Since Mike Boyum’s G-land camp began hosting people in the late 70s, surfers have been travelling to purpose built accommodation settings throughout Indonesia.  These days the islands are littered with surf camps and surf resorts – from the luxury exclusivity of Nihi Sumba’s Nihiwatu resort, to the humble shacks still favoured by Spartan surfers in various corners of the region. However, recently certain sections of the archipelago have attracted interest from resort developers who don’t have a particular interest in catering to surfers.  They see many of the pristine islands with their jungle mystique, glorious reefs and otherworldly isolation as ideal locations for ‘eco-resorts’ and billionaire investors who are chasing their own island nirvana.   

In the past week various mainstream news outlets have reported that the Widi Islands, located in Indonesia’s North Maluku province between Sulawesi and West Papua, will be part of a rather bizarre sale at New York’s high end auction house Sotheby’s. Situated on the eastern fringe of an archipelago that is home to over 17 000 islands, the Widi islands are largely untouched and reportedly inhabited by hundreds of rare and protected species of marine mammals, fish and birds. It wasn’t listed on Surfline or Magic Seaweed for a swell report, but keen Google mappers (and possibly some travelling surfers) have probably already snuffed out a promising lineup.   

One website, ‘Travel Asia’, spun the sale as a means of protecting the pristine area. “Fortunately, the auction is not about turning the Widi Reserve into a trendy new travel hotspot, but rather of making it part of an eco-responsible project to preserve this unique biodiversity.”

Meanwhile, environmental groups such as Greenpeace have condemned the sale, which will reportedly include 16.5 hectares of capped roof area across the 100 islands and approval for an airport. Another news outlet wrote, “If privatised, Greenpeace Indonesia say that the world will lose the biodiversity found in and around the islands, and the ‘locals will lose their source of life and livelihood’.”

Indonesian land titles for foreigners are notoriously complex and it seems the Widi Islands sale circumvents more traditional bureaucracy in a way that suits billionaire investors. The paragraph below from the Lifestyle Asia site goes some way towards explaining the nature of the sale and the scale of the potential development.

“Usually, the Indonesian authorities do not allow foreign buyers to purchase islands. In this respect, this auction is already atypical. As a get around, the exclusive licenses for the development and management of the Widi Reserve are held by a holding company called PT. Leadership Islands Indonesia. The auction, held December 8-14 in New York, will actually be an investment in this Indonesian company to gain control of the nature reserve. Hotel development plans have already been devised and take the form of eco-lodges, designed by Bill Bensley, an American architect known for his luxurious projects. Moreover, buyers will need to prove they have the financial means to purchase this gem, since a bidder deposit of $100,000 (Rs 81 lakhs approx) is required to take part.”

While it’s hard to imagine too many surfers stumping up the cash for a US$100 000 deposit and throwing down bids at Sotheby’s, the sale does force surfers to ask questions about what kind of developments and deals they’d like to see done in Indonesia. One might argue that it’s no business of foreigners what the Indonesian government allows to be done with its islands. However, the counter argument to that is perhaps that ‘you don’t have to live in the Amazon to have a view on how it’s managed’, so to speak

While surfers may have an opinion, as willing visitors to Indonesian surf camps and resorts (that’s me too), it’s difficult for surfers to instantly condemn any other development initiatives without being accused of hypocrisy.  Many of the Indo’ camps and lodges surfers visit have been built by hard working and industrious pioneers who follow best practise when it comes to the environment and their dealings with local communities.

After more than a decade of skippering boats in Indonesia, Matt Cruden worked with Indonesian and Australian partners to establish the highly regarded Resort Latitude Zero in the Telo Islands, in the early 2000’s. When asked about the development in the Widi Islands he indicated it was the first he’d heard about it. He did however suggest that the model may have some merit.              

“I guess on the positive side is that having a central company managing a number of island’s like this means that they can really formulate a good eco-friendly and hopefully sustainable operation without overcrowding.” 

When it comes to keeping a balance in regions like the Mentawai and Telo Islands, Matt suggests that most operators strive to do the right thing, but invariably there will always be discussion around how many resorts/camps a given area can host without disrupting the equilibrium.   

“I think most operators in our industry try to limit the number of surfers in their resort…problem is, there is no real limit to the number of resorts in a particular area, which can then create a crowded surf zone.” 

The reality is that there probably needs to be open debate about the evolution of the Indo archipelago and how it might be sold off and developed. Finding a middle road, where moderation and complementing the environment are prized, is never easy but it’s certainly worth striving for.