First of all, the Indonesian governemnt are committing utterly horrific crimes in East Timor every day of the week. Join Amnesty International and do your bit. Think hard before subsidising this regime.
Indo has it all. There are places that have been documented thousands of times and reefs that are hidden away and rarely ridden. Either way, Bali is the hub of any Indonesian surf trip. Whether you are there in dry season (June to August) or the wet season (December to March), there are great waves. You can surf the beach breaks of Kuta or Legian, or head out to the famous reefs like Ulu and Bingin. If you are there in the wet season, make sure to check out Nusa Dua. You can either take a boat out to the waves (like a sissy) or you can paddle.
If you go to Indonesia, take some time from Bali and head to some of the outer islands to get a taste of uncrowded Indo. There are great waves in Nusa Lembongan, Lombok, and Java that are easy to get to from Bali. But if you want to head to some of the other islands (e.g., Sumbawa, Sumba, Timor) you should probably charter a boat. Make sure you go with a reliable boat and crew so you don't end up with a failing engine and float for days with the currents. If you charter a boat you can either set it up from home or when you get to Indo. So bring your suntan lotion, and rash guards, and prepare to surf until your arms fall off. Indonesia has plenty of unreal waves waiting for you.
BALI
The most famous Bali surfspots are on the west coast, which has offshore winds from early May until late
September. The most consistent waves are always at Uluwatu. This means Ulu can be very crowded most of
the time, so INDO SURF & LINGO has an indispensable SURF CHART listing all the breaks in Bali - it tells you
how big the waves will be at every spot, based on the size of the Kuta beachbreaks. Worth the price of the book
alone!
ULUWATU
Over 10 feet on lunar high tides can be quite dangerous trying to get back in through the cave (the only exit).
Prone out immediately after takeoff. Head for the beach up-current from the cave to avoid being swept past and
having to paddle back out and around the break to try again.
Low tide at Uluwatu causes The Peak to close out, so you surf 100 metres further down the reef at The
Racetrack. A series of hollow bowls link together with open tubes that lure you ever onward into the next curving
bowl - but don't go too far, because like most Bali reef breaks, it eventually closes out savagely onto almost dry
coral that is very sharp - wear your reef boots! The wave often gets bigger the further you go down the line.
Warungs offer food, drinks and great views of the surf.
Over 10 feet at low tide, Racetrack moves further out and becomes Outside Corner, a big thick pushy wall that
rolls for over 100 metres. There are no tubes, but the faces are ideal for big carving manoeuvres. It is a great
place to push your limits into big waves.
Temples is the line-up furthest south, way out the back. A good outside reef to avoid the crowds or find more juice
on smaller days. But it is difficult to line-up the take-off spot as it tends to shift around and close down.
Other Bali surfspots described in detail in INDO SURF & LINGO -
West Coast breaks: Uluwatu, Padang, Impossibles, Bingin, Dreamland, Balangan, Airport Rights, Airport
Lefts, Kuta Reef, Kuta beachbreaks, Legian beachbreaks, Canggu, Balian, Medewi.
South Coast breaks: Nyang-Nyang, Greenball
East Coast breaks: Nusa Dua, Sri Lanka, Hyatt Reef, Tanjung Sari, Sanur, Padang Galak, Guwang,
Ketewel, Lebih, Padang Bai.
Back in Europe, alas. It's damn cold here. Here are a couple of notes on the Bali trip.
First I must say that the island and its people are beautiful, and that may be an understatement. These people are genuinely interested in you and like to talk a lot, and that's really great. Alas, probably an over-dose of drunken aussies has made them a little weary of tourists, but when you show your good intentions they're eager to interact.
There are a number of great breaks, all but one reef breaks. The only beach break is at Kuta and that is kinda over-crowded. We didn't stay there very long as lying in a line-up of more than 50 peeps is a bit too much. Down in the south at the bottom of a peninsula called Bukit there is a really neat temple right on top of a cliff, near there there is kind of a parkinglot where you can leave your car (essential to the getting around on the island and pretty cheap although you need a good neck massage after you've been in Balinese traffic). There are some dudes on motorcycles there that can drive you down to the beach (beats walking a mile down) through some sort of canyonlike crack in the cliffs and then you're at the Uluwatu break, now this is impressive. Be careful, the reefs around Bali are pretty shallow.
