Watch ‘Pertama’: Rio Waida Is The Pride Of Indonesia
The Prince of the Bukit on the Olympics, Bullies, Growth Hormones, and his new film.
Rio Waida, the first Indonesian to ever qualify for surfing’s upper echelons, has just woken up in Hossegor, France, after the best part of two days’ travel from his Balinese home.
Despite the trip, the 25-year-old is bubbly and friendly on the phone, speaking candidly and refreshingly about his new film Pertama (Indonesian for “first”) that he’s made in conjunction with Nusa Caña — an Indonesian rum company that sponsors him — and directed by Matt George.
Rio’s in France for the Quiksilver Festival and to meet with the “big bosses,” the bonus being that it’s September, by far the most magic month in Europe from a surf perspective, so there’s a fair chance he’ll also score some waves (which is his primary goal for his tour off season). So far Rio’s clocked some time in Lakey Peak, made his way to the Mentawais on a Quiksilver trip, then France until the end of the month, after which he’ll either pitch up in Krui, or maybe even sneak over to Cloud 9 in Siargao.
Pertama is less surf porn and more a 12-minute snapshot of Rio’s life, which has been nothing short of remarkable so far. Born in Japan before relocating to Bali at the age of four, the film gives some depth to Rio’s perpetually smiling character, going into behind-the-scenes struggles he and his family faced — like being bullied at school and undergoing growth hormone therapy during adolescence. The idea came from his mum, who’d watched a YouTube doc about Lionel Messi doing the same.
On top of the bad times, Rio also riffed on the good, of which there have been many for Bali’s favourite (kinda) adopted son, starting with the remarkable feat of said son leading his country out in the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony.
Here’s Rio, in Rio’s words.
Stab: Was carrying the Indonesian flag at the Indonesian opening ceremony one of your proudest moments?
Rio: It’s right there, top three. I won a couple of Challenger Series events, and then I made a couple of finals on the CT, and then definitely carrying the flag for Indonesia in the Olympics. It’s either number one or number two. It’s been like five years since the Tokyo Olympics, so it feels like it’s a long time ago, but when I saw the movie, I thought it was really cool, and I couldn’t believe that I actually did it. I got a little emotional when I saw the video because I haven’t seen it for a while. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or experience, so I’m super happy and grateful.
What does being Indonesian mean to you? Do you feel fully Indonesian?
I was born in Japan, but everything else happened in Bali. I went to school in Bali and it’s not like I went to international school, I went to the local school. So I learned Indonesian culture and then how to live as an Indonesian. I could represent Japan, but I feel like I will feel bad if I represent Japan. So many people that told me, ‘Hey, Rio, maybe you should represent Japan, there’s so many sponsors and there’s more money,’ but I would feel bad for my friends, and there’s so many people supporting me in Indonesia. I love Indonesia and I love Indonesians; I love everything about Indonesia. The food and people. They always make me happy. It’s not like we’re rich or anything. We’re just kind of always happy and grateful and always good vibes.
What’s your first language, Rio?
My first language was Japanese because I was born in Japan. Then I moved to Bali when I was four or five years old. But now I definitely use English more than Indonesian or Japanese because I’m always traveling. And even in Bali I will see a lot of tourists and stuff. So a lot of English. Social media is a lot of English too, even my phone setting is in English.
Has anything changed in Indonesia for you, personally and professionally, post-Olympics?
Oh, definitely. I went viral once after the Olympics, after Tokyo, because the Olympics is a big event for Indonesians. The population’s big but there’s only like 30 athletes that made it to the Olympics, so it’s something special. Surfing’s definitely gotten more attention from the government, but it’s pretty hard because they don’t really support the WSL, they’re more interested in multi-events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Southeast Asian Games.
Even if I win a WSL event, they wouldn’t take much notice. But if you win a Gold Medal in the Olympics, the government will buy you a house and stuff. But since the Olympics, surfing is definitely more recognized in Indonesia. Not many people surf in Indonesia in terms of numbers, they’re more interested in soccer and, I don’t know what else, maybe badminton. Surfing, they don’t really pay attention, but slowly, slowly, it’s getting more attention.
One part of the film that really struck me was when you were talking about being bullied at school. Were you getting bullied at school because you were half Japanese or because you were small?
Definitely because I was half Japanese, because I’m different. Because I was half Japanese, they thought I’m rich or something, and I was a small little kid in school, the second shortest in the class. They would ask for the money. There was some bad stuff.
You grew up on the Bukit. Where did you go to school?
From first grade to sixth grade it was on the Bukit, then after that I went to Kuta. Then I got kicked out of school in Grade 11 because I was traveling a lot and wasn’t really at school. I did tell them, ‘Hey, I have a competition, blah, blah, blah,’ but they didn’t really support me.
Tell me about your mum seeing that documentary about Messi…
My mom wasn’t an athlete and I think she was just kind of searching on the internet: ‘How to become a good athlete,’ and just found out how Messi grew up. I am here today because of my mom, to be honest. She’s the one who took me to the beach every day, and she taught me a lot of stuff. She wasn’t a surfer, she was a boogie boarder, but even when I was a kid, from 10-to-18, she was teaching me technique and stuff, which she learned from watching videos on the internet. She even had a book about Kelly Slater, about him doing yoga, so I kind of got forced into yoga when I was a kid.
