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Author

Pascal

Pascal

Born and raised in Switzerland, Pascal took up skiing and snowboarding from a very young age. Surfing came pretty naturally after that! He's since written for various Surf Mag’s, captured waves around the world and has even competed for a couple of years.

    nias destruction lagundri ©thefreesurfer.com
    UncategorizedThoughts along the waytravel

    Nias. The truth straight from Lagundri Bay, Sorake

    by Pascal August 23, 2019
    written by Pascal
    nias destruction lagundri ©thefreesurfer.com

    The truth straight from Nias! Well, I’ve got your attention, but the truth?! The truth is, no one really knows what’s going on here! So all I can tell you is how it looks here right now, and the rumors I heard from (as far as this goes) reliable local people.

    So first things first. Relax! From what it looks like, it’s not as bad as it might seem. When I came here a few days ago, the whole surf-related internet was foaming with fear and anger! But I couldn’t find any real information about what’s going on in Nias right now? Only the talk of a street on top of the reef, and the destruction of the wave.

    Yes, it is weird to be laying in the hammock on the balcony, where I’ve spent many hours before. But this time not only listening to the calming sound of the ocean but heavy tools and trucks. It looks like they are building “land” over the reef just in front of the kiddie corner. And this will go all the way up to the keyhole area. And yes, coming back to shore with a descend swell and high tide is already more annoying than before. So this point is definitely true. And if they finish a promenade all along the way, as I heard they will, I guess coming out will get even worse. But then again, how many awesome waves have a less than perfect access? If worst comes to worst, you can still paddle back to the keyhole, or go further down where the boats are anchored.

    nias destruction lagundri bay sorake @thefreesurfer.com
    The construction on the reef in front of Kiddie Corner

    Backwash

    I highly doubt the promenade to create a backwash toward the wave, as there are still so many meters of half-dry reef between the new land and the wave. I guess we can relax a little, and hope for the best. (That it won’t change the wave at all.) I’m not an engineer or a developer, but I don’t think it will change it.

    Concrete blocks

    The thing about the concrete blocks in true too (cover picture). And what they will be for? No idea. I just really hope they don’t come up with the stupid idea of placing them further out on the reef, as wave breaker to protect the new street/ promenade! This could have a serious effect. But as the want to make Sorake more ”beautiful” and more tourist-friendly, I don’t think they would dump something so terrible looking right in the view? But never know, it’s Indo!

    Cement over the reef

    The thing about concrete all over the reef? I wouldn’t say so. It’s been raining a lot, and all the rivers wash out a lot of mud at the moment. So the water along the coast has funny colors in many places. But I guess what is going on here is, that they try to fill up the reef with a lot of limestone pieces, and as it rains and the high tide pushes up, it washes them and brings brown water back out. I really wouldn’t say concrete all over the reef. But then again, I’m not an expert. Just someone who happens to be here and trying to share what I see and hear with everyone who is as curious about the situation as I was.

    nias destruction lagundri bay sorake ©thefreesurfer.com
    Sure, this is weird and noisy, but at least the wave couldn’t care less (at least at the moment)

    Some people say the brownish water will be a thing to deal with for quite some time, as the limestone takes a few years before they stop coloring the water. But that’s something I’ve heard and don’t know if it’s true.

    the President

    What I also heard is, that the president of Indonesia will come to Sorake during the WSL QS competition in September. This makes the constructors work in a here unknown efficiency, and they will make things look done by the time he is here. The president comes to witness the surf-tourism in his country, and the possibilities to promote surfing outside of Bali. The Surf competition will be part of a bigger “Beach Festival” here in Nias, with Beach Volleyball and whatever else could be mixed in with a surf comp in Indo.

    And most exciting, the opening of the Airport 10 minutes away from here!

    They had the runway here for a long time, and there was always talking about opening a domestic airport this side of Nias! No more 3 hours in a car from the airport in Gunung Sitoli to the wave in Lagundri Bay! Some say there will be flights from Jakarta or even Bali. I don’t think they will open an Airport on this side of the island this September, and probably no flights from Jakarta! And if they would open it, I think it would be one for small planes like Susi Air. I guess this is just rumors at the moment. But once again… never know, it’s Indo!

    nias lagundri bay walkway ©thefreesurfer.com
    I guess no surfer was angry when they installed the tiled walkway on the reef. And Indonesians like it to take selfies

    The people who want to surf the wave here would be happy to spend only a couple of minutes in a car and not 3 hours. But whoever wanted to come here, came anyways. So I guess this won’t be that much of a difference for the number of people in the waver. It does get crazy crowded sometimes already (around 45 people in the water a few days ago!). Maybe people would come for a shorter stay if coming here becomes easier. But as the alternatives for other surf breaks are really scarce here, I don’t think it would become another Kuta Lombok. And if a lot of local tourists come, who want to have a look at the world famous Lagundri Bay, and the Bule surfing it, it wouldn’t change much for us, who come for the wave. Maybe you would have to take a few pictures with them every time you hit the water. That’s it.

    It would (or will) bring Indonesian tourists who are interested in things like Zip-lining and taking selfies in beautiful locations. And this could be, in the best case, a business possibility for the people of South Nias, who are not lucky enough to live right at the water’s edge of this world class wave.

    I have heard about plans of Sumatra tourism to push new surfing destinations for a couple of years already. They understood their waves as resources and try to make something out of it.

    A few years ago, they implied a Surf Tax in the Mentawais. Sure, no one liked it, but at the same time, no one stays away because of an extra 70$ per trip.

