Wednesday, 2nd July 2025, Afulu, North Nias: The Afulu Pro 2025 Asian ProAm Surf Series (APSS) event started off yesterday with all 35 of the Men’s Shortboard Division competitors seeing action and battling through Rounds 1, 2, and the Quarterfinals to end the day with 8 competitors remaining, who will continue their mission to hoist the championship trophy and pocket the top prize money when competition resumes this morning.
The early morning 7:00 am call was delayed as it appeared that waves were smaller and less consistent, but as the sun started to rise over the hill the 4-5 foot sets came rolling in and Round One was started at 8:30 am with 25 minute heats to give plenty of time for the competitors to score wave.
Wave conditions were excellent in the 3-5 foot range for the majority of the day’s competition, which was called off at 2:00 pm with the last Men’s Quarterfinal at 2:00 pm due to increasing onshore winds.
Two-time defending champion Pajar Ariyana’s (IDN) performance in Quarterfinal One topped the list of highlights of the day, earning a near-perfect 9.50 score (out of a possible 10 points) from the judging panel for pulling in and then blasting out of a throaty barrel on arguably the biggest and hollowest set wave of the day. His first wave of the heat earned him an almost excellent score of 7.98 on turns, then after a couple inside tries, posted another 7.17 on turns, then waiting out the back and was rewarded with the big barrel he was chasing after.
“I knew from watching and from my experience here that there was a good chance for a wave like that during my heat,” said Ariyana. “So I was ready for it and so stoked to get that big score. Honestly I thought it would be a 10, it felt so perfect, but I’m happy with the 9.5 also. I hope the waves keep pumping…I love this place and plan to be champion again this year.”
The only other competitor to earn an excellent score today was Dhany Widianto (IDN) in Quarterfinal 2, whose fast and smooth backhand was rewarded for smashing out multiple critical turns on a big set wave for an 8.00 score (out of a possible 10).
Winning his Round 2 heat and coming in second in Quarterfinal One to earn his spot in the Semifinals is Rafael Castro (USA), whose precise placement of powerful backside turns and smooth transitions were rewarded accordingly. When asked about his Afulu experience so far he replied, “I’ve never been here before, but I saw the clips and photos from last year and decided this year I had to come and check it out. It’s an amazing wave and so rippable, I’m having a great time.”
Men’s Shortboard Semifinalists:
Semifinal 1: Pajar Ariyana (IDN) vs Dhany Widianto (IDN) vs Made Diki Mahendra (IDN) vs Ash Jenner (AUS)
Semifinal 2: Made Joi Satriawan (IDN) vs Kenshin Matsunaga (JPN) vs Rafael Castro (USA) vs Dylan Wilcoxen (IDN)
Women’s Shortboard Semifinalists:
Semifinal 1: Ella McCaffray (USA) vs Dhea Natasya Novitasari (IDN)
Semifinal 2: Taina Angel Izquierdo (IDN) vs Aura Zeflin (IDN)
Today’s forecast is for similar conditions, so the contest director has told both Men’s and Women’s Shortboard Divisions to be on standby at 7:30 am this morning with the expectation that the Semifinals and Finals will be completed and Afulu Pro Shortboard Champions crowned by the end of the day.
Check Liveheats Afulu Pro 2025 scores and schedule at
https://www.liveheats.com/events/377270
Also check out the ASC Instagram at @asiansurfco to view the action as the event progresses.
All APSS competitions will be on LiveHeats, the official scoring and ranking platform of the APSS Tour, as Liveheats provides the most accurate live scoring, seamless heat management, and real-time ranking updates across all tour events together with the official ranking.
The Afulu Pro 2025 starts off the 2025-26 APSS season, which runs from June of 2025 and will finish at the end of May 2026. The second stop on the APSS tour will be in October at Zhoushan, China before heading to Jialeshuei, Taiwan. Other events will be announced as they get confirmed, so keep your eyes on the ASC website and the ACS socials for updates.
The Afulu Pro 2025 is sponsored by the North Nias Regency, organized by Persatuan Selancar Ombak Indonesia (PSOI) and the Asian Surf Cooperative (ASC), with scoring and rankings provided by Liveheats.
Download high-resolution images here

About the Asian ProAm Surf Series (APSS):
The Asian ProAm Surf Series is a progressive Asian-wide competition initiative designed to support and elevate surfing development by bridging the gap between grassroots level events and global platforms; assisting talented surfers develop into professional athletes and offering traveling and adventure surfers an opportunity to surf new places, meet new people, and join in fun events that are officially sanctioned by the longest running surfing organization in Asia, the Asian Surf Cooperative.
About the Asian Surf Co:
The Asian Surf Cooperative is a professional surfing organization with more than 20 years of experience in organizing, managing and supporting surfing events around the Asian region, from local boardriders club competitions to World Surf League World Championship Tour events.
The Asian Surf Co’s mission is to grow the sport of surfing in the Asian region by offering reliable and consistent resources and assistance to both small and large organizations as they work to progress the sport and their surfing athletes, including consulting and management, live computer scoring, certified judges and professional staffing, event media packages, athlete management, and site surveys, as well as ISA surf instructor and judging/officiating programs.
See more @asiansurfco @ligasurfingindonesia and @grom.patrol
About Liveheats:
Liveheats is a digital platform that powers competitive action sporting events – from local clubs to professional world tours. The platform is designed to empower sporting communities, event organisers, and athletes by providing powerful competition features built for modern action sports. See more at www.liveheats.com and on IG @live_heats.