Surfing in Indonesia

History of surfing in Indonesia

The first surfer in Indonesia was the American Bob Koke who surfed the waves at Kuta Beach, Bali in the mid to late 1930s. Due to World War II, Koke left Bali and surfing did not catch on again until the late 1960s and early 1970s when traveling surfers began discovering surf spots off Bali, made especially famous (although they were not named) in the classic surfing film Morning of the Earth by Albert Falzon. Later Bali would become a stepping-stone for other Indonesian wave discoveries such as Nias, G-Land, and the Mentawai Islands. Although much of the Indonesian coastline has been scoured in search of surfing areas, every year continues to yield new discoveries, even today.

Today, surfing is an ubiquitous multi-million dollar Indonesian industry, which includes transportation, accommodation, dining, entertainment, and surfing services and products. Some islands have beach communities that make a living directly from surfing, such as Lakey Peak in Sumbawa, Sorake Beach in Nias, and Uluwatu Beach in Bali. Multinational surfing brands such as Billabong, Quiksilver, and Oakley, Inc. run their entire Southeast Asia operation and distribution out of their Bali headquarters, most of which are found in the Kuta district.

Indonesian surfers are among the most successful in Asia and are ranked by the Asian Surfing Championships, an organization that holds surfing contests throughout Asia. Raditya Rondi from Kuta Beach, Bali, was crowned the ASC Champion 2015, retaining both the Indonesian and Asian titles. Several international contests have been held in Indonesia over the years and 2013 alone saw two big international pro events, the Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang invite-only event (won by Mega Semadhi from Pecatu, Bali), and the Oakley Pro Bali, which was the 5th stop of the world tour (won by 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson, Australia). Both contests were broadcast live online to over 2 million viewers worldwide.

Regional governments have realized the positive impact surfing has on their communities and the travel industry and have held ASC surfing contests in order to promote their waves and beaches. Surfing was admitted into the 2007 Asian Beach Games in Bali as a sport by the International Olympic Committee, the first major stepping stone to getting into the Olympic Games. Indonesian surfers are making an impact nationally and overseas with media coverage and contests result and strive to qualify for the ASP World Championship Tour. Still, the Indonesian central government has not acknowledged surfing as a major sport in Indonesia or supported it in any way.

Surf spots in Indonesia (famous locations)

Indonesia is considered a surfer's paradise as it is composed of numerous islands with world class surf spots in warm water, some of them still unexplored.

Bali

The island of Bali is the most touristic destination for surfing in Indonesia as it has many world class waves and infrastructures to put up the tourists. The most famous surfing destinations on the island are Padang Padang, Uluwatu, Bali and Keramas.

Padang Padang is another popular surf spot located on the south west of Bali.

Uluwatu is considered the most famous surfing spot in Bali. It is located on the south west of the island.

Keramas is located on the south east of Bali. It is a right and left wave breaking on rocks.

Java

Java has many surf spots, the most popular one being G-Land.

G-Land is located on the east side of Java. It is a hollow and powerful left, breaking on a sharp reef.

Lombok

Lombok island is the neighboring island eastward of Bali, as beautiful but much less developed.

Gerupuk Inside is a couple of hollow lefts and rights. It fits well for beginners.

Gerupuk Outside is the most famous surfing spot in Lombok, it is composed of two rights a quarter of miles apart.

Ekas is located opposite to the small harbour of Awang. Is is right and left.

Mawi is also located on the south coast, but at the opposite west near Selong Belanak. It is also right and left.

Mentawai

The Mentawai is a chain of islands consisting of four main islands surrounded by numerous smaller islands. It is located near Sumatra island. There are several surf spots accessible by boat, with the best known being Macaroni, Lances Left and Lances Right.

Macaroni is a hollow left located in North Pagai.

Lances Right is a right with hollow barrels, located in Sipura.

Lances Left is located near Lances Right. It is similar to Lances Right except that it is a left.

Panaitan Islands

The Panaitan Islands are located near Java. These islands host many surf spots, the most famous being One Palm Point and Apocalypse.

One Palm Point is a legendary left point break with a shallow bottom.

Apocalypse is a hollow right slab.

Sumbawa

Sumbawa island is located at the east of Lombok. It has plenty of popular surf spots, with the most famous being Lakey Peak and Scar Reef.

Famous surfers

Bob Koke (USA) was the first surfer to ride Indonesian waves in the late 1930s. He then settled there and taught some Balinese to surf.

Rizal Tanjung is one of the best known Indonesian surfers in the world as he was the first Indonesian to compete on the WQS. He was one of the first Indonesian surfers to travel as a professional surfer. He won the Indonesian Surfing Championship circuit in 2002 and 2006. He was called "The most recognizable Asian surfer alive" by Transworld Surf magazine. He also owns Kurawa and Rizt (two brands). He appeared in many surfing videos, including the famous Loose Change and Stranger Than Fiction.

Oney Anwar was the first surfer from Sumbawa to compete on the WQS. He learned to surf in Lakey Peak and joined the Rip Curl team when he was 10. He moved to Australia in a Rip Curl program for young surfers and came back later in Indonesia. He is now internationally known and looking to qualify for the WCT.

Raditya Rondi has been winning the Asian Surfing Championships since their creation in 2011. Indeed, he won the title of champion three consecutive years. He built a solid reputation in the Asian surfing scene and is internationally known.

Indonesian Surfing Championships

The Indonesian Surfing Championships (ISC) were launched by Tipi Jabrik in 2003, with a first edition in 2004 in partnership with Quiksilver. Its goal was to promote the growth of the sport of surfing in Indonesia through the organization of surfing competitions. It immediately met a big success, finally leading to a partnership with Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia in 2008. This partnership lasted almost five years, including the creation of the Asian Surfing Championships (ASC) from the success of the ISC. The ISC still exists today, with competitions part of the ASC tour, which is also based in Indonesia. Therefore, the ASC is the leading player of the Asian Surfing scene.

Importance of surfing for tourism

Indonesia is a popular tourist destination because of its warm water and climate, its beautiful landscapes, and its perfect waves.

Tourism is the second largest sector of employment in Indonesia. 30% of the national GDP is generated by the Balinese tourism industry for a total amount of 4.5 billion $. In the island of Bali, which attracts the most tourists, this sector represents two thirds of the economy. There are no data to count the part of surfers among the tourists but according to the crowd in the water and to the part of foreigners in it, it is obvious that it attracts a lot of people. It is estimated that the surfing business generates more than half billion dollars in Bali alone, which represents more than 10% of the amount generated by tourism. Taking into account that the largest part of the surfers in Bali are tourists, surfing can be considered as a major part of tourism in Indonesia.

Indonesia has various other spots in other islands (like Lakey Peak or G-Land) which attract tourists only for surfing. Surfing has therefore developed a touristic activity in places which probably would not have attracted people otherwise.

Dangers

Some surf spots contain sharp reefs which are best avoided by beginners. Sunburns can also pose a problem, as the sun is strong and can quickly cause burns. Shark attacks occur (though rarely), and the water is also the home of several kinds of jellyfish which can sting surfers severely.