notes a small green godong

Book seems to have alot of info (I am going next spring) The first book fell apart. I sent it back Amazon and got another copy and it fell apart also. This is kind of frustrating for a book that I had planned to travel with. I have a copy of the central america book and it seems fine.
Rating: 3 / 5

The info in here is unparalleled. Several times on my indo trip people asked to borrow my little book because it has the low down on what conditions a spot is good in and what to expect experience wise.

Unfortunately, this book has a SERIOUS flaw. It falls apart. I’ve seen 3 or 4 copies, all of which are missing pages. They just don’t stay in. I had my book for about 2 weeks and the back sections started falling out. Then you either lose them or they get jumbled and you can’t find the spot you’re looking for. Futhermore, as they start falling out it only gets easier for other pages to come out. Frustrating.

Rating: 3 / 5

This is the most comprehensive guide to surf spots in Indonesia of the 3 or 4 that you can get, as of September 2005. This one has more spots, more info on each spot, and better general information (eg best tides, maps, swell direction, seasonal winds, access, prices, surf camps, transport issues etc). It also fits neatly in you pocket for travelling ease, but unfortunately, to keep prices down it is not the most robust little booklet (my pages fell out after just 2 weeks in Indo).

Other surf guides for Indo include ‘Surfing Indonesia Action Guide 2002/3′ which has only one page on anything east of Sumba, only a few pages on Sumba itself, and nothing at all on Southern Sumatra, the Banyaks, and very little on the Mentawais. This guide has around 10 spots on Sumba alone, several spots on Rote and Sabu islands (east of Sumba), a handful of spots in Southern Sumatra, numerous Mentawai spots, but only short descriptions on the Banyaks and Simeuleu islands. ‘Indo surf and Lingo’ by Peter Neely has even less on some of the more out-of the-way-places, although the well-known spots it does describe have very good info (particularly Bali). World Stormrider Guides Volumes 1 and 2 is probably the second best buy for Indo surf information, with reasonably comprehensive information on a number of Indo areas, but these volumes are pricey, and the information is spread over 2 volumes (volume 3 out in 2007), and they are bulky books to travel with.

There is a continuing general need for a comprehensive guide to Indonesian surfing, (which this Wavefinder Guide partly fulfils), as more and more spots are being discovered all the time. Part of the reason there isn’t more available info is that there is always a bit of a war going on over whether to reveal new spots. In this guide for example, the authors note that they were tempted to put in some other little known gems, but didn’t out of respect for those who spent months travelling throughout remote Indonesia finding them. And this guide still has MORE spots than any of the others. (Note also that surf operators don’t always want any OTHER spots known, so they can get your money rather than someone else-which is partly why the Mentawais are now getting so crowded-there are other waves nearby on the Telos, and southern Sumatra that are just as/nearly as good).

I am of the view that spots should be documented, published, and responsibly developed, which is pretty much what this guide is about, but I’d still like more info on eg Simeuleu, the Banyaks (eg “seek this spot out for yourself”), and northern and southern Sumatra in particular. There is also mention of several islands in this guide which just say they are very hard to get to, but have no info on the actual surf, (eg Engano Island).

Anyone who has been out at Uluwatu on Bali in recent years will realise just how crowded this place has become, but there are numerous other lefts in Indo in the same class as Uluwatu, but which are only just being revealed and/or developed (eg Nembrala on Rote, Nihiwatu on Sumba-with a new resort, several in Southern Sumatra, Asu in the Hinakos, and Mengkudu in Sumba-also with a new resort). Even the Mentawais are now getting crowded. However, at least in my view, the more that become known, the less crowd pressures in all of them. There are literally hundreds of world class waves in Indo (some still not known/discovered-particularly in remote Sumatra). These, developed responsibly, will spread the crowds out, I should think. Mainland Sumatra is one place in particular that is going to open up further, because its cheap and there are very good waves-in fact there are oodles of coastline just waiting to be discovered/revealed, where you won’t have to deal with crowds. This guide has some info on these, particulary in the Krui area, but not really enough (however other guides have none or barely any).

One thing that many guides don’t have enough of, is spot or area consistency ratings. One of the reasons places like G-Land are so good is that it breaks almost every day. There is a big difference between turning up a spot like that for a week or 3, and one which gets very good but only breaks once in a blue moon. Both the World Stormrider Guides volumes 1 and 2, and this Wavefinder guide, have at least some info on spot or coastline/island consistency per month, but in my view, not really enough. (eg There are some spot consistency descriptions, but not always, and no actual symbol for spot consistency. eg How often do the better breaks on the Banyaks get good, or the right on Mengkudu Island? Doesn’t say.)

One final point, there are some omissions on some spots wind or other information (in particular some with world class quality) (possibly deliberately).

Despite the above criticisms, this is the best guide I could find as at September 2005, and I found it extremely useful whilst travelling through Indo.
Rating: 4 / 5