Text + photos: First

One afternoon at the end of last June, countless surfers seemed busy packing their boards and belongings. This was due to several internet reports forecasting that expected swells would not be optimal for Bali island. Because of this crew were heading to Panaitan, Pacitan, Sumbawa, and G Land. Shortly after, Rahtu, Raditya, Mega and myself bailed Bali for an escape to the middle of the south Sumatran jungle.

From Bali we flew to Jakarta then rented a car to reach Sumatra. Here was where the adventure started. The road to Bandar Lampung city became an instant challenge. The road turned into a nightmare, with holes dotting it like Swiss cheese.

The sky was dark and the clock ticking towards 9pm when we finally rolled into town, so we decided to spend the night here.

After breakfast we rushed out to the Agung city area. From what we heard from friends in Bandar Lampung there were several waves in the area. The way to Agung city alone took a three hour drive. Unfortunately Lady Luck was not on our side. Along the way countless beachbreaks held potential but didn’t look quite right for a session. We kept on the gas pedal to Krui. This time we took an off road route. The road condition looked sketchy, full of potholes and many steep climbs, especially within the National Park area. We were being challenged and told countless times by the locals to be careful. They told us that on this stretch of road you often see crossing elephants.

We wandered around the National Park for about six hours. After descending Mount Tanggamus, we finally reached the coastline of Way Jambu. White sand, blue sea water and a clear lagoon appeared before us. The scenery suddenly cured our exhaustion from the drive. It looked like a painting masterpiece. It looked similar to the Mentawai islands.

Way Jambu felt like our second home. Most of the people here are immigrants from Bali, mostly from Nusa Penida. They were part of a government transmigration program in the 1970s. It felt like our own kampong, like family… like a new residence.

Other things that surprised us where when we found a massive dry docked cargo ship at Way Jambu beach. According to the local people, over a year ago the ship washed up on the coast. It looked like there were some surfable waves breaking off of it so the boys went straight out to try out the waves around the stranded boat.

That late afternoon we tried out the Way Jambu beachbreak. We were still exhausted from the heavy trip and during that time we didn’t get the exact footage that we were looking for. That late arvo session could be called a warm up. After dinner at our little surf camp, we rested up at Tapokan Ujung.

The next day we were greeted by the most beautiful morning view… the colorful yellowish sunlight had us mesmerized. We felt that today was the day for us to score. Because of this we rushed to go surf the sunset beach area in the middle of Krui. Mega and Rahtu finally got the footage they wanted. Unfortunately later the rain fell non-stop, endlessly, until that afternoon. We even had the chance to witness a Sumatran tornado in the Sumatran sea that day.

On the third day it was make or break for us to get shots. After being washed around in unpredictable weather, we embraced the beautiful and bright morning. The sun’s rays lit up the clean and clear sky. The wind stopped blowing so we could surf undisturbed. Finally we accomplished our mission that morning. We exhaled and filled our lungs with fresh air. It felt so different from our usual home, because there is way less pollution here. There is one more thing we bring from the depths of the jungle to share with you…Go Green!!!
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