The waiting period for Capitulo Perfeito’s Desert Point event has officially started, giving organisers until 15 September to find a window at one of Indo’s mechnical left hand reef passes.

Eight surfers are on standby for what will be the first surf event ever held at Desert Point – a wave long regarded as one of the most demanding and iconic barrels on the planet, but one that’s never hosted a contest until now.

True to the Capitulo Perfeito format that’s run at Carcavelos since 2012, this is a strictly tube only affair, and it only runs if the ocean actually delivers. Organisers will call it with 72 hours’ notice, so there’s no guarantee it runs at all inside the window – as was the case with the aborted Mozambique leg earlier this year.

The invite list is headlined by three of the four finalists from the 2025 Carcavelos edition – Balaram Stack, Cam Richards and Pedro Calado – with Nic von Rupp stepping in for Noah Beschen, who won’t be making the trip due to other commitments. Local wildcards Sulaiman and Usman Trioko round out the confirmed names, alongside two international wildcards still to be locked in.

There’s also a locals heat opening the event, giving eight Lombok surfers – Awan, Hendra, Rusdi, Fajrul, Ilham, Budi, Darmawan and Ziggy – their own moment on the reef before the main draw gets underway.

Winner takes a direct wildcard into the 2027 Capitulo Perfeito back at Carcavelos.

Now it’s just a waiting game – for Desert Point to turn on, and for the call to come.