After what seemed like an interminable summer of really ordinary surf, I decided to take action. I have been dreaming about a surf trip to somewhere that has uncrowded consistent waves for almost a year now. I took up supping about two years ago and as I have steadily improved, I have of course got greedier for good waves. And part of the problem is that, whenever the surf actually does get good, all the usual places I surf between Sydney and the Gold Coast are too crowded, especially on a SUP.
At some point I subscribed to email updates from World Surfaris and the range of surf destinations is bewildering. Between unlikely places like Taiwan, to more remote places like PNG and colder climes like New Zealand, there is of course the vast array of all the Pacifc and Indonesian Islands. It is a bit overwhelming knowing where to start. Maybe if I was a wealthy retiree (which I'm not!) with a bucket list, I could just start at the top of the list and work my way through every destination before I die. But due to limited available funds and time, I have to make a choice.
Then I received a notification that a brand new resort had opened at Nias www.worldsurfaris.com/surf-trip/kabunohi-sorake-resort-nias . I have long had my eye on this spot since I rode short boards many decades ago and first heard about it as an idyllic right-hand Indo wave in the midst of so many Indo lefts. Then I heard as many other surfers did, that it had been adversely affected by the 2005 earthquake which raised the seabed by a metre. But on the spur of the moment I booked in to KabuNohi (which means coconut grove) resort at Sorake (which means broken coral) right on the point of Lagundri Bay Nias and took my son Daniel with me who surfs a short board. It is the last time I will see him for a while as he is leaving for Europe shortly.
With some nervousness in the pit of my stomach we head off to the unknown. Mark and Debi who live on-site were fantastic, hospitable hosts. Dan and I hit the surf as soon as we arrived and we surfed ourselves to a standstill. Every morning and afternoon the water was glassy and I mean like clockwork. The swell started to pick up on the Monday afternoon and I took off on a slightly bigger one and was caught off-guard by how fast the larger waves were. I made a mental note to paddle hard and go hard if I ever managed to paddle in on a big one.
Next morning, just before dawn I was the third guy out to the main outside line-up and the sets were almost double overhead. Before I knew it, as I was hanging out a bit wider than the short-boarders, I had paddled onto a good size set-wave. When I got to the bottom everything was going really fast and the thought flashed through my mind: "you could be in trouble here" but I managed to do a bottom turn and saw a big curling lip up ahead, overhead. Somehow I made it through to the end of the wave unscathed and still standing. My legs, flushed with adrenaline were now shaking involuntarily. I had to sit down for a while before I paddled back out.
Unfortunately it was too early for the boat photographers who sell you photos after your session, but my son Dan happened to see his old man take-off and make the wave. Even he thought "whoah dad what are you doing? " until I just cleared the crashing lip and sped through the final section. Over the rest of the week, the swell subsided but there were always some uncrowded fun waves to be had. Three sessions of surfing a day, great food and entertaining company, especially from Mark who was one of the early guys to surf Nias back in 1980, and who has run boat-charters in the area over a long period of time, made for an enormously memorable and satisfying surf trip. I thoroughly recommend it to all SUPsters! www.worldsurfaris.com/blog/first-ever-kabunohi-resort-surf-report
You can see some more photos below.
By the way if you want to give to a worthy cause, an Aussie eye surgeon Raf Ghabrial, who also surfs a lot in Indo is trying to raise funds to help this unfortunate lady from Nias who needs eye surgery in Oz. Raf is donating his skills but needs support to fly her in and out etc. You can donate here www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-fitirias-eye
Sounds fantastic! How crowded did it get? Did you get lucky with conditions/crowds or is it usually like that? How hard was it to get there? Thanks for sharing.
Select to expand quotecantSUPenough said..
Sounds fantastic! How crowded did it get? Did you get lucky with conditions/crowds or is it usually like that? How hard was it to get there? Thanks for sharing.
It is the off-season so the crowds weren't too bad. When the waves got a bit bigger and better there were probably maybe 15-20 people out at the main break. But it was a very chilled vibe, with people offering turns. And no discernable anti-SUP sentiments. Only one or so Brazzo who got carried away. But there were heaps of sessions when it was smaller and there were only a few people out. I think in the main season June-August it might get a bit heavier when it is more serious. I booked through World Surfaris and flew Malaysian Airlines via KL and Medan then to Nias. All the connections were smooth.
Bloody legend! I've dreamed of something the same since my shortboard days and now supping and those first nias pictures on the old 80's surfing mags when I was a kid. Thanks for sharing, awesome read.
Good story, need more posts like these to freshen up some of the the dribble we see posted
Nice pics too
Nice styling there mate...looks lovely
What size SUP did you take over with you? Any issues getting it there? How many boards did you take?
Cheers
Select to expand quoteToomanyboards said..
Nice styling there mate...looks lovely
What size SUP did you take over with you? Any issues getting it there? How many boards did you take?
