Watch: Nias in Silence
No music, no narration, no overdubs, not even the sound of breaking waves, just a subdued static as Nias peels off with mechanical perfection.
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Comments
Reckon you can add no hassling. Lovely
so no roundhouse cutbacks after tube now
Looks pretty flaccid. I'd rather surf that joint behind it.
Mmmmm....it doesnt do it justice from the air. Way more punch than that looks.
It wasn't, and no you wouldn't
That wave out on the point looks good, is that surfed regularly?
Its called Indicators (because it breaks first and indicates when a set is about to hit the point) and is way shallower than it looks.
Can only be surfed on a certain tide and even then if you don't make the barrel you're loosing skin, or worse. But if you have the balls and the ability it has some sick barrels.
Have done a few trips here and only saw a couple of local chargers surfing it for very brief sessions.
I was in Nias for a few weeks and never saw indicators surfed. Seriously shallow!
I heard from a mate that it's too shallow since the earthquake. However, it looks like it may be the second indicators reef at that size
Only when Albertinelli is in town
Flaccid? You've obviously never surfed Middleton...
Love the soundtrack, my favourite one in ages, with the exception of the Lost Track series.
I’ve never been but that looks like the easiest tube on Earth.
Same here. I figure if you can make the drop, you'll get the barrel of your life.
How about the left at 4:09? doable?
a thing of beauty
Not the easiest tube on earth or if the wave behind it is safe to surf. The waves in Indo are more powerful than Vic which has twice the power of the Gold Coast and Northern NSW . Also a little thing called a reef which I would guess is the reason why the right in the distance is empty .
Maybe not the sweep of say Kirra so would say that Greenmount is far easier and safer .
What a difference without some intense soundtrack or take off zone .
Disagree about your Vic twice as powerfull as Goldy or Nth NSW call..
nah, i agree with it... nias is real heavy
Udo said vic vs goldy/nsw not nias.
Jaspo yes Nias is heavy as Fuck !
Its funny cos 4ft Nias seemed about as heavy as 4ft Goldie but 6-8ft Nias was waay heavier than 6-8ft Goldie.
It seems to morph into a much scarier beast once it gets bigger.
1 guy had a 2 wave hold down. It was heavy
I chased this swell, I have 3 waves on this clip. We must of met, bro? I had the white helmet on, who are you?
I was riding a black and white Christenson. How good was that session coming off the low on day 2! Proper firing
Yeah say 2 was so good! What was your name? Aussie? I’m Aussie, i had the red railed twin fins out there and I had the white helmet on. My name is Lee. Stoked we got to experience empty cooking Nias together
I'm Phil, I was the only other Aussie there from memory...how nice of Scomo to keep the surf uncrowded for us.
I forgot, I went with an Aussie mate, Ant, but he got injured before the swell
"The waves in Indo are more powerful than Vic which has twice the power of the Gold Coast and Northern NSW"
Really..?
Not the Surf Coast, that's for sure - heavily attenuated, slopey-faced, thin-lipped region that it is.
Depends whether you're talking hollow lips or thickness I reckon Stu. Vic feels generally much thicker, with more water behind it, so getting out and duck diving some of those big whitewater walls is a much bigger effort than up north. But on the East Coast you have super hollow lips which can do serious damage if you're caught in the wrong spot. It's obviously a function of the wave period combined with the oceanic contours? Bass Strait waves are coming out of quite shallow water creating the more slopey effect, but they are usually 12-16 sec wave periods - that's what creates those perfect ruler edged lines. East Coast is coming out of deeper water but is generally a lower wave period, so weaker. It peaks up nicely and gets hollow but has less power behind it, generally speaking. Much the same in SA and WA as Vicco. I guess Indo has the best of both worlds - mega wave period, and super hollow thanks to the reef, so you've got risk - and the reward. Not claiming to be an expert or anything, just observation.
Oh, and I came here comment on the video. Mesmerising.
Keep your unconscious biases in check!
Just because Vic was mentioned, doesn't only mean surf coast!
east coast = thin lips LOL.
MP/PI/West of cape Otway beachy v Gold Coast/Nth NSW beachy there is no comparison.
6 foot snapper and green mount felt like getting pumped at 3 foot gunnamatta
Also hutchy what wave in Indo would be heavier than lunas?
Edit- hutchy if you’re taking into account sharp shallow reef then yeah obviously Indo is the winner
And the warmer water makes it feel softer over east as well.
100% agree with Hutch and Goofy 6ft Goldie point wave when getting worked feels like a 3ft Vic beachie wave (Tassie west coast even more punch)
Then real high period reef waves in Indo are next level again.
Had a desperation surf at the outer right waaaayyyy back when I was there in the early 90s. Looks great - just sections - but that earthquake completely changed the whole Nias set up - so probably a different beast now.