    They push surf tourism in Krui, South Sumatra, and had a great competition there earlier this year. And they are looking for new places along the coast. But maybe they gave up on the “mapping” of new surf destinations, as they call it. Maybe they found it easier to push and expand places that are already well known in the surfing world? I don’t know. And finding someone who does know is not easy.

    So what?

    So I guess all we can do is to lean back, relax, buy another coconut from the coconut-mafia, keep surfing the wave that hopefully and most probably won’t be affected by the constructions, and tell the people in our hotel, who are here for the first time, how much better the waves in Nias used to be before they started the construction! Just as we do everywhere else…

    August 23, 2019 1 comment
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  • bookstravel

    Swell by Liz Clark, a book review

    by Pascal August 8, 2019
    by Pascal August 8, 2019

    Favorite pick You love surfing, traveling and the ocean? You love freedom and the idea of scheduling your day around tides rather than working hours? So did Liz. But she has probably…

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  • Uncategorizedbloglearn to surftravel

    3 surf safety essentials for beginners

    by Pascal July 11, 2019
    by Pascal July 11, 2019

    BLOG/ TRAVEL/ LEARN TO SURF/ CONTRIBUTED POST When you get it right, surfing can be a sport that delivers a rare blend of exhilaration and inner calm. There is nothing quite like…

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  • blogbooksgermantravel

    “Archipel der Wellen” by Stefan Götzelmann. A book review

    by Pascal May 23, 2021
    by Pascal May 23, 2021

    Archipel der Wellen is a declaration of love for Indonesia, it’s people and of course, it’s waves. To me, one of the biggest difficulties, if it comes to writing about surfing, is…

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  • surfboardsblogstufftesttravel

    Studer Surfboard review.

    by Pascal May 16, 2019
    by Pascal May 16, 2019

    BLOG/ STUFF/ SURFBOARDS/ TEST An unsponsored review on an affordable Bali Surfboard made by Luke Studer. If you come to Bali, you’ll notice all those boards in the water with a big…

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  • booksgermanpeopletravelUncategorized

    Insight Africa von Carlo Drechsel

    by Pascal March 11, 2019
    by Pascal March 11, 2019

    GERMAN/ PEOPLE/ BOOK Insight Afrika von Carlo Drechsel. Mehr als das Reisetagebuch eines landlocked Surfer wie dir und mir. Wie für viele von uns war für den immer noch in Deutschland lebende…

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  • Uncategorized

    Surf Lombok, Indonesia’s best known off Season dream island

    by Pascal November 13, 2022
    by Pascal November 13, 2022

    For many years it feels like every surfer is going to Bali, as soon as the season “starts”. But with the first raindrops coming at the beginning of the northern hemisphere autumn,…

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  • blogtravelWinter get-away

    Surf Taghazout. Morocco, the perfect winter surf trip

    by Pascal February 9, 2020
    by Pascal February 9, 2020

    Blog/ Travel/ Winter get-away To Surf Taghazout, Morocco is definitely not a new idea if it comes to winter get-aways. Cheap and quick flights from all over Europe, relatively warm weather, and…

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  • travel

    The earthquakes in Lombok

    by Pascal January 21, 2019
    by Pascal January 21, 2019

    The earthquakes in Lombok I’m in Lombok NOW! Half a year has passed since the strong earthquakes here, and life is going back to normal. We as tourists actually feel nothing about…

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  • bookstesttravel

    Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan, Book review

    by Pascal May 17, 2019
    by Pascal May 17, 2019

    BOOKS/ REVIEWS/ TRAVEL On wave-rich surf trips, we usually try to spend as many hours in the water as possible. After this, we’re too tired to do many other physical activities, and…

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The Free Surfer | Surf Magazine
  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Europe
      • Portugal
      • Azores, Sao Miguel
      • The Wave, Bristol
      • Fuerteventura – One week at Europe’s North Shore
      • The Ultimate Guide To Surfing In Tenerife
      • Andalucía, Spain’s best known surf secret
    • Africa
      • Taghazout, Morocco
      • Senegal
      • Mozambique
    • Oceania
      • Fiji
    • Asia
      • Philippines
      • Sri Lanka
      • Maldives
      • India
      • Taiwan
      • Mentawai Surftrip on a budget
      • My love-hate relationship with Bali
      • Rediscovering Medewi
      • Nias. The change
      • Lombok
    • Central America
      • Barra photo Love Story
      • Guatemala
      • El Salvador
      • Nicaragua
      • Costa Rica
      • Panama
    • Caribbean
      • Dominican Republic
    • South America
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Surfboards
    • Surfboard Travel Quivers [3 Great Options]
    • Lib Tech review
    • Studer Surfboard review.
    • If and How to order your custom surfboard with Semente
    • Surfboard Monogamy – The idea of a one board quiver
    • Surfing a Fish- Maybe just what your surfing needs
    • Ho Steve surf accessories review
  • Techniques/ Learn how to surf
    • Surf Companion
    • Surf fit/ Paddle fit for your trip
    • All beginnings are difficult
    • 3 surf safety essentials for beginners
    • How to order your custom surfboard
    • Why surfing a twin fin
    • How to surf a twin fin
  • Must read Travel books
    • Travel books by continent, a list
    • Barbarian Days, William Finnegan
    • Swell, Liz Clark
    • Surf Companion
    • Archipel der Wellen, Stefan Götzelmann
    • Fuck you Happiness, Andreas Brendt
    • Insight Africa, Carlo Drechsel
  • This and that
    • Traveling during Corona
    • Senegal, the new Morocco?
    • India, maybe your best surf adventure ever?
    • Sri Lanka in winter. Worth it?
    • Nias. The change
    • The earthquakes in Lombok
    • The high art of slowing down and doing nothing
  • Contact/Collab