Jumat, 26 April 2013

Surf Guides at Abasi beach

We understand that not all of the visitors who come to Manokwari regency are experienced surfers. There are a lot of surfers that are still in the beginning levels. To help them learn how to surf, we have some members of Abasi Surfing Club who can teach basic surfing techniques at Abasi beach or other coastal areas in the northern or eastern coast of this regency. They are Henoch, Aaron, Rigel, Benny, Herman and other boys from the club. Most of the members of the club began surfing with simple wooden boards. It was approximately five years ago. Now they ride the waves using standard surf boards made of foam and fiber reinforced plastics. They will help beginning surfers choose waves that are are safe and where to start the take off and where to jump into the water.

Surfing is a fun but dangerous sports. It is important to consult local surfers about the underwater contour of the sea bed in the surf areas before new visitors can start surfing at Abasi beach for the first time.

If you plan to visit Manokwari city to learn how to surf, please, contact Salomina Rumadas (the founder of the club)  by email to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com

Rabu, 24 April 2013

Australian surfer at Cape Bakaro

Two weeks ago I received an email from Matt Fox, the project manager of CII for West Papua province of Indonesia. He said that he would come to Manokwari and interested in surfing. One week later he arrived in Manokwari. On the first day, I brought him to a lift-net bagan in the middle of the sea where we saw fishermen catch fish and enjoyed some grilled fish there. Then I arranged his morning surf at Cape Bakaro. Matt is an Australian. He was the only tourist at the beach that morning. Accompanied by a local surf guide, Matt rode the morning swells of the cape.

There are a lot of Australian surfers at Kuta beach of Bali island but very few of them go to Manokwari of West Papua to surf at this cape. I hope that more surfers will come to this city to enjoy surfing. Cape Bakaro is also called Pintu Angin (meaning the Gate of the Winds). If you are interested in surfing, snorkeling or hiking in Manokwari, please contact us at abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com

Selasa, 09 April 2013

Pinto Angin

Long time photographer and surf writer John Callahan has just published an article about SurfExplore trip in Pinto Angin of Manokwari city. It is published on surfline.com, a famous website that is visited by tens of thousands of readers every month.
Pinto Angin is a spot in the eastern tip of Dore bay - around 20 minutes by car from Manokwari city. Pintu Angin is always exposed to high swells coming from the Pacific ocean. Pinto Angin means the Gate of the Winds. It  is part of  Cape Bakaro. The following picture shows how a Japanese surfer, Hayato Maki, was riding the waves of Pinto Angin during a sunset time. The sunlight coming from the west create a contract look of the photograph.
Please, contact us by email to abasiklubsurfin@gmail.com if you plan to visit Manokwari for surfing at Pinto Angin, the nearby Abasi beach or other places in this regency.

Surfing at Pinto Angin


Pinto Angin or the gate of the winds is a surf spot in Manokwari city that is only recommended for experienced surfers. It is not suitable for beginners. It was visited by some surfers from SurfExplore team between February and March 2013. The members of the team were John Callahan, Hayato Maki, Emiliano Cataldi and Phil Goodrich and Alberto Castro. These experienced surfers also explored a number of surfing sites in the north coast of Manokwari. They drove a 4WD pick-up truck Toyota Hilux during their exploratory surfing trip along the empty beaches of Manokwari. The Pinto Angin (in Cape Bakaro) and the North Coast of Manokwari directly face the Pacific Ocean. Wave hunters will find these sites worth surfing.
Hayato Maki at Pinto Angin of Cape Bakaro
I posted some information about Cape Bakaro, and Abasi beach in the forum of globalsurfers.com as a way to introduce or promote Manokwari city as an alternative destination for surfers. To make it easy for anybody to visit this city, I give some description below:
Traveling to Manokwari city
  1. Fly from your country to Jakarta. Then take a domestic flight to Manokwari (check the website of Lion Air, Sriwijaya Air and Express Air). Another alternative is flying to Singapore and then continue your trip to Manado city by Silk Air. After that you need to take a domestic flight to Manokwari.
  2. Contact us by email to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com before you come so that we can arrange your accommodation, travel permit from the police station and give you the estimated budget that you may spend while surfing in Pintu Angin and other beaches of Manokwari.
In addition to surfing, Manokwari is a great place for nature lovers who want to see the tropical rainforest of West Papua.

