“I think what brought me to Indonesia was the allure of good waves, but also the freedom that you find here. I’d only planned to be in Indonesia for two months, then a one or two-month trip turned into three years…”
Interestingly enough, you meet a lot of folks whose trips went that way around Bali. They just don’t all get as insanely tubed as Shawn Dennis. Check out the short film we made on this Saffa transplant, featuring a few tubes from Shawn’s “extended stay.”
RIP CURL | F-Light Posse 35L IOS Backpack
Make your journey comfortable and stylish with the F-Light Posse 35L IOS Backpack. This suitcase features a laptop section, fleece-lined sunglass pocket, breathable lightweight EVA shoulder straps, EVA-molded front panel for added protection, insulated drink bottle pocket, and multiple organizer and utility pockets.
While technically part of Desert Point, the aptly named Grower section is essentially a surf spot in its own right. When it's on, it breaks pipe-esque over dangerously shallow coral reef, and it has to be up there as one of the heaviest waves in the whole of Indo. While the rest of the point is heaving with surfers, not many people are usually taking this place on.
PRO surfer Mikala Jones is dead at 44 years old after suffering an injury while surfing.
Jones had been surfing in the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia when he reportedly severed his femoral artery.
As a result, Jones died due to blood loss.
Details on what led up to his death are still unclear but the surfing world quickly put out tributes for Jones and his family.
Jones' daughter, Isabella, wrote a touching tribute to her father, sharing several photos from her childhood.
"i’m in so much disbelief right now, this doesn’t feel real. I love you so much dad and i wish i could give you one last hug," she wrote.
"I wish i could tell you again how much i love you and thank you for being the best dad. I wish you were still here with us, you weren’t supposed to leave yet. This is too soon."
Surf photographer and friend of Jones shared some kind words as well.
"I put on the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys album Smile, I made a cup of coffee and sat down to make this really sad sad post. Our friend Mikala Jones passed away yesterday in The Mentawais while surfing the waves he loved.. I’m so sorry and send prayers to his family.
"He was 44 which is far too young. He was a wonderful person an incredible artist, his Go pro photos were mind blowing. …. We’re gonna miss him so much. I’ve been sitting her all morning trying to grasp this reality."
Three-time surfing World Champion, Mick Fanning shared a photo on Instagram of himself and Jones with the caption: "So shattered to hear the news. Mikala you were one of a kind. Funny, mellow, an explorer, a pioneer but most of all loving husband and father.Going to miss your sense of humour and classic one liners. Love how you always kept it real but were a true ambassador of aloha.
".To Emma and the girls sending so much love. Mikala loved you more than anything and would always be showing us pictures and videos with the proudest smile on his face.Grateful to have known you the past 25 years and honoured to go exploring with you in that time.You will be missed. #MJalldayMay you forever get barrelled whilst guiding your family from above.Love you brother."
Jones is survived by his wife and three children.
Our deepest condolences go out to Mikala’s family and friends for their terrible loss.
Mason Ho meets up with his childhood friend Clay Marzo in Lombok to surf a very special wave. We knew to bring our 13 year old local security grommets All Day Dylan and KK with us to keep safe from the zombie crowd.
Surfers: Mason Ho, Clay Marzo, All Day Dylan Wilcoxen and KK aka Kalani hammer Grom.
This long left point in remote Indonesia works best on small to medium swells, and can max out pretty easily during the dry season. This edit was filmed over a few days in June during a window of large swell, with some of the competitiors of the Krui Pro contest taking it on.
Kelly Slater: Lost Tapes gives fans the rare opportunity to witness never-before-seen footage of the best surfer on the planet. From free surfs to travel to adventures around the world, these are uncut and unfiltered moments from before, after, and outside competition. Follow 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater as he navigates another transformative season of his legendary career.
Short One - Lembongan | It’s hard to see Lembongan that empty.
All stores are closed, beaches are empty and hotels are slowly turning into abandoned buildings. It is clearly visible: covid has changed everyone’s life here.
Countless residents are struggling to survive during this pandemic.
The more it touched my heart to see the locals having the biggest smiles on their faces surfing THEIR spots together.
It is just incredible how much joy the ocean can bring to everyone’s life.
The ladies turned up in numbers for this session at Batu Bolong the other day, and with a small swell running it was a perfect size for a bit of logging.
The tide was extremely low early on, but it filled in quickly, with some rides linking up all the way to the inside. The smooth conditions didn't hang in there too long, with the onshore already showing itself by late morning.
Nic just got back from the most insane Sail Boat trip down to the Mentawais. He scored really good Macaronis and double the size Greenbush to the previous trip.
This week we are launching the Macaronis episode and in 10day the Greenbush stuff.
Here are some words from Nic:
"Surfing Macaronis with not many people around has been a dream since a kid, i maybe even everyones dream, its worlds most user friendly wave with barrels to turn to airs, but its usually packed with 30+ people. It was crazy to show up there and surf it for 2 days with very few people around.. You would catch a wave an be straight in line for the next set. I think everyone ended up surfing 60 waves each..
I think this might only happen to me once in a life time."
Mason Ho & Sheldon Paishon move onto a more uncrowded spot somewhere in Indonesia. Chasing the dream to find a wave with nobody around the boys stumble across this high performance left hander.
Best rides from this session are being saved for Snapt 4 The Movie. Stay tuned!
Surfers: Mason Ho, Sheldon Paishon & Super Agent Pete Mathews.
This shallow Sumbawan reef was pumping out never-ending barrels last week, and we managed to capture some of the action over two very similar days.
This place produces some of the most flawless waves we've ever seen, and the wave starting at 5:28 totally blew our minds. The surfer is Aussie charger, Georgia, getting 4 barrels on one wave, and making it look easy!
We have more epic footage from a nearby spot, so keep an eye out for another edit dropping soon.
This video features land and drone footage. Enjoy!
There were plenty of clean morning lines at Batu Bolong on the 27th of December. Maybe it was the tide, but quite a few waves rolled through the lineup without breaking until the shoreline. Even so, they would often stand up enough that they could be ridden, sometimes for a decent distance.
