AXEL EXPERIENCING TWO WEEKS WITH PERFECT WAVES

After a seven hour drive from Batukaras we arrived at our new home for the next following 2 weeks. We were greeted by a glowing sunset surrounded by crystal white beaches. Our reason for this specific place however was of course not the beauty of it but rather the wave. It is a short fun wave, breaking over a shallow reef. It is located in the middle of a nature reserve making the wave pristine and untouched. The thing that really makes this place special is that the surf is rarely filled with more surfers than turtles.

As I’m writing this I’m relaxing in our room, which consists of a bed, a standing fan and a small bamboo shelf, I’m jamming along to Whip It by DEVO while Julia is reading a book. However this post is most likely coming from Jakarta as this is a place where WI-FI is a distant luxury, and if you stand on your toes you might catch a 3G signal if you are lucky.

THE FIRST 3-4 DAYS

We arrived to perfection. Over-head sized waves with a light of-shore wind trimming the waves, truly eye watering. The sunset sessions were something out of this world, with perfect barrels and the sunset-red light glowing through the waves, making them beautiful as can be. There was rarely no more than five people in the water and the “stoke level” was always high.

The morning surfs were glassy and the least crowded, with no more than three guys out (including me!). It was quite cold in the water during the morning surfs, especially for being Indo. However as the sun rose over the trees it got warmer, but with the heat came the off-shore trade winds. And the crowds…. three more people. I surfed until I was incapable of lifting my arms and my eyes were bloodshed beyond my comfort.

THE FOLLOWING 3-4 DAYS

A strong southern direction on the swell made the surf slow and small. However there were still barrels for everyone and the surf became more of a playground than a frightening rollercoaster. The slow swell made room for some adventures and exploration. Our explorations were highly successful to say the least. However as surf-explorations go, there is only so much we want to share without the risk of outing our findings. We also got help from some very friendly people when exploring, who were kind enough to let us in on the adventure. Here’s a video of Kepa Acero surfing the golden gem hidden in the Javanese jungle.

THE FOLLOWING FOLLOWING 3-4 DAYS

The surf was still small, really small actually, but still better waves than what I will ever find at home.

One session i foolishly stepped straight on to a sea urchin when heading out to the surf. Two spikes are still in my foot. The following night i got an slowly increasingly worse ear-infection. By the morning the whole right side of my face was aching, from the jaw up to my temple. The spikes in my foot and the infected ear put me out of the water for three loooong days.

I do not know if it was because of my increased time out of the water but suddenly it seemed like there was people everywhere. For every day more and more people rocked-up.

The slow, calm and friendly vibe slowly disappeared throughout the “village” with testosterone filled crews of guys arriving every day. They were all friendly and did no harm, however the calmness of the place quickly disappeared with their presence.

Non of this mattered though, a good swell was on its way. And despite the increased crowd there was never more than 10 people in the water. Which is a luxury in most parts of the world.

THE LAST 3-4 DAYS

The swell was late. Small waves and slightly more crowded surf was on the menu for the first couple of days. Which was more than fine. We wandered off to the long pristine beach located close by the break. As the sun settled we were greeted by a couple hundred baby turtles. As they struggled for their life to get to the water as quickly as possible the beach was being pounded by a pleasant sight for us, not so much for the baby turtles, – the new swell.

The following morning we got up early and expected the break to be filled with surfers. However it was only two guys out. The waves were undeniably bigger. And undoubtedly scarier. I surfed until I felt that I still had the strength to get out of the surf safe, as this would prove to be the most difficult part of this days surf.