I heard that Indicators is basically unsurfable these days due to the earthquake. There are plenty of perfect looking waves like that in Indo that look doable on video, but turn out to be pretty much suicide when you paddle out to them.
Deadmans at Lakeys is another one. The only guy I ever saw surf out there (Deadmans) was an American Pro, I think it may have been Todd Chesser. He surfed there for two hours before coming in and (as the story goes) exclaiming "Heck, that Periscopes is a lot heavier than I thought!" I wonder if anyone surfs there these days? I haven't been there for twenty years.
Thats the rights to the right of the peak?....
I remember watching video of Andy Campbell and Simon Mcshane surfing it in the 90s.
Looks amazing barrel wise and is also totally out of my league but I wonder if they're all miss getting it on rail for a nice big full rail carve? That's my favourite part about surfing, carving arcs on rail.
Put this on 500% zoom - look where's he's been and where's he's going on Full Rail on a Single Fin
Yeh ok udo, I see what you're putting down but I'm thinking my kind of dream location/ waves are more like..... J-Bay, Honolua bay, Barra de la cruz etc. I'm more into perfect long point breaks that will offer both carving and barrels (not that I'd have any clue in barrels, I'm Victorian)
How times change.
When I spent a month there 30 years ago I saw Indicators surfed once.
A 16 year old Brett Herring and the older bloke he was there with from memory.
Such a sick wave, and heavier than it looks but still user friendly up to a certain size. I never saw Indicators surfed, most waves ended on dry reef.
Someone once described Nias as ‘the best seven seconds in surfing’.
Saw indicators getting surfed when I was there, just by a local and yes....he was getting tubed.
My trip started with 6-8ft perfection then eased off to 3-4ft fun (then onshore). From memory, the smaller it is, the more ripable and longer it is. Also....if you want to get tubed, it's all about the double ups!
surfed it for two weeks straight with some really big swells during that period. super heavy wave, deep water and long hold downs. can hit the reef too and then get pinned down to it for a very long time, i came up coughing up large amounts of blood after my worst hold down. indicators is insane and pretty much no one surfs it, its a death wish if you see it in real life. the person that said its 'flaccid' has clearly never been to nias or any solid wave spot and has likely never seen footage of the waves they surf. 8ft bombs look 4ft in photos and vids.
Did I just see a small mellow crowd surfing a world class wave with people taking turns ?
Wow Covid19 really has changed the world.
Was watching this with my son and had to do three rewinds to the surfer taking off and no hassling. It was one of the first things I noticed. I can see this on youtube being in the top twenty most inspiring moments.
It looks heavy out there, you would need to get under the curtain pretty quick
So strange how the earthquake seemed to change both the wave and the water colour. Remember in the 90s? Those strange turquoise coloured thin lipped photos? Now it always looks dark and heavy.
But got my my first ever full stand up come out with the spit barrel there as an 18 year old. Burnt into my brain.....
Small pack, one crusty old Indo lifer beyond me - this double up set comes - I'll never forget it. The old mate paddled, then changed his mind. I swung...stroked in - and this bloody turquoise wall stood up in front of me, I did a small sort of mid face snap and that SOUND! That swooshing, echo as the lip threw. Growing up in Sydney - my instinct was to crouch - because I'd never had a tube I hadn't had to crouch in. Then I remember sort of thinking "Shit....I dont need to crouch". I remember sort of half standing up....then standing upright, sort of Duke style...still shocked that I could FIT into it. Then all I had to do was stand there and just rolled out the door. Burnt into my brain and I can almost hear it as I write......ahhh Indo hey??!!
That's all time Bungan!
I’ll second that. Epic
Great story, a very good MP mate surfed it early on a single fin. I’ve seen the photos, two old style photo albums full of him slotted and that beautiful turquoise water colour you remember
I was right there in that tube. A good yarn for sure.
Love a good tube echo.
There was a bloke called John ( R.I.P . ) a bricklayer from tugun , in the eighties he regularly went to Nias and often surfed indicators by himself . He shaped his own boards, single fins with two small side fins , strange looking boards but worked for him . He was a very talented surfer and spent 4-6 months in Indonesia traveling from nias to roti . I had several months with him surfing shipwrecks and lasso’s . On a trip coming back from nias one year he was in a bar in medan 3 stories up and very drunk told someone to get fucked over a game of pool . He was thrown through a window and landed on a passing cars roof . He woke up in jail with broken leg , ribs and fractured jaw . The police were demanding $5000 for the damage he had done . Eventually after 3 days when they couldn’t get any money from him he was transferred to hospital . He had dual citizenship Ozzie and British and Australian government gave he no assistance . The British government helped him and he eventually got a flight to Brisbane 6 weeks after episode . There was a ambulance waiting for him on arrival and he was taken to hospital and had his bones broken and reset . He never surfed again and was mentally and physically fucked up . Turned into a full blown alcoholic. Speaking to a mate called banana also from tugun and close friend of John, told me of his passing . R..I.P . John
That's heavy. Would the Banana guy you refer to also be known as "Joe Banana"? I remember crossing paths with a bloke by that name. One of life's great characters. His names for the breaks at Lakeys were "Snakey Peak, Fungus and Microscopes." I still use those names to this day.