In the week we were on Bali there was a heavy sea wind blowing, which made surfing virtually impossible; all was blown-out. Although some of the southern breaks were working (more or less) it was pretty crowded there. There is one beautiful reef break though that seems to be always working, producing nice rolling waves (3 mtrs...10 ftrs?), lefts and rights, the reef is less shallow. There is one catch, it is way out. You need to rent a boat (pretty expensive) and then set sail for an Island called Nusa Lembongan, just
of the east coast of Bali (rent the boat in Sanur, that place is cheapest). It is worth it though.
I heard that from the most western tip there are possibilities to make boat trips to G-land, supposedly a number one spot with some great tubes. G-land is on the coast of Java.
For the rest you really need to explore the hinterland..it is great (and you can let your cuts heal then.."haha") and if you didn't do that you really missed out on something. Just make detour when you see a tourist trap coming up and you will surely see some great stuff. Like steep valley full of rice paddies, beautiful temples and roadside food stalls with great food.
Although we made the mistake of going there in between seasons (which was a bit disappointing) , it was still a great trip. The locals say that the best time is June-July for the southern breaks and November-January for the eastern breaks.
JAVA & SUMATRA
These are the islands west of Bali. On Java's south eastern tip, you will find Grajagan, better known as G-Land,
the world's longest, fastest, most awe-inspiring left-hand reefbreak. Access to Grajagan is strictly controlled by the
National Park rangers, so it is essential you travel in an organised group with the necessary permits. The book has all phone numbers of the only travel agents with permits to G-Land.
G-LAND is a magical place - A very special surfing destination of primitive beauty and perfect waves. G-LAND is located in Grajagan Bay, East-Java Indonesia. Situated in a very large National Park. It is home to many different species of wildlife including panther, leopard, monkeys, deer, reptiles and exotic birds. The camp is situated on the beach, directly in front of the famous 'Speed Reef' section of the G-LAND surf break. Behind the camp is dense tropical jungle, access to the camp is only by boat, there are no roads, no hotels. Jungle Beach Village is open to LIMITED NUMBERS ONLY - so the waves are not crowded. This is a place where you can surf all day long, - eat, drink, relax and enjoy the atmosphere.
G-LAND is the most consistent left - hander in the known surfing world. Since the first ASP Quiksilver G-LAND Pro surfing contest - each year the waves have been perfect !
Travel to G-LAND is easy, our minibus driver will pick you up from your hotel or accomodation late evening. From there it's an overnight drive via Gilimanuk and ferry to Java, arriving at dawn at Grajagan village. Next is a 25 minutes speedboat ride, arriving at JUNGLE BEACH VILLAGE G-LAND in the early morning for breakfast and then hit the surf for some hot waves. On your return trip from G-LAND you will arrive back in Bali in the early evening, our driver will drop you at your accomodation. Should you require we can arrange accomodation for you before and after your trip to G-LAND.
G-LAND is a paradise for surfers, the waves is very long and breaks for nearly 1 Kilometre along the coral reef. G-LAND is a surfing break with variety - from carving at KONG'S, flying through MONEYTREES & LAUNCHING PADS to the gutwrenching barrels of the famous SPEED REEF.
From May to November the south east tradewind is offshore EVERYDAY and there is always SWELL - it is seldom that G-LAND is under 4', maximum size is about 10'.
Most days you will find perfect 6' waves, and you can surf at low or high tide.
* NOTE :
There are 2 other surfbreaks in the area TIGER TRAILS (Right 4'-6') and 20/20's (left 4'-5'), both of these waves are surfable most days and when G-LAND is over 6 ft, these breaks start firing.
Sumatra is where the real hard-core surf discoveries are being made.
There have been many videos and magazine articles showing the great new discoveries in the remote islands
near Nias, but no real names or crosses-on-maps have been published yet. Nor are they likely to be. We will have
to find these spots ourselves, with the help of the friendly locals. So you better start practicing your Indonesian
now!
The Sumatran outer islands are home to the most primitive, tattoo-covered natives in Indonesia. Be warned that
these islands are covered in dense rainforest jungles, there are hardly any decent roads, few places to stay and
limited food supplies.
