Indonesia has many great surfing spots. You can find many great surf breaks in Bali, Mentawai, Lombok, or Panaitan Island. There is a good chance that there are still lots of unknown great surfing spots since Indonesia has a very long shoreline. Krui in Lampung might be one of them.
Krui is one of the venues that is chosen to host Professional World Surfing League. The left-hander waves at Krui is one of the challenges that the surfer must face during the season. The Krui Pro World Surfing League will be held from April 29th to May 4th. Here is what you need to know about this event.
Location
Krui is the capital of Pesisir Barat Regency. Just as the name suggests, Krui is located on the western shore of Lampung, at the southern tip of Sumatera. The western shore of Sumatera is known to have many surf breaks. Krui is very much accessible via main western road of Sumatera. It is roughly 250 kilometers away from Bandar Lampung, the capital of the province. You will need roughly six hours to get to Krui from Bandar Lampung.
History
Krui World Surfing League 2018. via Instagram/nana_surfphotography
The Krui World Surfing League is actually a qualifying series, the first and the biggest in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. This is an annual event, started in 2016, initially was a Qualifying Series (QS) 1000 before then upgraded to QS3000 for men just in three years. This event is still a QS1000 for women.
Surf Breaks
There are several popular surf breaks you can find in Krui. Interestingly, locals and international surfers have different names for each break. The most popular ones are Pugung Penengahan (Jimmy’s), Pugung Walur (Honey Smack), Pugung Tampak (Jenny’s), Karang Nyimbor (Ujung Bocur), Way Jambu (Sumatran Pipeline), and Labuhan Jukung (Krui Left). The most popular one is Jimmy’s because it presents the hardest challenge with waves that can reach up to seven meters in height.
For Casual Surfer
It can be said that Krui World Surfing League is the most important surfing event in Indonesia for now. However, for casual surfers who come to Krui for fun, they can easily explore all the breaks. The local tourism office stated that a surfer can try at least nine different waves in ten days in Krui.
Overall, Krui has 19 surfing spots with different characteristics. They vary from Grade C breaks for beginners to Grade A for professionals. If you want to try surfing here, you probably want to avoid Way Jambu and Ujung Bocor because of the shallow coral.
