Primitive Beauty and Perfect Barrels Collide at Grajagan
Indonesia is an archipelago with world’s best surf spots. One of the bests is Plengkung beach at Banyuwangi, East Java. Nicknamed by surfers as the ‘gland’ or G-Land. The word of ‘G’ in “G-Land derives from Grajagan, the name of the bay where the huge waves were found at the south of Banyuwangi. The beach is located on the edge of Alas Purwo national park, virgin tropical land forest rich in exotic flora and fauna—the ideal scenic background to your surfing odyssey.
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| Primitive Beauty and Perfect Barrels Collide at Grajagan |
A very long, world-class, barreling left hand reef/point break breaks along the east side of Grajagan Bay. It has long been considered one of the world’s best left hand waves. The correct name of the point upon which the main wave breaks is “Plengkung.” The wave becomes shallower and more critical the further down the point one rides the wave. It is one of the most consistently rideable waves in the world in season, with offshore winds and often plentiful swell between the months of, roughly, mid April to mid October. The G-Land surf break has been divided up into several sections. The first, at the top of the point, is called “Kongs,” which breaks up to several hundred metres in length, and can hold quite large sizes— from about 2 to 12 feet+, Hawaiian scale.
It is not usually a barrel, nor genuinely world-class, but more a series of takeoff zones with some long wall sections, although it can also barrel on occasions. This section picks up a lot of swell, and is rarely less than 3 feet, and can be a saviour when the rest of the point is too small. This wave can sometimes link up with the next section called “Moneytrees.” Moneytrees works from about 2 to 10 feet (Hawaiian scale, or about 4 to 20 feet wave faces), usually breaking over several hundred metres, and is a long, testing, barreling, world-class wave.
The barrels become more critical the lower the tide and the larger the swell. Moneytrees may also occasionally link up with the next section called “Speedies,” with an outside takeoff section between the two called “Launching Pads.” “Launching Pads” can catch the surfer offguard, as it can break a significant way out to sea in larger swells
“Speedies” is the heaviest wave at G-Land, but can be a perfect, very round barrel for several hundred metres, rideable from about 2 to 8 feet+ (Hawaiian scale). It usually needs larger swells, and low tide can be very dangerous. Most severe injuries at G-Land have occurred at “Speedies.”
Other Nearby Surf Breaks There are a few other, smaller waves further down and within the bay, which include “Chickens,” “20/20,” “Tiger Tracks” and a few unnamed others.
These waves generally only work on larger swells, but are surprisingly good alternatives when the main point is big. All of these waves can barrel in the right conditions, which generally require higher tides. There are also some right hand waves on the other side of the peninsula at G-Land, but they are fickle, requiring large swells, and no wind or off-season winds.
Another right hand wave is situated about a one-hour or more drive, and boat, west of G-Land, which has been featured in Indonesian surf magazines, and dubbed as “Reverse G.” It is apparently a quality, long, right hand wave (the ‘reverse’ of G-Land) but which is very difficult to get to, requiring some boat access, and furthermore only works in off-season winds (about October to April). Despite its popularity in the surfing community, accomodation around Grajagan remains good value with cheap losmen and basic cottages dotted about the place. This is one of the only places in all of Java that has such excellent surfing. In season, Grajagan probably has the most consistently rideable waves in the world. The surf here though is demanding and only recommended for experienced or professional surfers.
