RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Bali surfer Dhea Natasya made history by qualifying for the World Surf League (WSL) World Longboard Tour 2026, becoming the first Indonesian woman to compete at the highest level of international longboard surfing.

Her breakthrough came after an impressive victory at the Hamamatsu Longboard Qualifying Series (LQS) Open 2026 in Japan on May 17. That performance earned her the top single-wave score of the qualification series, 8.67 points.

“This win in Hamamatsu is my second in the WSL. I’m so happy,” Dhea said after the competition. “Now I’ll head home and keep training to be even more prepared for the Longboard Tour,” added the 25-year-old athlete, as quoted by WSL.

With this achievement, Dhea secured a place among the 24 best female longboarders in the world, competing in what is widely regarded as the pinnacle of professional surfing.

The Indonesian Surfing Association (PSOI) highlighted that Dhea is not only the first Indonesian woman to reach this level, but also just the fourth Asian woman ever to qualify -- following three athletes from Japan. Her success is celebrated as a proud milestone for Indonesia on the global stage.

Dhea is scheduled to compete in the World Longboard Tour series from July 2026 to March 2027, with events across the United States, Australia, the Philippines, and El Salvador.

Before reaching this elite level, Dhea had already built an impressive track record. She won gold in Women’s Longboard at the 2019 SEA Games, and at the 2024 National Sports Week (PON) she claimed gold in Women’s Longboard and silver in Women’s Shortboard.

Her ability to excel in multiple surfing disciplines has marked her as one of Indonesia’s most promising young athletes. (Diffa Sephiawardhani)