Cheers
The photos are of my JP Pro 8'5" x 30 130L. I also took my C4 Spudnik which is about 8'4" and 28 & 1/4" I had to pay a lot extra to get the boards there overland. But an Aussie surfer from Queensland when I was there told me he just booked his 8'6" gun himself and described it as "sporting goods" and it only cost him AUD$20.00 extra to get it from Medan to Nias (Kuala Namu airport). It's only a small plane. i think if you book Garuda rather than Lion Air you've got a better chance of getting it there cheaply.
Awesome post mate.
I'm currently in PNG & the surf has been friggin epic with a maximum of 6 surfers at any break. Uncrowded walls of glass that have got to be seen to be believed. I'm the only SUP in my crew and I've easily handled all of the 4 to 5ft days. A bit critical at some breaks but I've got a JP 7"6' Pro and a JP Surf Slate 7'2" and have found these boards to be a great combo. Staying at Nusa Island Retreat off Kavieng. Booked through World Surfaris. Check it out I'll be coming back. So where is your next epic SUP trip??? Gav
Well done really enjoyed the post like Wazza 66 says very refreshing to read a good news story.hey goin on tour with youre kids,its very special and the lifestyle you have introduced them to is truely forever,enjoy
Thanks Suporator
Your right Garudu do allow up to 300 cm length of board..just under 10 foot in length.
Now to pass the word to the SUP crew 
Cheers
Thanks mate - quite possibly the most inspiring post I've read in a while
Now the dilemma...I have my eyes on 2 new boards...and now 2 sup trips I gotta do...after I pay my mechanic for fixing my car!
Select to expand quoteFepsi said..
Thanks mate - quite possibly the most inspiring post I've read in a while
Now the dilemma...I have my eyes on 2 new boards...and now 2 sup trips I gotta do...after I pay my mechanic for fixing my car!
Sell the car and buy more SUPs and have more holidays
One day!
Would be great to be able to book a resort in these places where there was mainly SUPs. I guess you need to get a group together.
Wonderful pics and story! You've filled up the froth bowl and we're lapping it up and dreaming.
Awesome Suporator Nias is an Awesome wave I first wanted to go there in 1981 after I heard about this wave of Nias in Bali in 1980 but I was a $1,000 dollars short in airfares ( airfares were very expensive way back then if you wanted to travel ) ended up going to Nias in 1984 because I wanted to have my 21st birthday in Bali 1983 ( had The Best Time Ever with waves, girls, drugs, alcohol and magic mushrooms ). I ended up having my 22nd birthday in Nias, best Indonesia trip to this day f@#k had the place solid 12ft+ I was riding a 6'8'' single fin got some of THE BEST Stand Up Barrels of my life - I also nearly drowned had one of the heaviest wipeouts ever one more second I would not be alive today plus ended up in a Singapore hospital with Malaria I was f@#d up. There was only 1/2 dozen surfers there the place was Primitive and very and I mean very remote.
I'd love to go back to Nias Suporator but I believe there's like 60 guy's in the line-up and there's only one take of spot.
On my way to Nias 1984 - I was into photography back then
Can I please have another beer - flying was more fun back then - I remember flying back from Bali on a number of occasions in the early 80's it was the full Party Bus Plane Ride - those days don't exist anymore, flying is boring now thanks to 9/11
iRONPHIL's 22nd Birthday Nias style
Accommodation = 50 cents per day
Octopus for Breakfast
Shark for Lunch
I had to buy a Duck for 4,000rph 40 cents Australian as I needed some Protein I did give the duck a swim in the ocean before I had to cut her head off and Pluck A Duck ( I hate killing animals but you need to eat )
Midnight Surfing Nias
The inside section at Nias when the surf is flat - it'll break One foot on the incoming tide when Nias is a lake.
My very first go at Out-rigging, it was not fun I lost a lot of skin on the Reef, lucky I didn't break my ribs. ( I'm sitting at the back steering )
The Wave. Make shore you have big balls it's solid 12ft+ it has Power, it's like surfing Backdoor Pipe, that morning I was shoulder hoping by the afternoon I was backdooring some heavy waves, but Fun Times the lips where like 2ft thick, like WTF.
Help Me Please Mr Wizard it's 12ft + again
My first ever Barrel Photo
My very first time riding a Thruster = Free Flight Channel Bottom 6'2'' Surfboard on a 6ft day
Winfield Red's in-between wave like WTF - it's been 30 years since I've had a cigarette, everyone smoked back in the 70's
Superator.... great write up.... thanks for the stoke and wonder lust!
Nice to see you ripping those waves on SUP. Got any more photos to share?
Downwinder.... good flashback, those pictures look familiar.... ha ha, smoking and surfing, I used to flip the butt into my mouth when I ducked through a wave.... come up the other side smoking. People were like..."what?"
Select to expand quotesupthecreek said..
Superator.... great write up.... thanks for the stoke and wonder lust!
Nice to see you ripping those waves on SUP. Got any more photos to share?
Downwinder.... good flashback, those pictures look familiar.... ha ha, smoking and surfing, I used to flip the butt into my mouth when I ducked through a wave.... come up the other side smoking. People were like..."what?"
Here are some more photos. Maybe some of downwinder's green bintang bottles in the wall?!