Rabu, 03 April 2013

Wooden Surfboards from Abasi beach

by Charles Roring
Children and teenage boys in Abasi beach began to learn surfing at early age. They took wooden boards which their mothers used for washing clothes to ride waves that were located just a stone throw away from their houses. These boards did not have fins. After months of practices, finally, they were able to ride waves with their wooden boards.
Their actions attracted the attention of a small number of western tourists who visited Manokwari. Some of them were experienced surfers who were willing to help these local surfers. Now the youth of the Abasi beach have got around 5 standard boards that are made of foam and reinforced with FRP material. Abasi village is located just around a 20-minute ride from Manokwari.
Some people may look sad when they see that the youth of Abasi now ride the barrel waves with standard surfboard instead of their traditional wooden ones. I personally want to see the children, teenagers and young adults at Abasi beach surf with wooden boards. But I believe that they deserve better boards.
If we really want to see them that way, at least, we have to find ways that can help them ride wooden boards that are locally manufactured with improved design and workmanship. This type of wooden surfboards is environmentally friendly and has received the touch of modern technology. Modernized wooden surfboards will have streamlined forms that are needed by every professional wave surfer.
I used to have some conversations with Phil Goodrich and Emiliano Cataldi, two international surfers from SurfExplore team to find possibilities of designing and locally manufacturing wooden surfboards once Wave Surfing in Manokwari becomes well promoted and developed. West Papua is abundant of tropical wood. There is one species that is light and strong. We call it kayu susu (meaning milk wood). Its color is white and strong enough to bear the load of an adult wave surfer on the water. I hope that this dream of locally making an eco-friendly surfboard can be realized in the future. If you  are interested in traveling and surfing in Manokwari, please, contact Salo Rumadas by email to abasisurfingklub@gmail.com.

Senin, 01 April 2013

Surfing is Art

For most of the beach goers in the world, wave surfing is sport. But for Phil Goodrich, it is a great source of art inspiration. Phil and his friends from SurfExplore team visited Manokwari in late February to early March 2013. They spent most of their time exploring the north coast of the bird's head region of Western New Guinea in search of barrel waves. The successfully found several spots where no surfers had even been before. Some local youth from Abasi beach who accompanied their trip were glad to surf with them. It was a rare opportunity to learn new techniques from experienced surfers from the SurfExplore team.
Phil Goodrich is a prolific artist. His paintings are mostly about seascape, surfers, barrel waves and anything or anyone that is related to beach life.

A Painting of Wave by Phil Goodrich as gift to Salo Rumadas in Manokwari city of West Papua province 
Phil often shows children, villagers and beach girls in his paintings that he see during his surfing exploration in Indonesia and other parts of the world. Anybody who is interested in buying his artworks can find him in Facebook or his official website: http://www.philgoodrich.com. Before leaving Manokwari for Mentawai, Phil made an artwork of a barrel wave for Salo Rumadas, a personnel of Abasi Klub Surfing. For Phil created the painting using oil on canvas, an unusual media for him. Most of his artworks are oil on wood. Members of Abasi Surfing hope that they can meet him again one day.

Sabtu, 30 Maret 2013

Surfing before Sunset

Surfers who ride the barrel waves of Cape Bakaro during sunset hours will have to smartly adjust their take off position while facing the sunlight. For photographers, taking pictures of their friends riding surfboards at sea can be fun because of the contrast colors which they will get. But for the surfers, it is a daring moment. So, Cape Bakaro is not for beginners. The recommended site for them is the nearby Abasi beach. The person on the following photograph is Hayato Maki, who visited Manokwari early this month. He is an experienced surfer who came from Japan. I took this picture of him using a compact point and shoot camera, Nikon Coolpix P500 that was powered with telephoto lens. Today, Nikon has released a better and more powerful photographic device for budget travelers, i.e. the Nikon COOLPIX P520. The 18 megapixel digital camera is powered with 42x optical zoom (lens focal length is equivalent to 24 - 1,000 mm lens in 35 mm format). Taking pictures of surfers who ride barrel waves at sea can easily be done in sports mode.

