Sumatra and West Indonesia
Sumatra and West Indonesia Surf Trips
SUMATRA
Sumatra is a major swell magnet chockablock with top quality breaks that consistently deliver perfect surf between March and November each year.
Long popular with the intrepid surf traveller, this once inaccessible region is becoming more and more accessible and user friendly as new areas are explored and discovered. There are definitely uncrowded spots out just there waiting for you to surf them.
Sumatran swells are regularly 6 to 12ft from March to November and 3 to 6ft throughout the rest of the year.
If you’re looking for tropical surfing perfection, look no further than Sumatra.
NIAS
Nias is famous for the perfect waves breaking off Lagundri Bay. While earthquakes in 2004 and 2005 changed the reef, the famous right hander is still perfect – and still world class. New surf breaks have been discovered since the earthquakes.
Lagundri Bay has become a starting point towards those new waves. As a result, this spot is not as crowded as before and one seldom finds more than twenty surfers at a time in a line-up, even in peak seasons. The Nias wave operates perfectly from 2 to 15 feet.
Access is easy thanks to a break in the reef called "The Keyhole" that will spare you getting over the sand bar no matter how big this obstacle is. The reef itself is not dangerous compared to other surfing spots in Indonesia. The corals are abundant but not aggressive. Because of the geographical position of the archipelago, this cluster of islands is one of the most interesting areas in the world.
Directly facing the famous roaring forties and the howling fifties, these islands receive consistent swells from March to October that are 4 to 12 feet high and that can even reach 15 feet between May and September. From November to February, the swells are smaller in size but still frequent and they are usually 2 to 4 feet high, which make them ideal waves for beginners.
JAVA
West Java faces the Indian Ocean with a southwesterly aspect, notably the province of Sunda, which takes in the following surfing areas, Pelabuhan Ratu Bay, Bayah & on to Panaitan, Dili & Tinjil Islands. The best waves of West Java are on offshore islands but there are exceptions. Swell is providing good waves, with good barrels, with a possibility for long rides. The waves in this part of West Java are underrated. It still offers relatively uncrowded waves.
The dry season is the main surfing season and is approximately from April through to October. The wind is mainly offshore on spots. The wet season is from November through to March, while the surf is less reliable, there are still waves to be had.
Most of the rural areas to Pelabuhan Ratu, do not suffer from political problems but keep a low profile, avoid large gatherings of people, don't display large amounts of cash or valuable items, give vague replies saying such things as beautiful country, great surf, great weather and lovely people, make a point of writing down the Rupiah - $ amounts and times of hire, so that all parties, understand what you want. Keep in mind that Java locals often do not speak English very well.
