Excellent footage of Marlon Gerber fostering his protégé nephew Varun Tanjung in the ways of Indonesian surfing. Varun has a choice, just as Marlon did and both are going towards the pristine waves.
During the mid to late 1930s, the first surfer in Indonesia was the American Bob Koke who surfed the waves at Kuta Beach, in central Bali. Due to World War II, Koke left Bali and surfing did not catch on again until the late 1960s and early 1970s when traveling surfers began discovering surf spots off Bali, made especially famous in the classic surfing film Morning of the Earth by Albert Falzon.
Later, Bali would become a stepping-stone for other Indonesian wave discoveries such as Sumatrua, Nias, G-Land, and the Mentawai Islands. Although much of the Indonesian coastline has been scoured in search of surfing areas, every year continues to yield new discoveries, even till today surfers are blessed by the shores of Bali.
Evidently today, surfing is an ubiquitous multi-million dollar Indonesian industry, which includes transportation, accommodation, dining, entertainment and surfing services and products. Some islands have beach communities that make a living directly from surfing, such as Lakey Peak in Sumbawa, Sorake Beach in Nias, and Uluwatu Beach in Bali. Multinational surfing brands such as Billabong and Quiksilver run their entire Southeast Asia operation and distribution out of their Bali headquarters, most of which are found in Kuta.
It was only a matter of time before Bali cultivated its own breed of surfers. Rizal Tanjung is one of the best known Indonesian surfers in the world as he was the first Indonesian to compete on the WQS. He was one of the first Indonesian surfers to travel as a professional surfer. He won the Indonesian Surfing Championship circuit in 2002 and 2006.
Rizal Tanjung is characterized as a tall, thin, rubber-limbed goofyfooter from Bali, Indonesia, who gracefully captured the public eye in 1995 by slotting himself deep inside an enormous silver-blue tube at Pipeline in Hawaii— a sublime moment that ended up on the cover of Surfing magazine.
Tanjung was born (1975) in a small town on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, and soon moved with his family to Kuta Beach, where he began surfing at age eight. At 13 he started riding Uluwatu, Bali’s famous left-breaking reef; two years later he won an international 16-and-under grommet contest at Kuta—beating young surfers from America, Australia, and New Zealand—and at 18 he was invited by Pipeline deity Gerry Lopez to spend the winter season at his Pipeline beachfront house. Later that year Tanjung went face-first into the reef and lost two front teeth.
According to Tanjung, he was called “The most recognizable Asian surfer alive” in Transworld Surf magazine. He also owns Kurawa and Rizt brands. Tanjung appeared in many surfing videos, including the famous Loose Change and Stranger Than Fiction.
Because of the warm water and climate, Indonesia is a popular tourist destination coupled with its beautiful landscapes, and its perfect waves. Tourism is the second largest sector of employment in Indonesia. 30% of the national GDP is generated by the Balinese tourism industry for a total amount of 4.5 billion $. Seen in the GoPro video “Masters of Indo”, Marlon Gerber liaises a team of surfers into some of Indonesia’s most embellished surf spots. In the island of Bali, which attracts the most tourists, this sector represents two thirds of the economy. There are no data to count the part of surfers among the tourists but according to the crowd in the water and to the part of foreigners in it, it is obvious that it attracts a lot of people.
Today, Tanjung is working full-time as a sponsored photo pro, and returns to Bali to act as a mentor for up-and-coming Indonesian surfing talent. It is truly amazing to see a family business based on nature and freedom.
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Athletes:
Marlon Gerber
Varun Tanjung
Mikala Jones
Alana Blanchard
Lakey Peterson
Camille Brady
Featured Image: Marlon Gerber via YouTube
