- WSL / Tim Hain
- WSL / Tim Hain

Day 1 of the 2018 Nias Pro WSL Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 began with flawless conditions and 6 ft. surf reeling through one of the worlds best point breaks. The morning pre-event session was used as a warm-up before the official opening ceremony took place.

By day's end, 8 Round 1 heats were completed in the solid 4-to-6 ft. surf which maintained quality all day.

Herbert Wau Herbert Wau on a Nias drainer. - WSL / Tim Hain

Dede Suryana is one of Indonesia's most accomplished and experienced international competitors and he felt comfortable taking a convincing Round 1 heat win defeating local Nias surfer Samosikha Wau.

"I have only come to Nias twice before, but I do love the wave. It is definitely one of the best in Indonesia and to surf, a WSL QS event here is pretty special " said Suryana. "The domestic QS events are the only events I compete in these days and I'm excited for the future of Indonesian surfing, as I see so many young guys and girls charging the waves and doing well in these international events - I believe an Indonesian can win here and I hope it's me."

Dede Suryana Dede Suryana belting the lip at Nias. - WSL / Tim Hain

The eight Round 1 heats today saw a lot of local Nias local surfers which included seven with the surname Wau. All related and part of a large Wau family here at Lagundri Bay, they demonstrated their skill and knowledge of the wave. Five of them have advanced to tomorrow's Round 2 heats.

Tomorrow's Round 2 will see top seeds Sheldon Simkus and Kaito Ohashi compete with conditions again expected to be outstanding in the morning. An early start at 7:15 am has been called to capitalize on clean conditions.

Opening Ceremony Opening Ceremony at Nias. - WSL / Tim Hain

Australian Gold Coast surfer Liam O'Brien is one of the top seeds and enjoyed one of the best rides of the day in the early morning warm-up session. He reflected the feeling of most of the international surfers at the event.

"What an incredible wave, to come and surf a QS event in - it's such a high-quality perfect barreling wave - I was super pleased to enjoy the extended warm-up session this morning and I look forward to competing tomorrow."

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