Banyak Islands: A Fresh Surfing Frontier with Fun, Hollow Waves

Banyak Islands (Minis): 4 foot, hollow, fun and uncrowded. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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Feel like seeking out a fresh frontier on your next trip?

The Banyak Islands is exciting new terrain with a variety of fun, uncrowded, hollow waves that cater to surfers of all levels.

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Joysticks opening up. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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Whilst it is certainly no secret that crew have been surfing the Banyaks for 15 plus years, it is fair to say that the Banyaks have managed to sneak under the mass media radar for various reasons.

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Treasure Island bathed in late afternoon golden light. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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There are fewer big name spots, and the better set-ups generally require a solid, or at least a mid-sized, longer period swell to really turn on.

The best thing is, there’s an abundance of head-high, fun-sized swell year round and plenty of quality reef set-ups suitable for all levels of surfers.

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Empty Banyaks bowl. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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SurfBanyak have been operating in the region for over 15 years.

Co-owner Paul Raicevic said, “The Seriti is our second boat to operate out here, and it is a fully customised 85-ft surf charter vessel. We provide 12 days on board with 10 surfing days, hunting down the best waves with numerous spots on offer. The chain itself has 99 islands and we are still finding mysto waves to this day.”

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The Seriti. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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“People often ask: What separates SurfBanyak from other charters?

Paul continued, “The answer is simple. We are dedicated and passionate about making a surf trip to an isolated location as simple and easy for our patrons, so all they have to worry about is getting barrelled. The waves? Well, Treasure Island is the easiest wave to get barrelled on that I have ever surfed. Most of our guests are average Joes that have never had decent barrels in their life, and one session at Treasures is enough to get them addicted forever. Add nearby waves like Cobras, Turtles and Clarets for the guys that prefer to go left, as well as Joysticks at the Bay of Plenty for the natural-footers, and you have the perfect mix of lefts and rights to suit all abilities and almost all conditions.“

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There’s some super fun lefts at Cobras too. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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The food aboard the Seriti is an epic mix of western and Indo delicacies, as well as whatever fresh fish are caught during the trip.

This surf charter features three tenders, including an 8m power cat, 4m centre console and a rubber ducky run-about to ensure you never to miss a session in the the water.

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Treasure Island: Banyaks perfection. So easy to get pitted. – Photo Ryan Williams.

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The Seriti offers professional photography with Ryan Williams (@ryzphoto) acting as resident photographer to document the entire trip from land, water and the boat, as well as a full transfer service from Medan which includes meet and greet, internal flights and all car rides to and from accom, boat and the airports at each end.

All you need to do is enquire here and our surf travel specialists will book your fresh frontiers package today.

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East Java

Expanding the horizon on surf destination is not just about remote islands – sometimes regions overlooked can reveal new discoveries. In East Java, Red Island is an idyllic bay up the coast from the legendary Grajagan. However, the white sand beach offers a range of user-friendly breaks that are perfect to develop surfing on fun, long-walled peelers. This coast offers an experience akin to the early days of Bali. There is few other tourists, hardly any surfers and little development. There is still plenty of forest, and the jungle and epic reefs of G-Land are a great day trip.

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Sumbawa
Further East on the Indonesian Archipelago is Sumbawa, home to some epic waves such as Supersuck and Scar Reef. A new small resort, Baha Baha Villas, has a great location near the beach with Yoyos break out the front. Again, the region flies below the radar and has little development, you can enjoy great beaches and even better waves, far from the Bali crowds. Just a little bit more travel reveals an island experience that fits the ideal, simple, comfortable accommodation, stunning coastline, plentiful swell and none of the over-development.

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		Seriti Surf Charter – Banyaks From AU$3,911 pp for 11 nights Cruise the Banyak Islands in the comfort of air-conditioning and surf uncrowded waves aboard the Surf Banyak II – Seriti, a US-built, Indonesian-flagged 25m aluminium crew boat that has been newly customised for surf charter operation.
		East Java From AU$551 pp for 7 nights Not to be outdone by Bali, Java actually trumped Ulu’s and Padang with a reef break set up so long and perfect that G-Land became the global yardstick by which all hollow, running reef breaks are measured.
		Red Island Surf Camp From AU$551 pp for 7 nights Red Island (Pulau Merah) surf camp is an uncrowded surf spot, situated in Banyuwangi, East Java (close to Bali). Red Island Surf Camp lays in a secluded, beautiful bay surrounded by mountains and right on the beach.
		Sumbawa From AU$266 pp for 7 nights Sumbawa is quite sparsely populated; infrastructure is very basic with few main roads and no real bustling tourist towns like in Bali. Surfers have carved out a couple of cool, little epicentres alongside the two best west – facing surfing coasts in Central Sumbawa.
		Baha Baha Villas From AU$750 pp for 6 nights The Australian-run Baha Baha Villas features an idyllic collection of beachside villas, with options for surfing and snorkeling on site. The breezy villas are spacious, and come with flatscreen TVs, large bathrooms and string hammocks.
		Bilou Beach Villas – Mentawai From AU$1,138 PP for 7 nights Bilou Beach Villas is a unique property for surfers who want to experience the Mentawai on their own terms. The bed villas come equipped with a boat and driver who will take you to the waves on request. No need to follow a fixed resort schedule – set your own!
		Hollow Trees Resort – Mentawai From AU$1,892 PP for 7 nights Hollow Trees Resort is perfect for surfers looking for land based comfort and style with one of the world best rights barrelling out the front.
		Switchfoot – Mentawai From AU$3,550 PP for 9 nights The Switchfoot is a brand new addition to the Sumatra charter fleet. One of the Mentawai’s most experienced surf charter captains, Jason Quinn has commissioned this boat as the perfect platform to explore and surf the Mentawai and beyond.
All above prices are quoted in AUD, are valid as of 17 February 2017 (date of this article) and are subject to exchange rates fluctuations daily.

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