Today’s participants in the Padang Cup will hardly be able to resist the temptation to drink IPAs. There were several delays due to the slow waves, and by the time they finally pulled the trigger, it was already after noon, a more than socially acceptable time to open a can on the Island of the Gods.

With the sea being rather lacklustre, the rankings remained unchanged between day one and day two, meaning Mason Ho, Joel Parkinson, Noa Deane and Made ‘Bol’ Adi Putra progressed to the men’s final based on points scored in the opening match.

Noz peaked when it mattered, pulling out some long cylinders in an otherwise calm ocean. 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson finished second but cleared cocktails before he could accept his award.

A big week for the Horse Star, who will premiere his new film in Australia starting Friday.

In the women’s category, the “Queen of Pipeline”, Moana Jones Wong, emerged as the winner, making it 2:2 for the Volcom crew.

Who said stones don’t emit magical frequencies?

But let’s call a spade a spade. Conditions were mediocre at best. Sideshore, calm and tweaky when thrown – which was a rarity.

According to an insider source the real reason The event was held at the end of the month due to a fast-approaching event permit deadline. With the added run time of the new women’s division, there were further constraints to holding the event in ideal conditions on a temperamental reef that is very sensitive to tides and wind.

Since they had already completed one round of the men’s competition, not finishing the competition would have unfairly discredited the scores they achieved on the first day. The sunk cost fallacy prevailed.

Perhaps RC should stick with the mixed divisions or consider reducing the number of men’s races if they want to continue to live up to the event’s slogan “It’s On When It’s On”.

That’s the nature of running ocean surfing competitions – they are ruthless and don’t give a damn about the political positioning of a brand.

The highlight of the event was the Fire in the Booth, produced by Swellians Vaughan Blakey and Jed Smith. They had a big job to do, captivating the audience with little action – and they did it brilliantly.

Oh, and the Bruce Irons-inspired snap to the tube by 16-year-old Junior World Champion Ziggy McKenzie. It was incredible preparation, but as one astute commentator noted, “Ziggy should have zigzagged” when it came to her line through the tube.

The beer drone that dangled Island Brewing cans over the display was also a nice addition.

All highlights can be found here.