Surfing Java in January | Sōleïa Surf Academy - Week 2

G-Land in unsurfable off-season conditions

Surfing Java - or Indonesia in general - is hit or miss during rainy season. This week was definitely a miss. For that matter, the entire Indian Ocean was lacking swell energy, based on reports from Sri Lanka to Maldives to Mentawais to Bali. Good time to break out the fishing gear.

Beach at Pulau Merah. I'm guessing the Red Island is that little lump on the left.

Sōleïa Surf took its Surf Instructor students to East Java in January 8-12, 2025. Lodging and transportation were booked far in advance of any surf forecast and we couldn't reschedule to a week with better conditions. We drove 4 hours, took a ferry at Gilimanuk to cross the strait between Bali and Java, then drove another 2 hours to arrive at our base camp, The Wisma, in the quiet hamlet of Pulau Merah (Red Island).

Not much going on in this town

A short walk from Wisma revealed a picturesque beach that was clean - very little trash, no dog shit - and waves that were gloriously uncrowded. Pandan trees hedged a crescent of fine, tan sand gently sloping down to warm water. Ramshackle warungs in the shade of the trees served drinks and snacks while a few local tourists milled around to take pictures in their abayas and hijabs - Java is predominantly muslim. The tranquility was a refreshing break from Bali, with its peace disturbed only by the muezzin calls to prayer 5 times a day and a loud explosion from the gold mine in the mountain at the eastern end of the bay.

Snack shacks along the beach

Surf Spots

Pulau Merah

This sand-bottom beach is suitable for all levels of surfers. Channels separate the 3-4 wide A-frame peaks, ranging from longboard alley on the eastern end to the punchier breaks farther west. Strong onshore tradewinds combined with high tides (it was the week before full moon) and lack of swell made for unsurfable conditions for most of the day. Guided surf sessions were often canceled or postponed. When the wind died down though, waves were small but surfable, making for chill sunset sessions.

Small, weak waves become an exercise in speed generation

My 5'8" Al Merrick I bought off an Australian pro surfer on a Black Friday sale was ill-suited for the conditions. I either had to wait a half-hour for the one freak set wave that was strong enough to get my board going... or surf the shore breaks. According to surf-forecast.com, the energy was less than 100 kJ. I caught more waves and enjoyed longer rides after stepping up to a higher volume (35L) board.

Ruben trying to squeeze as much as he can out of the wave

The one redeeming factor of surfing at Pulau Merah this week was the lack of crowds. On the first day, I shared a peak with 2 locals, who left an hour later, then I had the peak to myself for a whole hour. Having that alone time was a great way to try out my new (used) board for the first time and get a feel for it.

New board on the left was Australian pro Nikki Van Dijk's old board

Then I moved down to the peak where all the Sōleïa Surf folks were surfing, where it was party waves galore. Don't worry, if you're not with Sōleïa Surf or don't care about getting sick shots of your rides by our house photographer, there are other peaks to surf here that are lonesome. Also, the Sōleïa Surf crowd thins out as the sun goes down, so I could surf a few uncrowded waves again until I couldn't see no more.

Trying to longboard a shortboard

G-Land

A 2-hour drive from Pulau Merah takes you into Alas Purwo National Park, where you can find the famous G-Land reef breaks - Kong, Moneytrees, Speedies, and the beginner-level Tiger Tracks. These long, wondrous left-handers wrap around a point called Plengkung Beach and break over sharp, shallow reef in southwest-facing Grajagan Bay (where the "G" in G-Land comes from). Unfortunately, we arrived at super low tide - too low even for spearfishing - and the onshore wind was crushing the piddly waves lapping up the reef.

Tiger Tracks looking as forlorn as us surfers searching for waves

Nobody surfed. Didn't even bother taking the boards out of the box truck. We explored the beach instead, turning our surfari into a safari (but we didn't run into any tigers, as the first surfers who discovered G-land, Bob Laverty and Bill Boyum, did).

No waves here either

3 out of 4 surf camps or resorts were shut down for monsoon season from December to March, and now I see why. It's plain unsurfable on some weeks. It's too bad we couldn't stay another week as a new swell was forecast to come in, though the onshore winds might have made it messy anyway.

Tip: It's easier to walk barefoot than lose your flip flops in the mud to Tiger Tracks

Accommodations

Pulau Merah

We stayed at The Wisma, a locally owned lodge with indo-style cabins (complete with geckos and mosquito nets) and western-style rooms on a quiet street lined with homestays and just a straight shot down to the beach. The hotel features a restaurant/bar across the street and an onsite massage therapist skilled in putting me to sleep with her Javanese pressure points and long strokes.

Inside a cabin at Wisma

There's also Big Daddy's Surf Camp, which is on the first row of houses set back from the beach. Rooms run for 10 euros per night and, like Wisma, offer AC, hot water, and wifi (though too slow and unstable for remote work). We had an excellent BBQ here.

BBQ at Big Daddy's

G-Land

Only Jawa Jiwa Resort was still operating on a reduced basis at this time. A bungalow there will set you back at least US$153 per night, plus another US$110 for the boat transfer from Bali to the resort. There is also a helipad in front of Joyos for those with deep pockets.

Helipad in front of Joyos

The other surf camps - Joyos, Jack's, Bobby's - were all dormant. Bobby's has a dramatic history with a book and articles written about it if you're inclined to read. Originally called the Blambangan Surfing Club, it is the first and longest-running surf camp at G-Land, founded by American expats Bill and Mike Boyum (yes, the same surfer who discovered the Cloud 9 break in the Philippines) back in 1977. Mike burned it down a year later when he was fed up with greedy Indonesian authorities, then balinese surfer Bobby Radiasa acquired the camp, giving it its new name.

Bobby's Surf Camp still going strong after 48 years

Food

Aside from the Sōleïa Surf-run BBQ, I only ate at The Wisma restaurant though there is one other restaurant down the street and several warungs along the beach. The Wisma was often out of ingredients. They only had avocado juice and ran out of their best-seller steak on most days. Western dishes like spaghetti bolognese and spaghetti carbonara barely resembled the real thing and tasted like they came out of a can. Keep your expectations low. It's Java, not Bali.

I'm glad I brought some food with me

Conclusion

I could see Java's potential as a surf destination, but wasn't lucky enough to see it in reality. I would visit during shoulder or peak season. If I were to come back during rainy season, I would stay longer to increase my chances of scoring great waves. And definitely bring a book, boogie board, or whatever else you use on Beach Day for days the ocean is tired. Even at its worst, east Java is still a serene tropical getaway.