When to Go
Unlike the rest of Indonesia, the surf season is Nov-March during the NE monsoon which blow straight offshore to the WSW facing coastline. There is obviously lots of waves in the austral winter season, but it’s plagued by almost constant WSW onshore winds so wave shape and quality won’t be optimum. Of course, there is less swell during summer, but the regulation 2-5ft conditions will provide clean fun intermediate style waves for surfers looking for friendly size surf and the adventure of mainland Sumatra travelling. There is 400km (250mi) of potential fetch in the Andaman Sea and the NE monsoon kicks up mushy 1-3ft (0.3-1m) windswells on the east coast. If the West coast goes flat, there’s always a chance of rideable, unchartered waves in Banda Aceh or Lhokseumawe. With 2ft (0.6m) maximum tidal range, tides are rarely a problem, but winds really need to be right.
Locations outside Banda Aceh for Surfing Adventure
Aceh west coast has makeable road that flirts with the coastline all the way from Banda Aceh to and beyond the port town of Meulaboh (250 km). Travellers along this road will see awesome forest and mountains, and get a glimpses of pristine beaches, some backed up by grade A surf. Beyond Meulaboh towards the ferry town of Susoh (for Simeulue), and Singkil (For the Banyaks), lies possibly the most uncharted surf territory in Indonesia.
The surf around the capital of Banda Aceh on the northern tip has been documented by stoked adventurers since the 1980. Surfers have even made their mark on Pulau Breueh and Pulau Weh, both accessible by ferry from Banda Aceh. Weh has some of the most beautiful palm fringed beaches and lagoons in Sumatra, with basic accommodation available. It is more famed for its diving (whale sharks and turtles) than its waves.
Easier access is at hand for Lhok Nga, a scenic spot about 15km south of Banda. In this area you can sniff out a beautiful little surfy village with a consistent, perfect frame reef break at its epicentre. A little further down, the very, very fickle hollow long rights of Pantai Camara can be worth the wait. Tides here are never a problem, but winds need to be right. Mami Dianas Losmen is a good base from which to find your own favorite spot. A ride further south still near Lamno, you might be lucky enough to glimpse good wet season rights at the river mouth, and a quality right point.
There are reef breaks all the way down the coast at and around Keudeunga, Babah Nipah, and all the way to Meulaboh, which has both long lefts and rights either side of a major headland. Serious travelers only. Medical help is far.
Simeulue
90NM west of Tapaktuan on Sumatra.
Part of Aceh Province, Simeulue and its satellite islets are as deep into frontier land as you can get. Essentially a volcanic island that is densely forested and sorrounded by coral at varying depths, there isn’t much ‘civilization’, and accommodation is minimal (a new surf camp, Baneng Island, opens down on the southwest corner as we go to press).
Palm lined beaches and beautiful bays with great diving. Sketchy air access is available from Medan when politics allow, although once there, access to surf is harder than hard core. In addition, malaria is a serious problem here. If you want to go surf there, the only truly safe options are via established yacht charters or by prearrangement with the new surf camp, which has charter flights out of Medan, and which will no doubt be the first of several.
The Banyaks
declared off-limits to boat charters by the Indonesian government, the Banyaks lie 20 NM offshore from Singkil on mainland Sumatra Overland and ferry access from there if you are immensely patient. The only meaningful way to surf the islands is by yacht charter as and when the ban is lifted. What accommodation there is, is centred on Pulau Palambak Besar, consisting of leaf houses and home-stays. Prepare yourself for a low ‘surf to hassle ratio’.
The 99 islands harbour a cache of surf spots that will one day be ‘discovered’ by the world at large. Treasure Island / Machine Gun Rights is perhaps the most talked about wave here. A superb lengthy right coral point that has been seen to form precise lines and almond barrels over hundreds of yards.
Hazards; very little accommodation. Malaria.