There are always waves at Abasi beach and Cape Bakaro all year round. These sites are relatively unknown to most of the surfers around the world. Some native Papuan youth who live in Abasi beach are willing to share their beach with any guests from any corners of the globe. Contact Salo Rumadas, the sponsor of Abasi Klub Surfing by email: abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com if you plan to visit Manokwari city.

Jumat, 29 Maret 2013

Surfing and Snorkeling, Fishing at Abasi beach

by Charles Roring
I have written several articles about surfing at Abasi beach in this blog. As a matter of fact it is not only wave surfing that visitors can enjoy but also fishing and snorkeling. The coral reef below the surface of the water is still in very good condition. Tourists who cannot surf will find that snorkeling in Abasi is fun. There are a lot of species of fish that can be seen.
snorkeling at abasi beach of manokwari
Abasi beach of Manokwari
This afternoon, I went snorkeling in a place where there are no waves. I brought with me a new camera - Canon Powershot G1X. When I reached a depth of approximately 2 to 3 meters, I saw staghorn and table corals. Butterfly fish, striped surgeonfish and convict surgeonfish also thrive in the reefs. When I was in the water, there were so many children around me. I could not easily take pictures of the fish and reefs. Perhaps the fish moved away from me because of our too many movements in the water.

After spending around half an hour snorkeling and trying to take some underwater pictures, my friend came. His name was Henoch Marien. He was a wavesurfer who accompanied some guests from SurfExplore team early this month. I decided to give the camera to Henoch who is also called Olof. Before that I had to give him some explanation on how to use the digital camera. Henoch was very excited when receiving the camera. He swam into a deeper water and dived to the bottom of the sea. I was amazed to see that he could stay underwater for quite long and remain calm. He took a lot of pictures that I thought impossible to be taken without wearing a diving gear. He reached a depth of around 6 to 10 meters and shot a schooling fish of convict surgeonfish, bannerfish, damselfish. He took the picture without using flash. Yet, the quality of the photographs was excellent. At around 4 p.m. I told him that we should return to the beach because I was tired.
We took a rest for a while at a hut that was built for surfers to watch the waves. We discussed about the promotion of Abasi beach not only as a surfing destination but also as a snorkeling one. He agreed with my opinion.
He still went to the sea again with his surfboard. I tested the digital camera again. This time was for distant subject. Unfortunately, Canon Powershot only had 4x optical zoom. Combined with digital zoom, the magnification could reach 16x. I helld the camera firmly while aiming it at him. The following photograph is the result that I got when I pressed the video button. I had to open the video in my computer and pressed the print screen button to capture the moment. Then I cropped unnecessary frames and save the photograph as a jpg file using Adobe Photoshop software.
I, Salo, and the native Papuan villagers in Abasi beach want to develop this beach as a destination for responsible tourism - a scheme will bring improvements to the standard of living of the local people and at the same time preserve the coral reef and the surrounding marine environment from dynamite fishing. Surfers and snorkelers will be served by the villagers during their tour in Manokwari.
Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province. It is a famous gate for birdwathers and nature lovers who want to go trekking in Arfak mountains. Most of them go there to watch birds of paradise. The introduction of Abasi beach as surfing and snorkeling sites are still a new thing to most of the visitors. We hope that more tourists will visit Abasi in the near future.
If you are interested in taking a snorkeling or wave surfing trip in Manokwari, please, contact us by email to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com. We will be happy to give detailed information about eco-tourism in Manokwari, arrange your trip and provide guiding services.
Accommodation in Abasi Village of Manokwari City
If you are interested in staying in Abasi village, you can stay in the homestays that belong to the villagers. One of them is Yafet's Homestay
Yafet's homestay

Abasi beach accommodation
Flower garden at Yafet's homestay at Abasi beach of Manokwari

To book the homestay, please, contact Yafet Maryen by sending text message or WA: +6281343123553. 
Visitors can go directly to Abasi beach and find Yafet's homestay. 