How did growth hormone therapy affect you as a person and an athlete growing up?
I mean, it definitely helped. My mom and my dad are shorter than me. I think I’m 5’7 and they come up to my ears or a little bit shorter. If I didn’t do the growth hormone, I don’t know how short I would be, but now I feel like I’m happy with my height. It’s not like I’m a big guy. I’m definitely still a short guy. But 5’7″, I’m happy. I’m glad that I did it, at least we tried.
Do you think it helps your surfing now, being a bit bigger?
No, definitely not. I’m just a little bit taller. Italo is a little bit shorter than me, I think. Even if I was a little bit shorter, I’d still have to work on my skills. I have to hit the gym every day to grow my muscle, but I don’t think it helped my surfing. I think I still have to work hard, because there’s so many guys in the tour that are way bigger than me.
Was it hard when your dad went back to Japan to work so he could support the family?
He moved to Japan when I was eight years old and he’s been away since then. I would see him once a year for seven days. Now he’s getting older, so I think it’s time for him to come back to Indo and retire. Work in Japan is really strict and really hard. He works in construction on big buildings, so it’s really tough. He did it for his family and I’m super grateful for him. I get motivation from that. I’m 25 years old, so I feel like it’s my responsibility to look after my family. It makes me want to work even harder to make them happy so they can live happily and not struggle their whole life.
Why do you think you’re the first Indonesian to qualify for the World Tour?
I’m a very competitive person and I think I was a nerd, to be honest. I was asking, ‘Why there’s no Indonesian surfers on tour, we have the best waves?’ There’s so many good surfers in Indonesia — Oney (Anwar), Garut, Rizal — but we love being at home. It’s kind of hard for us to go to the other country and spend a lot of money on Italian food because in Indo, we could’ve just paid $1 for a meal and it’s good. And it’s cold, we have to wear wetsuits when we could’ve been in Bali, just enjoying life. Even now, I’m still struggling, but at the same time, to be the best I have to go through this.
Were there any Indonesian surfers that particularly inspired or nurtured you growing up?
Yeah. There’s so many, but Dede Suryana’s the guy that kind of took me around when I was a kid. He would take me to surf and teach me some stuff. One time, we were in the car coming back from surfing he said to me, ‘Hey Rio, do you have a goal?’ I said, ‘I don’t have.’ Because when I was a kid, I only had a dream, but I never had a goal. But he kind of got pissed off, he was like, ‘You have to have a goal!’ He put me into the right mindset. When I was a kid, I wasn’t training, just surf every day. And then I would see Dede doing stretching and hit the gym or running. He was teaching me just by seeing what he did.
Other than that, there’s Oney Anwar. When I started to do QS, I started to travel around the world and then he was the guy that was driving around and cooking and stuff.
How is life in Bali now, from your perspective?
It’s definitely changed a lot, there’s so many beach clubs and restaurants, hotels, villas. This year, I’d be away for two months, then come back and see so many new buildings. And then also the traffic is really bad. But what can I do? It’s kind of good for the locals as they get to work and can support their families. Because if I look back at COVID, it was sad that everyone doesn’t have work and they have to go back to their village. But yeah, Bali has definitely changed a lot, and the surf, man, it’s so busy at Uluwatu and Keramas, Canggu. But I’m not complaining and I still get the waves. If people can surf and know the lineups I don’t get bothered. But if people that can’t surf just throw their board and they hurt other people, it annoys me.
What’s your favourite food?
It’s definitely Nasi Campur. But I’ve also been smashing noodle soup, it’s really bad for me, you know, it’s an instant noodle but it’s simple and it’s fast and it’s just easy to eat. But Nasi Campur is the number one go-to, I go to the warung and then I can choose whatever I want like chicken, a salad, tempeh. Then every morning I’ve been getting a yellow rice, Nasi Kuning, it’s so good and it’s cheap too, you know, it’s only like one Australian dollar.
Do you have a favorite spot on the island to sort of get away from the crowds?
I love to hike, so that’s kind of my favourite way to get out from the surf or from the crowd.
What’s your favourite wave on the island?
My favourite wave in Bali is always Uluwatu, that’s when I’m happiest. I’ve been trying some twin fins, it’s been really fun It’s been going so fast. Since the tour finished, I don’t want to ride thrusters and go big everyday, I just want to enjoy being in the ocean.
How’s it been since you made the tour at home, have people really gotten behind you?
For sure, when I went to Lakey and Mentawai, the locals told me that they always watch me, even though they’re not even my friends, you know, I just met them. Then they will ask me about heats with Italo or John or Gabriel Medina or Griffin, and I just tell some stories about being on tour. Indonesians love stories and jokes, and we always smile. Definitely a lot of love.
What are your goals for the next few years on tour?
I want to win so bad. I made to the final twice and then every time I make the final, I get kind of soft, almost like too happy that I made to the final. So I’m still learning, But my goal for next year is definitely top five and then I want to go for World Title. Also next year there will be some Olympic qualification, so I definitely want to make the Olympics again.
