Deus SlidetoberFest 25 - Day One Video Recap - Surf Competition

We kicked off where we always should… in the drink. Pererenan Beach, dawn. The sand was cool, the waves were clean, and the only thing louder than the shore break was the hiss of our coffee machine firing up. The Deus circus rolled in before the sun had even thought about clocking on. Tents up, boards lined, beers chilling, speakers humming, the preamble to a perfectly chaotic day.

By seven, the first heat was out there, small silhouettes dancing on clean lines. The Deus Slidetober Surf Comp isn’t your run-of-the-mill battle of egos. Here, everyone rides from the same stable: the Deus Quiver: singles, twinnies, thrusters, quads, a mixed bag of beautiful mischief. Contestants drew straws for their board of fate; luck of the draw was part of the thrill.

Pererenan was firing. Small barrels spun off the right-handers, and the riders painted arcs and found pockets in the glassy faces. Onshore, Jared Mell and Ambrose McNeill were our twin jesters on the mic - heckling, hyping, and handing out comedy gold between waves. The camaraderie was thick, the heat relentless, and the sand hot enough to make a grown man sprint for shade.

When the finals hit, Elliot Reid, Jared Mell, Jordan Griffin, Marc Llewellen all paddled out to put in a solid thirty minutes in the water. Then, with one final hoot, it was over. No grand crescendo, just the slow fade of a great day. The results? We kept them tucked away until Sunday. Some secrets deserve a little suspense.