Selasa, 26 Maret 2013

Happy Easter from Surfers of Abasi Beach

This is spring time in Europe, Japan, China and North America. We want to share our hope, love and joyful living with all of you who celebrate Easter.
These children started surfing with wooden boards which their mothers used for washing clothes. Now they surf with international visitors coming from all corners of the globe. 

Senin, 25 Maret 2013

Surfing Vacation in Cape Bakaro

For some adventurous surfers, Cape Bakaro is the name of a place in West Papua which they really need to see. Located just 20 minutes by motorized vehicles from the downtown, Cape Bakaro is a must see place for experienced surfers. The waves here are always big all year round. The contour of sea bed and the flow of water that goes in and out of Dorey bay always deliver big swells to the cape.

Some surfers from SurfExplore team spent two weeks riding the waves of Manokwari coastal area between February and March 2013. When they arrived at the cape, they said that it is only for intermediate to advanced surfers. For beginning surf learners, the nearby Abasi beach or other coastal areas in the north and south of Manokwari city are highly recommended.
The best time to enjoy surfing is in the mornings when there is only light or no wind. Barrel waves that are formed by the swells will lift the surfers taking off with their surfboards. The internet connection is available in the area enabling surf enthusiasts to check swell forecast for the next morning.
Accommodation
There are hotels in Manokwari that tourists can choose for staying. Surfers can also stay at the villagers' houses in Abasi beach.
Abasi Klub Surfing
Abasi Klub Surfing is a small club that is now trying to promote surfing as a healthy sport in Manokwari. Members of the club will be happy to help you while traveling in Manokwari. Before you come, please contact abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com.

Surfing Spot for Beginners

There are a lot of beaches in Indonesia that are suitable for beginning surfers. One of them is Abasi. It is located in Manokwari city - the capital of West Papua province. Every day we can see children and young adults swim and learn how to ride surfboards. The beach is also suitable for experienced surfers who want a spot that is not too crowded. There are not many tourists in Abasi beach. If you visit Manokwari and surf at this beach, you will meet a few Papuan boys and girls who are good enough in surfing. If you are a beginner, you can learn surfing from our local surfing guides who know well about the waters in Abasi.


How to get to Abasi beach of Manokwari?

  • Look at the above picture of Google Earth map. Manokwari city is located in West Papua.
  • It is not difficult to reach Abasi beach. Just fly from your country to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. 
  • Then, take a domestic flight from the city to Manokwari. We will meet you at the airport and bring you to Abasi beach. We can also arrange your accommodation, transportation and guide while you travel in Manokwari. 
Please, contact us before you come. Here is our email: abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com

Rabu, 20 Maret 2013

Wave Surfing Club in Manokwari

Abasi Klub Surfing is the first and the only surfing club in Manokwari city of West Papua at the moment. Most of its surfers are Papuan youth who are trying to introduce surfing as a healthy sport to the city dwellers. The club also tries to promote Abasi beach, Cape Bakaro and the north coast of Manokwari as surfing destination for international visitors. Abasi Klub Surfing plans to hire experienced surfing instructors to give a 3-month course for members of the club so that they can improve their skills and techniques. The course will be conducted at Abasi beach and Cape Bakaro. 
Phil Goodrich - a surfing artist was riding the waves at Abasi beach

Brazilian surfer, Alberto Castro, was surfing at Abasi beach of Manokwari

Papuan boys at Abasi beach
Although only young adults are allowed to participate in the course, teen boys and girls age 11 to 16 are allowed to see the whole lessons. Most teenagers in Abasi can ride their boards on waves up to 2 meters. Such waves can be scary to most city dwellers but they are seen as a perfect time for the boys and girls to ride their boards. 
Early this month, members of Abasi Klub Surfing was proud to receive members of SurfExplore team who visited Manokwari. They spent two weeks surfing along the north coast of Manokwari. The presence of SurfExplore team in Manokwari encourages Papuan young boys to learn new things related to surfing and marine environment. Personnel of the SurfExplore shared their knowledge and experiences while staying in Abasi beach. Abasi Klub Surfing hopes that it can meet the SurfExplore team again in the future. 
Surfers who want to visit Manokwari can contact us by email to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com.

