Aug/Sept, 1998
No. 036/VI/98
Young Guns
Bali's Generation X speak out
Gone Surfin",
by boat
Gallery
Imagining the Soul
Health and Beauty
Which Doctor?
Food
Something Fishy
Fiction
Womb by Cok Sawitri
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Across the fearsome
Lombok Strait to Desert Point under full a moon we adjust to the rock and roll of the
Indonesian vessel, although conditions are relatively flat. Arriving at Desert Point and
seeing no value in the flat conditions we prepare for the long, arduous upwind voyage
along the rugged Lombok coastline. Three of the party are pretty sick which can be
expected on the first day at sea.
We push on to the Western coast of Sumbawa, shadowed all
the while by another crew of intrepid surfers in a Lembongan style outrigger designed for
surfing charters. The swell remains relatively small so we head straight for Yoyos - a
beautiful bay exposed to the open ocean swells and known for producing high quality reef
breaks when all else fails for the premier locations of Scar Reef and Super Suck. By
accident we steer the boat into the bay adjacent to Yoyos, a spot we named Marbles. As
luck would have it the waves at Marbles are far better than those of Yoyos. The three
young rippers Lana, Lapor and Scott take the little reef break apart, the old guard stand
their ground happy to surf in the virgin Sumbawa coastline: alone!
Tiny waves for Indonesia but the sun and front lighting on this
morning are too hard to resist so the cameras are brought out to record the action. This
section of the coast of Sumbawa is open both to swell as well as the prevailing trade
winds, and towards the end of the photo call the surfer’s nemesis of onshore winds
totally blows out the glassy conditions rendering the surf useless for the remainder of
the day. So we motor around the scenic coastline to anchor in the idyllic Super Suck for
the evening.
Morning sees our trusty vessel return to Marbles where the
conditions remain the same as the previous day. The ocean is oil-slick glass and the swell
has increased somewhat from the previous day producing very nice little surfing
performance waves, which allow Made Lapor to attempt some state-of the art aerial surfing.
Again, by dusk the trade winds have kicked in, eliminating any further sessions. With all
the crew aboard and healthy omelets to fuel us for the remainder of the day we set course
for Super Suck Bay, where we are to spend the night. As we lay in the beautiful bay under
the full moon, the boat begins to rock ever so slightly, indicating a rise on swell. This
prompts us to quickly prepare for Yoyos, which we do in the early morning mist. On arrival
there we see evidence of a definite increase in wave action, and a scan with the
binoculars reaffirms that the swell was definitely larger.
Approaching from behind you cannot really gauge the size of the
waves. It’s only when you are really sitting in the line up that the power of the
break can be measured. The waves on this day are a good six feet. For me, camera in hand,
this is a treat. I concentrate my photographic efforts on the younger crew as they really
are the best surfers amongst us. Their rides are definitely worth recording in place of my
own surfing pleasure.
Lombok’s famous Desert Point is to be our last point of call,
and it is right on dusk when a magnificent rainbow heralds our arrival there. Everyone
except myself stays aboard as we sailed into one of the most sacred of Indonesian surf
locations, and I am rewarded with what surfing is all about: a magical, late evening
glass-off and two waves that wound down the coral reef. Alighting at Padang Bai, Bali,
Brett, Critter and myself toasted a safe homecoming and know it's the life we love to
live!
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Text and photos by Peter Crawford.
Above:
1. Made lapor and Made Lana enjoying boat life away from Bali
2. Chris 'Critta' Byrne, the author, Brett Beezely, ship board fun en route to
perfect waves
3. At day's end when the surfing is over a cold beer and a view like this; what
more could you ask for in life
4. The surfer's dream waves at Desert Point
5. Scott Crawford slices around Marbles in Sumbawa
6. Chris 'Critta' Byrne, retired ASP surfer, still finds that soul surfing inspires
aboard a boat with friends
7.Made lapor bottom-turns around critical section with grace
8. Made Lana wields a stylish cutback
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