Mission to Mawie this morning. Didn't really know what to expect but had heard stories of a heavy lefthander at the end of a long motorbike ride through the hills. We also knew the swell was due to kick up so could be good!
We ended up having one the best surfs of the trip so far. Arrived at the tiny bamboo-covered "carpark" to find 3-4 foot waves winding down the reef and nobody out. Chatted to a Kiwi guy who'd surfed all over the world and got some info on how to get out, how shallow, etc. Tentatively walked out over the reef and proceeded to get some awesome waves for the next 2.5 hours. Nice long lefts and a few short, punchy rights although you had to pick the lefts, some of them wrapped around the reef and a whole horseshoe-shaped section would close out. I pulled into one of these (only 3 foot) and got pummelled underwater, just lightly scraping the reef with my back but no cuts.
After drinking a coconut and eating a pineapple (both expertly carved by the local vendors with huge knives and about 60 cents each), we got out for a second surf. Bigger and heavier now with the change in tide and increasing swell. The sets were a good 5 foot and one section was super hollow and pitching onto the reef. I got a couple of good ones but got smashed (on my backhand) 3 or 4 times for every one I made. Jack only got a couple but they were bombs, the biggest he'd ever surfed! (see bottom pic). Apparently the highlight wasn't so much the wave itself but the fact that he was hooted by the whole pack as he took off (ie hooted for the first time by someone who wasn't me!). Thanks by the way to Rudolf and Annemiek (our Dutch neighbours) for taking some photos for us!
Good to surf some proper Indo waves and all the boys were calling it heavy and saying they'd been undergunned. I'd have been much happier on my 6'6". Was having flashbacks of the Maldives trying to take off on pitching lefthand barrels and getting smashed almost every time. Oh well, Indo is the place to practise surfing hollow lefthanders. Oh and WA. Oh god.
Awesome ride back to Kuta through all the hills, tobacco farms, wter buffaloes, etc. Really cool winding through the potholed roads with hills parting to give glimpses of the ocean and various reef setups. Jack suffered a casualty of war on the way home, managing to get his rather expensive wetty top caught around the rear axle of his bike on the last big hill into Kuta. He stopped ok without damaging himself (and a couple of nice locals stopped to help him) but the top was ruined. Worth it apparently for the epic surf!
Surf: Mawie, Lombok, 3-5 foot, 3.5hr (47.5 total)
