Lombok sweetness
After quitting my job at my former employer, The Balicamp, I decided to take a few days off to go to Lombok with some friends to explore and try out some new spots! And I can tell you - it was a blast! Until now, I had only surfed in Bali and G-Land (Java) so it was awesome to try out some new waves.
We wanted to have our own transport on Lombok, so we rented a car and took the slow Ferry from Padang Bay (in Bali) to Lombok. Boarding the ferry at around midnight, we arrived at 6am in the morning and drove to Kuta Lombok (very different to Kuta Bali!) to check out our accommodation. The girls insisted we stay at a nice place with a few bungalows and pool to relax, so of course, that’s where we stayed. After tucking into breakfast - and those were some of the best banana pancakes I ever had (sorry mum) - we met up with one of my brother-in-law’s best mates, Bobby, who runs a surf school/surfboard rental/restaurant right on the main street of Kuta Lombok. It’s nice to know the right people!
Bobby told us to check out Pantai Seger as the tide was right and with a big swell it should be pumping. You can also find a small left hander close to the rocks and a pretty pumping right hander on the other side of the small bay.
Once we hit the water, there was just such a great vibe with all the locals and so many young groms. Young and old, boys and girls, all enjoying the waves. It was great fun! Everybody took care of everybody and shared the waves. No egos. Lots of laughing and hooting! After paddling against the current for quite a while during our surf, we were pretty worn out and retired to our bungalows for some R&R.
For the next two days we went to Gerupuk. The charter boat was 50.000 per person and it waits next to the break the whole time while you surf! A nice personal touch having your own private boat out next to the line-up! The tide was already rising and the wave was getting mellow, so we promised ourselves to wake up earlier the next day to get in a long surf session at this great wave. And it was worth it, with the swell picking up that night. By mid-tide the next day, the waves were perfect.
For our afternoon session we checked out Mawi. It’s a super nice wave but the stone and urchin infested ground to get out the back means it’s not for the faint at heart. There were only a few people in the lineup as it was quite big, but it was definitely worth taking the risk of getting a few urchin spines stuck in you. It’s a long left hander - nothing compared to my home break of Medewi of course ;-) - where you can ride almost until the next bay if you are lucky.
The evenings we mostly spent at our new friend Bobby’s Restaurant where you can get everything from traditional to western food, and have a chat about the day’s waves with the locals while knocking back a few cold Bintangs. It was so refreshing to get away from the busy streets of Canggu and Kuta for a while. We had such a good time that we actually didn't want to go home at all!
Long story short - if you have the possibility to go to Lombok one day - definitely do it! The locals are super friendly and helpful and the waves are awesome. We were kind of "lucky" as there was a volcano eruption on Lombok at that time so no flights came in, making an even more relaxed and uncrowded lineup. It’s a good idea to go in the off season because well-known places like Gerupuk are going to be packed with surfers! An even better idea is to get some tips from us or come on a Semua surfing trip to one of the awesome secret spots that we know about!
Thats it so far -
Cheers Romi
