Overview of the Panaitan island: Panaitan island is located in west java and is part of Ujung
kulon National park, a small island with no village just jungle,
the island and other areas of the national park are also worth
a visit for there wildlife and beauty as is the volcanoes'
of the krakatau national park that jut out of the sunda strait.
The Waves: Panaitan island is famous for
its very hollow and very shallow lefts of one palm point, and
generally speaking the waves in the area are for the better
surfer, however it does have other more mellow waves (see below).
Due to Panaitan being one small island the area can be more
hit and miss
compared
to
places
like Mentawai's and during the months when trade winds are
strongest options can be limited, with winds favoring the
lefts, however it must be noted if you do score waves here
it's highly likely crowd numbers will be much
lower than say Mentawai's.
Crowd wise: As a rule crowds are generally
low at Panaitan island as the only way to surf there is via
boat, limited charters operate in the area, the island is also
often visited by local western expats from Jakarta via private
boat.
Panaitan island surf
spots: Description
and video's
One palm point: An amazing long very hollow
peeling left over very very shallow reef, this wave is only
for the very best surfers or those with a death wish, the waves
break over such shallow reef that most surfers who do surf
here wear helmets and wetsuits for protection and a session
here rarely goes without some form of punishment from the reef.
Na palms- Still very hollow but more approachable
left, a quality wave similar to many waves in the Mentawais,
one of the more surfed waves on the island and suited to most
surfers.
Pussy's- being
further inside the bay needs a bit more swell a long mellow
left suitable to all surfers
from beginners up.
Inside rights- Also needing solid swells
a fun right hand reef suited to most surfers.
illusions- Rights with a variety of sections
from rippable walls to barrels over shallow reef that most
surfers can have fun on.
Apocalypse- Right that is Very heavy, very
fast, very hollow and very fickle only for advanced surfers,
made famous by timmy turner and friends in second thoughts
video.
Nice
video of the area-
Other
waves: there are also a number of other reefs both
around the island and on the mainland, ranging from bombies
to fun reefs to beachie's, some are swell magnets only surfable
on the smallest days others need huge swells from the right
direction, while others are more consistent but lack quality
of the main spots.
Charter
boats:
Just dreaming- These guys have
been doing this gig for a long time 18 years and have a very
good reputation and
know
the
area
better than anyone, 50ft
ketch motor yacht, min guest 4 max guest 8, from $250 pp pn,
9, 10, or 11 night charters www.justdreamingsurfsafaris.com
Ombak Liar surf adventure- offers variety
of options to surf this area by boat or boat/land combos, min
5 guest, from $135 pp pn to $215 pp pn www.surfpanaitan.com
Eco surf panaitan island- offer various options
to surf this area, min 4 max 5 guest, from $116 pp pn-$200
pp pn www.surfingpanaitan.com
#note well known charter boat Nomad
now operates in Sumatra.
Surf
camps/resort-years
back there was talk and controversy of a surf camp here,
however being a national park it never happened,(but almost
did) however some of the operators above do provided
basic accommodation on a nearby island and mainland, allowing
fast and slow boat day trips from there (see above)
