Recently Big Wave charger Jeff Rowley made his way to Desert Point to make good on a solid swell that was predicted to hit the Lombok coast. This is his take on what he discovered and how this amazing session went down.
“Indo had been having an amazing late season, every week a new swell hitting, and I was super excited that this one was forecast to be bigger and better than the last.
I’d been in Indo hunting an unknown, difficult and dangerous wave right under the nose of one of the world’s easiest and most perfect waves.
My girl and I made the relatively short journey from Bali at the same time as another bunch of excited surfers.
The waves people normally get at the point are around 3-6 foot, but I was expecting much bigger just down the reef, where people normally avoid at all costs.
The next day the swell was up and the tide was perfect in the afternoon. Watching people get perfect barrels on the point while I waited was tough, but soon enough it all came together.
The set waves off the point would push wide and grow double in size, grinding over the super shallow and uneven reef towards the inevitable explosive close out.
Wiping out or getting cleaned up here means a smashed board and your body cheese-grated down the reef, followed by certain infection and a course of antibiotics, at the least.
For these reasons the wave will probably remain more of a favourite for spectating than for surfing, and that afternoon people that had had there fill at the point came down to watch the spectacle from front on.
Every wave looked like a close out, but the right ones gave a long, intense barrel with some sort of an exit, however brief.
Fortunately, after three and a half hours I came away in good condition- one snapped leash, a dinged board- no snaps (thanks Channel Islands for the 1/2″ stringer), torn shorts and rashie, cut feet/knees/hip/belly and forearms (straight onto antibiotics) and a series of solid, perfect barrels.”