LOMBOK & SUMBAWA
These are the two islands closest to Bali to the east. The best known wave in Lombok is Desert Point, on the southwest tip, which can be just as good as Grajagan or Uluwatu. Incredibly long rides, tubing perfectly over very shallow coral reef. Other spots in Lombok are far easier to reach, with at least 10 known breaks that work in all wind conditions. The book tells you where you can stay cheaply close to all these breaks.
Sumbawa has some of the most perfect waves in Indonesia, such as Lakey Peak, Periscopes and Supersuck, but you will need to speak some Indonesian to find your way around.
SUMBA & TIMOR
The best known wave in Sumba has been featured in a couple of Billabong movies being surfed by Occy. There
are good waves all over the island, but transport is slow and difficult, so you need a bit of time to explore.
Most surfers who go to Timor head straight for the small island of Roti. There is good accommodation right on the
beach close to the left-hander known as T-Land. There are also good waves on nearby islands, accessable by
local ferries or through yacht charters.
THE NEXT FRONTIER?
There might also be surf on Morotai island north of Halmahera, or the northern islands of Sulawesi. Facing north
east, they should get similar swells to the Philippines, so go check them out and let me know if you discover
anything, especially any right hand points! (promise I'll keep it secret)
INDO SURF SEASONS
Bali offers over 20 top quality breaks on the west and east coasts of the island, which are just half an hour apart
by car. The dry winter season is offshore on the famous Kuta to Uluwatu west side of the island, from early June to
late August.
The wet summer season is offshore on the Sanur to Nusa Dua east side of the island, from early December to late
March. Between seasons can be less predictable, but there are usually offshore waves somewhere on the
island.
The largest, most reliable swells usually arrive mid-winter from "roaring forties" weather fronts in the southern Indian
Ocean, although tropical cyclones during the summer can also send up a few days of solid swell.
Most surfers prefer the predictable dry winter months rather than the humid monsoon summer months when rain
squalls can be more frequent than good surf. This unfortunately means that between June and August every
year, Uluwatu can often host hundreds of jostling surfers from as far afield as Brazil, America, Hawaii, Australia,
France and Japan.
Luckily though, Indonesia's outer islands offer lots of uncrowded waves during these same months, from Sumatra
to Java, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, the West Timor islands, and even Irian Jaya. It is with this in mind that this was created, especially to help the adventurous surfer-traveler exploring the Outer Islands.
The Bali section of the book tells you what conditions suit which breaks, and what your alternatives are on any
given day. Sometimes the whole crowd automatically goes to the best spot for that day's conditions. But you can
use the information in the book to slip away to another spot that while maybe not quite as big or perfect, still has
excellent waves that you can surf without the crowds.
I guess the theme to this trip is, "Just when you thought
you'd seen it all, you realize you haven't." This was my first trip
to this area, and it shocked me. I've been going on surf trips for 30 years
and bar none this is the richest wave field I've ever been to. You see
photos of this place on the printed page and go, 'Yeah, wow!' But you have
to go there to appreciate the area, how remote it is, and how beautiful
and wild and how many damn surf spots there are. It's like a miracle. You think of Tavarua as the hallmark of the perfect left, the perfect
wave. On our boat we motored at six knots for two weeks and went past probably
25 Tavaruas. And those are the spots we saw while we were on deck. Who
knows how many more we passed as we were down below sleeping or eating
or watching Dumb and Dumber or Braveheart. To tour these islands properly you need a good boat, with radar and
good communications and a depth sounder. Our boat was the 80-foot Mangalui,
which means "Wave Searcher." But we called our boat "the
Floating Rainforest" because it was made of teak. Even though I was
glad to leave Western Civilization for a while, all of us on the boat still
clung to it. We had a fridge with beers, reggae on the stereo, air-conditioning,
Walkmans and color TV. When you're on a boat, you're this little floating island of American
culture cruising through all these other islands that are the exact opposite.
