SURF SCENE with Andy Mac:

SPORTS commentator Darrell Eastlake would have summed it with his familiar catchcry: "It's huge”.

That surfing has finally been accepted in the Olympics is huge news although I can hear the purists whining: "It's a sell-out as surfing is already over promoted causing over-crowding and doesn't need more over exposure.”

Overall most people have applauded the news as it has been a long time in the making. From whenever I can remember, the dream of surfing in the Olympics has been on the radar.

That the sport would be finally recognised by the public with all the respect and recognition it deserves as a legitimate Olympic sport and a worthy one at that.

No longer a sub-cultural sport, with champions earning millions and surfing better than ever in some of the most perfect waves around the world; surfing has entered the modern era of professionalism.

There is one guy who can be credited with this achievement, who has pulled off the big coup, and it is Argentina boss of the International Surfing Association, Fernando Aguerre.

He has worked tirelessly with this dream for the past 20 years as head of the ISA. Aguerra is also an executive member of Save the Waves Coalition Vision Council that selects World Surfing Reserves such as the Gold Coast.

Fernando was present at the GCWSR dedication ceremony in March at Point Danger and spoke about his dream of seeing surfing recognised as an Olympic sport however it wasn't until this week while in Rio for the Olympics that Fernando was finally rewarded with the news by the IOC that surfing would be included in the 2020 Japan Olympics.

And held in actual Japanese surf breaks and not wave pools.

Plus skateboarding has been added which will make Japan a watershed Olympics, excuse the pun. Surf Scene is giving this a big thumbs up, about time, decision.

Meanwhile, in other surfing news, Bali's Pipeline Padang Padang lived up to its reputation with the best swell so far of the year on the Bukit Peninsula. Although the morning surf check was not promising on the high tide with little or no swell and the one day contest went on hold until midday. Suddenly with the dropping tide, the waves began to cook with corrugated lines of swell stacked to the horizon and some of the best barrel riders in the business parking inside the green room. Hawaiians like Bruce Irons, younger brother of Andy who had won his last WCT event there in 2009, scored a perfect 10-point ride in early rounds to nab the wave of the day.

Fellow Hawaiian Mason Ho in his first surf at Padang was simply brilliant with backhand tubes and his entertaining theatrical style earning himself a place in the finals with former WSL winner Damien Hobgood and Maui wowee free surfer Clay Marzo.

In the end, it was local favourite and previous winner Mega Semadhi who showed the big boys had to get fully pitted with his own 10-point ride and earned the $20,000 first prize cheque.

Good luck to the Tweed Coast's finest and most experienced women competitors, Cabarita's Brittani Nicholls and Kingscliff's Codie Klein, who are representing Australia in the ISA Games, the surfing equivalent of the Olympics at Costa Rica.