It’s been an interesting time to be a surfer in South Sumatra. Bali and Jakarta are in lockdown. The beaches are closed and there are rumours that immigration is detaining surfers flouting the new rules. The government has stated that travellers now require a vaccination to fly or board a ferry. Unfortunately, organising a vaccine shot as a foreigner is proving difficult in many cases. Surfers currently based in regional parts of Indonesia are again being faced with a unique set of conflicting circumstances. The same restrictions that stop them from leaving, make it difficult for others to arrive. Line ups across the archipelago appear set for another quiet period. Perfect waves will continue to roll through regardless.
We’ve been based here for over a month now. It was quiet when we arrived, and there are now only a handful of travelling surfers remaining in the area. Luckily our gracious hosts at Lani’s Resto & Room have been looking after us. Deano and Tidi along with their two young daughters are always keeping busy, making delicious meals and seeing to the needs of their guests. During a quiet moment, I cornered Deano, to ask a few questions…
When did you first visit South Sumatra? –
“I first started coming to South Sumatra in 2006. Back then there were only two hotels on the point at Ujung Bocur, and the area was really uncrowded. A few of us did a surf trip to a beach break down south. When we paddled in, there was a large group of locals waiting for us on the sand. They said they had never seen surfing at that beach before.
There were rumours of other waves down south, so we decided to hire a boat from some fisherman. We ended up sailing all the way down to a national park that surrounded a military base. It seemed like there were some good setups in the area. But we thought we should land first, and get permission to surf from the military. There was some hassle, but we were eventually able to convince them. They said we could go surfing as long as we didn’t take any photos.
We scored some barrels at a beach break, then the next day we decided to surf a point around the other side of the peninsula. My friends were already surfing and I was just throwing my board shorts on. I was about to jump in when two gun-shots rang out from back on land. The guys in the water panicked and started paddling for the boat. As we were motoring off, we looked back on land and saw armed soldiers. We were worried about getting the military offside, so we went back to the main checkpoint to smooth things over. The waves were big that day, and we almost lost the dinghy in the shore break. It turned out that the whole thing was just a miscommunication, but we didn’t rush back to surf there again.”
Why did you decide to settle here?
“I kept returning for the surf, and I ended up buying land on the point at Ujung Bocur in 2010. Back then, the area still felt relatively untouched. The local farmers and the fishermen were always really welcoming, and there was a tight knit community of expat surfers. Our building plans were fairly modest to begin with. It took a couple of years for the project to come together. The restaurant and accommodation upstairs were eventually built, and Lani’s Resto and Room was opened for business.”
What has the COVID experience been like here?
“We were actually all pretty stoked when the crowds first cleared out. There were only a few surfers still around, so there were plenty of empty waves. But after a few months there was still no end in sight and we began to worry. After almost fifteen months, it’s still dragging on. The situation hasn’t been easy for any business owner that relies on western tourism. There isn’t much we can do about it, so we are trying to adapt and just hoping for the best. One positive outcome is that the local community has actually become closer. We have been able to spend plenty of time together.”
After chatting to Deano, I wandered up to my room and out onto the balcony. Nearby palm trees swayed lightly in the afternoon breeze. The ocean sparkled various shades of blue as slow lines wrapped into the point out front. The lineup was empty. I looked out over the waves then down at my phone. News had just filtered through. The lockdowns were being rolled out across wider Indonesia, and the Mentawai fast ferries had been shut down as part of the restrictions. My plan to visit the Ments could instead see me stranded in Padang. After briefly considering my options, it seemed best to stay put until the lockdowns were eased. I glanced back out over the ocean as another empty set rolled through. Spending some more time in South Sumatra surely wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
