Travelling an Indonesian island that are not in the guide books and hardly mentioned on Wikipedia in search of waves is always an adventure. Earlier this year, a friend and I had a few hot tips from a few trusted friends and the luxury of a week to visit an island off an island, off the island in search of perfect waves to us. It was a full mouth-to-mouth, roll-the-dice kind of trip, but with the swell forecast looking promising that we knew were vague, so that the first piece of the puzzle was in place. The passage of a steaming volcano crater in Sumatra on our small prop plane flying to the island as the sun rose was a sign that we were certainly going in nature.
Upon arrival, the first thing was sort of accommodation and transport. There were many losmen (budget accommodation) and newly built air-conditioned bungalows available, so that part was easy. All kinds of bikes were available for hire, but we expected to find local on the island who had a motorcycle with surfboard racks on it. This is not the professionally finished racks you see in Bali; these were a crude form of rack made by a backyard welder with barely enough space for your feet when a map was made and there was no bungee cord to keep the Board of administration in the rack, or foam to keep the sides of damage. The racks were strictly surfboard on the metal, but after a few strategically placed towels and a small screwdriver adjustment for foot space, and we were moving out, headed to the beach with the pedal to the metal.
The coastal road was one-way parallel to the beach and there were signs of waves everywhere. Not every wave looked amazing, but there were clear breaks working with not a soul in the region. When we got to the beach we were looking for, there were already about surfers. News does not travel in this small world and the wave had been found in recent years, but it is obvious that the cat was not totally out of the bag with only about six enjoying overhead to double overhead (6-10ft) waves crashing left and right of a perfect peak in glassy smooth conditions. Everyone had big smiles on their faces, everyone sharing the waves and happy for the turn of another surfer, totally opposed to the ambience of Bali and other Indonesian crowded waves.
The story goes that this wave was formed by the earthquake in 04 that pushed the coral reefs of almost two meters in some areas, the creation of this wave and also the deadly tsunami that swept parts Sumatra, Thailand and more in the process. Legend has it that the villagers on this island were informed by their ancestors when there is a terrible earthquake and the reef is dry and wild animals start going, running for high ground because the big wave arrives. And that's what they did, and although the coast was destroyed, nobody died in the tsunami in 04. Some good has come of it, with this wave being created, where it never existed when the reef was deeper, although tens of thousands of lives lost elsewhere nothing to take lightly.
The second day saw more exploration. Waves to ourselves, waves with anyone, waves in the middle of nowhere; good waves in this too. After basic pancakes and coffee in our air-conditioned bungalow (OK, we're not roughing many) we charge the card and remove. Past the buffalo, before the children waving shout "Bonjour Monsieur" Groundhog Day has never been good; days melted into days and no phone signal meant no contact and no email, and no one feel the urge to go to a local SIM card to communicate more. The only indication that the time was moved our growing sunburn and timing to reception where fortunately we asked what day it was. Finally, it was time to go and we had to say goodbye. The people do not have a surf shop on the island, so we gave what we could; boardshorts, t-shirts, hats, stickers. Surfboards we kept because they were magical, as a local surfer on the island had a good board
When he started, the trip was completed. waves captured, the mission is complete, time to go home. You always say that you come back to a special place you visited and in my experience it is always 50-50. That's why you need to live each moment to the fullest and take lots of pictures because you never know, it might not be the same the next time you visit.
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