Senin, 04 Maret 2013

Surfing in West Papua

by Charles Roring
Last week a group of international surfers from 4 countries went surfing at Pinto Angin in Cape Bakaro of Manokwari city. This is one of the best surfing sites in Manokwari for experienced surfers. These surfers were from SurfExplore team. They have been exploring sites in West Papua that are suitable for surfing. They consider Cape Bakaro - just 30 minutes from the downtown as a recommended place for world class surfers.
Manokwari is relatively an unknown destination for surfers. The presence of SurfExplore team will boost its position as an alternative site for adventure travelers beside the long established surf sites in Kuta Bali and Mentawai, in Western Coast of Sumatra island. The following photograph shows Hayato Maki, a Japanese surfer, who has got lots of global experience, riding the big waves of Pinto Angin in Cape Bakaro.
Hayato Maki was surfing at at Pinto Angin of Manokwari city
The nearby Abasi beach is considered as a site with waves moving to the left. Coral reef just behind the waves of Abasi beach is still in pristine condition. Surfers and other beach goers can go snorkeling by outrigger canoes that are paddled by local Papuan boys. Various species of fish such as the butterfly fish and surgeon fish live in the waters of Abasi beach.
There are a lot of surf spots in Manokwari that you can explore with members of the club. Please, contact us by e-mail to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com if you plan to go surfing in Manokwari of West Papua

Minggu, 03 Maret 2013

Surfing at Cape Bakaro of Manokwari

The Cape Bakaro in Manokwari city of West Papua is a recommended destination for surfers. The waves there are high all year round. Last week a team of international surfers went surfing in the afternoon. They were accompanied by members of abasiklubsurfing.blogspot.com. It was around 5 p.m. when Hayato, Beto and Phil were riding the waves.
One of our club members, Olof, also went into the sea but he had to return to the beach again after his rope was broken.
Cape Bakaro is also called Pintu Angin (or Wind Gate) by the nearby villagers. It has been considered as the best spot in Manokwari only for experienced surfers due to its wave heights. Surfers need to bring their own boards when traveling to Manokwari.
Manokwari regency has got a long coast line its north and south east coasts facing the Pacific Ocean. Wavesurfers who plan to visit Manokwari for surfing can contact Salo Rumadas (email: abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com). She can provide further information about surfing and other activities that visitors can enjoy while traveling in Manokwari.

Rabu, 27 Februari 2013

World Class Surfers in Manokwari

by Charles Roring
As the sun approached the west, some surfers swam to the sea. Today the weather was a little bit better than the previous days. There were not many people at the beach because it was Wednesday - the usual working day for dwellers of Manokwari city. I saw 4 people floating with their boards in the middle of big swells. It was the most dangerous place in Manokwari where wave height could reach six meters or even more. But for those world class wave surfers that was the best place to "ride" their boards. 
One of them was Hayato Maki. He made swift top turn several times avoiding the breaking swell. Some women screamed when they saw the surfers were swallowed by the waves. Seconds later, they emerged again still challenging the next swells. 
It was a great show. Members of Abasi Klub Surfing have been accompanying these surfers for days trying to put Manokwari into the map of international surfers as a must see destination. Papuan children who were watching them say that they learn a lot of new techniques from these professional surfers. We really hope that more visitors will come to Manokwari after the trip of these surfers. If you are interested in traveling to Manokwari to enjoy wave surfing, please, contact Salo by email to abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com. 

