nate, just to clarify.. I was not the leader of the operation by choice.. rather by default. I don't run a company here. I have Zero resources. I'm not Indonesian. I wasn't even in Bali until three days after the boat landed on the reef at Padang and you first reported it. And when I arrived back in the Bukit and saw the Boat sitting on the reef my first question to anyone was "what is being done to remove this boat before the next swell hits?" And guess what? Nothing. Zip. Nobody, not one of you who had known about this for days had moved an inch towards getting the removal process started.. In the end, I feel like we were a day late. A few of us tried everything we could possibly think of to get this boat off the reef before a swell hit, but we lacked a communal response that would have made a difference. So, ask yourselves this. Did I do everything I possibly could to help this situation turn out positive? I only know of 4 people who did. The rest of you guys, nate.. for lack of a bet

Posted Mon Jul21, 2008, 1:00 AM — By AuqaBarn

Don't cry Aqua Barn. Im sure everyone is trying their best to help the situation. Nobody is mad at you, you are just a aquabarn. Hope things get better over in Bali and just remember that you are a visitor of the island so have respect.

Posted Mon Jul21, 2008, 3:19 PM — By narrrrrrr

YEAH! All of you struggling to make a living throughout the world should be ashamed of yourselves! Move to Bali and feel like you make a difference while you take advantage of local workforce and resources...give me a break, this sucks but if it had happened in some remote island w out perfect waves we would have never herd about it.

Posted Mon Jul21, 2008, 3:54 PM — By Jimmy Jack russell

Just for fun, Lets get all conspiratorial here.... major contest which has been a roaring success since it started, making the parent company look like it shits gold.... rival company is getting the true stinky shit stains in its dacks .... and runs a bit of 1980s style sabotage.... totally and morally reprehensible, but not totally impossible

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 8:25 AM — By third

aqua man,u are beating a dead fish. none of us are salvage experts of getting 115 foot 30 ton boats off the reef. we got the fish off and fed the village,how would u have liked tons of rotting fish as well....sorry to say...that boat isnt going anywhere and no one can do anything about it.GET THE SHOT...or tell aqua babe to get down there and nail it!!

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 8:59 AM — By Miss

hey, guys, this is comin' from an indonesian point of view here, if u have all the money, and u really care, please do try what ever u can, cos definitely all the surfers and the surf company here based in Bali did all they can already to try to pull this thing off, but as always, there are always authority that u have to deal with and stuff. so if u think u can get that out and beat that out, please make your move!!! and be the hero!!!!!! yuhu,..... and we will love u forever and ever, and maybe give u some free fish, without having to get u to be in trouble by eating the evidence of the left over from whatever that is left from the poor fishing boat!!!!! Love u all, and peace surfing....... so long and thanks for all the fish :)

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 9:07 AM — By nate

Sorry Aqua Man. I didn't mean any harm in the story. But getting angry at everyone doesn't help much. People that do aid work can't point fingers at other people. You did what you did and others did what they did. And in the end that's what everyone lives with. The boat is still there. So be stoked that you put in your effort and tried 110%.

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 11:05 AM — By Nathan Lawrence JUST RUINED HIS SHORT LIVED CAREER

Nathan, you should be writing comic books, but as far as conveying any sort of truth, you obviously struggle. You may not realize what your funny little skit has done with your career, but I will say that in a matter of months you will learn. Some of the industries biggest boys are tied to our friend Aqua Man. We all know him well and trust him 100% because he spends everyday of his life helping those in need. As far as I am concerned your little comments are the type that come from a computer geek sitting behind a desk that does absolutely nothing to help others. Next time you the audacity to put someone down make sure you have your facts straight. Try helping someone in need, it's not as overrated as you think!!!!

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 9:07 PM — By AquaFriend

All the people who write in these little blogs are kooks!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't anyone surf anymore????

Posted Tue Jul22, 2008, 11:36 PM — By Glenn-O

I worked for a tugboat salvage operation. Getting a 150ft boat (probably a 300+ ton) off a reef like that is no small task and would take a tug and equipment that costs millions of dollars and a crew that knows how to do it. Not to mention floating equipment and many gas operated pumps to keep the water out with crew onboard operating them. This is not an operation for someone that has not done it before.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 2:43 AM — By Freddy

Pretty weak to call someone out and not even write your name. Coward.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 3:03 AM — By Kyle

This boat is not as big a deal as everyone hypes it up to be. So some diesel spills. A little engine oil. But look at all the people in Bali who throw their trash in the ocean. Or burn it. I doubt many people have proper septic tanks. So I think it's good the boat ran up on the reef. It's no longer long line fishing. And because it ran up at Padang it's creating talk and hopefully these fishing boats will stop pillaging the sea. From bad comes good.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 4:02 AM — By third

i think the article is good and pretty much spot on.aqua man is cool and he did his best....as for the guy who calls nate out ,calling him a computer geek ,do u even know nate?industry big wigs and aqua man....stop it...man up and sign your name.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 11:03 AM — By D.Hump

I thought I was the main guy in Bali...i would have got that boat off the reef.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 1:25 PM — By brokenbrook

Santa Cruz is gay the only good thing about is the throaty bong hits that go down. boat or no boat racetracks the shit, stop polishing a turd.

Posted Wed Jul23, 2008, 7:22 PM — By BoJangles

What a joke! Locals out surfing taking photos while a ship causes a natural disaster on your own beach. Anything for a $. And you smile away for the cameras while you steal all the fish. This looks like photos sluts to me then anyone actually caring about the environment!

Posted Fri Jul25, 2008, 7:54 AM — By hmmm

if you can't tug, why not drain the oils and gas and....etc... for now?

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