The contrast is just a non-stop thrill. The luxury boat is one way to explore these islands, but there are
other ways. A lot of places we went, we thought we were out in the
middle of nowhere and wouldn't be seeing another human being, and then
all of a sudden an Aussie guy or a couple of Aussie guys would come walking
out of the jungle, "G'day. How ya goin'?" A lot of the time they'd
want fresh water, because that's a precious commodity out here. Or they'd
ask for a can opener or flashlight batteries or some other necessity they
forgot to bring. It's mostly water, though. A couple of the better-known spots were named for ferals. According
to Martin Daly, Macaronis was named because one day the Indies Trader
pulled up to this reeling, perfect left that they hadn't seen before. All
the guys on the boat were thinking they had scored and were the first guys
to surf this perfect left. All of a sudden a guy comes walking out of the
bushes eating a bowl of macaroni. He was a feral Aussie guy who had put
an outboard motor on a native canoe and was motoring around to spots. He
had pitched a tent in the jungle at Macaronis, and I can only imagine how
many good waves he surfed. And I think Lance's was named after a guy named
Lance who walked out of the jungle. Same deal. On each island there are usually a few natives who pick coconuts and
go fishing and gather a subsistence living. They belong to a cooperative
that farms the islands for fish and coconuts. Sometimes the natives would paddle out to our boat in their canoes and
try to sell us coconuts, but for the most part there isn't much contact
between the surfers and the villagers. Another thing that really struck me about this area is how pristine
it all was. Most of the islands were just schoolbook fantasy scenes--palm-lined,
white sand beaches with thick jungle beyond that. Sometimes there was a
little hut built on the end of a point. But for the most part, nature overwhelmed
any sign of man. There's something very satisfying about that. One thing that struck me about these islands were all the birds chirping.
I would be swimming in the channel or shooting from the boat and there
was a constant opera of bird sounds coming from the land. While I was shooting
Rags Point in the middle of the biggest day, an eagle swooped out of the
trees and dive-bombed the channel to get a fish, like 20 yards away from
us. It dove and caught this 2-foot-long silver fish and flew off to its
nest overlooking the lineup. And then a bunch of other eagles came and
fought over it. At night we would lie on the deck of the boat and watch satellites passing
overhead, and shooting stars. The night sky was crystal clear and it was
quiet and peaceful, except for the distant rumble of six Walkmans all going
at once. It's wild out there, and there's still plenty of room. Most of
the boat operators out there cooperate with each other, communicating by
radio and staying out of each other's way. We bumped into other boats here
and there, but for the most part we were on our own, and would go days
without seeing other surfers, or anyone at all. Malaria is a worry, and there's always the chance that someone is going
to be seriously hurt, which would be a real problem because you're always
at least a day away from port. But the advantages to this place overwhelm
the disadvantages by a long shot. At the start of the trip we couldn't wait to get on the boat and
get out to the islands. After two weeks, everyone was surfed out, they'd
broken about a third of their boards and they were ready to get back. Every
bag was packed before the boat hit the dock, and everyone was off of there
in a hurry. And where did they go to eat? Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yep,
there's a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Padang, Western Sumatra. The
Western world is slowly encroaching on the East, but only a few hours from
that frying chicken, there is a whole other world, a world that is not
likely to change anytime soon.
A: The Indian Ocean or South Pacific-boy, that's what I call a
great field trip. Either way, you're going to get some fantastic waves.
Bali, of course, is one of the premier surfing destinations in the Southern
Hemisphere. You'll be there right in time for the prime season, which is
our summer. Expect a steady diet of 4- to 10-foot, powerful reefbreaks-primarily
lefts, with offshore winds. Around November the trade winds switch, blowing
onshore on the south side of the island and offshore on the north. Board-wise,
you'll need a solid semi-gun in the 6' 8" to 7' 2" range-a bigger
gun if you're a hellman, and a hot-dog board if you want to rip the beachbreaks
in Kuta. Most of Bali's waves are crowded with local and visiting surfers,
so bring a good attitude.
At high tide you surf The Peak, with big tubes right from the jacking take off. One in three tubes tends to close
down unfortunately, so be prepared to duck out through the back. BALI REPORT
Musings On INDO
Indo or Samoa?
Q: I'm a geology major at Colgate University. I will be doing research
this coming fall in either Indo or Western Samoa. More specifically, I will
be located either in Bali or Upolu. I will be there from August through
December. What are the conditions like during those months? What size board
and what design is best for those areas? How many? And any potential hazards-reef,
sea life, etc? Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thaddeus O'Neil
Hamilton, New York
Upolu, in Western Samoa, is much less of a known quantity. The waves are
mostly shallow reef breaks, powerful and hollow. A fast board and a good
pair of reef booties are a must. With hardly any surfers on the island,
there's still plenty of room for exploration. The swells are best from May
through October, but in November and December you can get the occasional
cyclone swell.
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