I’ve only ever heard of him being called Banana , he was doing Nias in the 80s then mainly hung out down sumba and roti , he used to surf periscopes when lakeys hadn’t been discovered , strange what went on around the corner at lakeys for so many years . Still living tugun today, I bumped into him last year and he told of John’s passing . He took Marty Tullemans down to sumba in the early days .
I met 'Banana' in Indo late 80's. Seemed a pretty humble bloke and I'd already seen a ripping full page spread of him getting tubed at Nias (had the mag at home) before i met him.
The funny thing was, when we met each other i still remember he stuck his hand out and with a deadpan expression said "G'day......Banana" As I gave him my name I was laughing to myself thinking is he taking the piss?
Well no! He wasn't.
Banana is certainly a character, he gave up on nias early 90s and had found less crowded waves . He stayed at bungalows where I was and was always on a tight budget. He lived on banana jaffles and was amazed at how we ordered jaffles with the lot , tomatoe , cheese , onion , avocado and said he didn’t know how we could afford it . I looked at him and said , mate it doesn’t matter what jaffle you order its the same 500 rp price. He was gobsmacked after eating plain old banana jaffles ( cooked over kero flame for added taste ) funny times . Had plenty of surfs at lasso’s with him before he disappeared east. He hasn’t changed much just a bit thinner on top .
Hahaha!
Bro of Henry?
I know he’s got a brother udo but not sure of his name , only ever seen banana once at tugun near where he lives, keeps to himself and rarely surfs here , lives for his annual 6 months indo stints .
Sounds like the guy I met. A real pioneer.
I was looking through my diary I kept in 94 while I was in Indonesia. Found this entry about meeting Banana...
Wednesday 10/8/94, Nemberala, Roti:
...There were three new arrivals today. "Banana" from Queensland (I think). The famous Banana who I've been hearing about for the last couple of weeks. He didn't seem to fart at all which was quite disappointing after all that had been said of his exploits...
Jeezus
That girl tagged Rosary is a go getter loves Nias and not scared to mix it up with boys on solid days, believe she is over there now.
Personally the whole Nias scene does my head in after a few days bit of surf slum, great wave but short and not many other options in the area.
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I was out at kirra one day in the 80s and it was pretty solid with 2ft thick lips , can’t remember which cyclone it was but the Ho brothers were out there and commented to me that it was like Hawaii power , this was well before the superwank when kirra was kirra . Granted all swells aren’t like this one . Ive only surfed bells twice and was surprised how much water volume was in the wave and the power was undeniable. Overall I’d say the far north coast of nsw and queensland is light compared to southern nsw and most places west of it .
There was a discussion about the heavy waves in Indo on the recent Kandui thread .
I started wit no Kandui which I think is the heaviest wave in the Playgrounds are .
Someone else thought Greenbush . Then someone posted a video of Apocalypse .
My opinion was that Apocalypse had the speed and horror end section of no Kandui and the the thickness of Greenbush . Add the obstacles in the water it got my vote for waves in the Ments . Assuming they all have live coral reef .
The scariest wave I have seen in Indo was One Palm Point on Panitan Is . Often breaking on dry reef . Our guide said that the pros didn't like it .
Apocalypse isn't in the Mentawais? it's on Panatian Island along with One Palm
Id expect One Palm Point is the shallowest, i don't think there is anywhere else guys wear wetsuits, but Indicators might be of more consequence, the reef is pure evil real chunky if you fall the wave will throw you onto it.
Difference between Kandui and Greenbush, I'm pretty sure Kandui needs to be well overhead before it breaks away from the reef so you can surf it, so i dont think its the kind of wave you can go out at 2 to 3ft and get a few
Green bush on the other hand you can still surf at 2 to 3 ft, its the only wave of that list I've surfed and its not too bad at that size quite deep out the back its only if you take them too far you end up on dry reef, once the four footers come through that's when it starts turning into a different beast.
Made a mistake . One Palm pitched a few meters before the dry reef .
Thanks Indo . We surfed lots of breaks in the bay . The rights were on one side lefts on the other and Napalms ( left ) in the middle . It was such a long time ago and we were on Just Dreaming . A real hunk of shit ( at the time ) and it made me swear off boat trips . I did change my mind and have been on Carpe Vita which was like a floating palace .
Two guys on the trip were very good surfers and had trouble at Napalms making the waves . Was double overhead and was too fast for them on their back hand .
Never was told about Apocalypse . Surfed Illusions and another right a few hundred meters further out with Illusions being the pick . We took a quick trip to the west side of the Island and found nothing good to surf .