Selasa, 26 Februari 2013

Surfing Lesson at Abasi Beach

A Papuan boy was watching how
Alberto L. Castro, a world class surfer, showed his turn technique
The arrival of some world class surfers in Manokwari brings a rare opportunity for local surfers to learn new surfing techniques. On the following picture, we can see a Papuan boy was sitting on his surfboard while watching Alberto L. Castro, one of the surfers  from Brazil "played with the waves."
For local surfers at Abasi beach of Manokwari, the swift turning at a steep wave slope that creates a lot of water spray in the air is a new thing that they have never tried. After watching this "free surfing lesson," the local children tried to imitate it. Unfortunately, they could not achieve the same effect. Local Papuan surfers said that they would practice such techniques every day until they can get similar result.
The Abasi Klub Surfing expects more international surfers to come to Manokwari to "share their waves" with them. Surfing is relatively a new sports in Manokwari. Very few Papuan know how to surf. With the establishment Abasi Klub Surfing in Manokwari, we hope that in the near future, more people will consider and take up surfing as their sports too. For further information about surfing trips in Manokwari, please contact: abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com

Senin, 25 Februari 2013

International Surfers in Manokwari

This week Abasi Klub Surfing is happy to receive an international team from World Class surfers. The team consists of 4 experienced surfers and 1 leading surf photographer coming from 4 countries Italy, the United States, Brasil, Japan. During their surfing trips in Manokwari (24 Feb-8 March 2013), they share their techniques with local Papuan boys who are eager to learn more skills from them. Young surfers from the Abasi Klub Surfing are eager to learn new things from these international surfers.
We hope that our young Papuan surfers will improve their techniques while standing on boards playing with the "waves of the Pacific Ocean." Manokwari has not been famous as a must visit destination for surfers. With the presence of the international surfing team in this city, we believe that in the near future, we will see more surfers coming to Manokwari. 
As a matter of fact, Manokwari is not only a recommended destination for surfing but also for various adventure activities. Thousands for visitors have come to Manokwari to watch lesser birds of paradise,  western parotia, and the bower bird, or to enjoy trekking and camping in Arfak mountains. The Dore bay of Manokwari has got several sites that are covered with coral reef. Colorful corals, and ornamental fish can be seen when tourists enjoy snorkeling in Manokwari. We can prepare an interesting tour package or tour programs for you. Please, contact abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com before traveling to Manokwari. 

Jumat, 22 Februari 2013

Wave Surfing in Manokwari

The coast of Manokwari regency is a great place for travelers who want to enjoy surfing. There are several surfing spots in the east, north and south of the regency. During the West Monsoon (December to March), strong winds hit the north coast of Manokwari creating tunnel waves in the mornings. For beginning wave-surfers, the recommended place is Pinto Angin (the gate of the winds) - according to John Callahan. The right spelling should be Pintu Angin (wind gate). Please, watch the following videos which show how boys stand on their surfboards 'playing with the waves.'
Hayato Maki was surfing at Pinto Angin of Manokwari city - West Papua






Manokwari also has got a place where waves are big all year round. Avid surfers should come to try it.
Other tourist attractions
In addition to surfing, travelers can enjoy snorkeling, trekking and birdwatching in Manokwari. We provide tours to visitors who want to watch birds of paradise in Arfak mountains while they enjoy their surfing trips in Manokwari.
Where is Manokwari?
Manokwari is the capital of West Papua province in the Republic of Indonesia. It has a lot of tourist attractions ranging from snorkeling, wave surfing, trekking, camping and birdwatching.

How to get there?
Well, it is not difficult to go to Manokwari. First, you need to fly from your country to Jakarta (the capital of Indonesia). After that you can take a regular domestic flight served by Express Air, Lion Air or Sriwijaya Air to Manokwari.
Accommodation
We can arrange an affordable accommodation you. We can help budget travelers find a place to sleep at one of the houses of local villagers. We can also book rooms in a hotel that is not too far from the surfing sites.
Contact
If you are interested in surfing in Manokwari, please, contact
Salo by e-mail to: abasiklubsurfing@gmail.com.

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