Road to Nowhere – Indonesian government builds road across the reef at Nias.

Friend of HOB and all-round legend John Callahan and the Nias Surf Community are looking for your support with their petition to help prevent the potential loss of the iconic right point at Sorake Beach, Nias.

The historic wave, one of the near-mythical peaks to have survived since the golden age of surf exploration also made it through the destruction of sections of the reef and the heart of the community during the Boxing day tsunami, but today is facing a new crisis.

The island and the community were my first home when I went looking for surf the moment I left university. Six months of perfection and terror. And all the Nasi Goreng I could eat fuelled hours of wave sliding and free diving.

The reef is looking at a future of concrete and chaos

The community has survived a lot: Tsunamis, loss of tourism and my appalling backhand style flapping about the line-up. Now the reef, the primary source of income for the families in Lagundri Bay, is looking at a future of concrete and chaos.

This is what the folks at the Nias community has got to say:

‘Sorake Beach, Nias is a world-famous surf tourism destination and arguably one of the best waves in the world. Surfers around the world dream of visiting the beautiful bay lined with coconut trees and natural reef. The local government has already started a project to build a dam and road on top of the reef, all the way along the point. They plan to cover the reef in rocks, cement, and dirt. It is already very dangerous for surfers to come in from the surf at high tide. There is also a possibility that this project will create backwash and mess up the wave.

Please help us stop their plans to pave paradise and put up a parking lot!’

  • Here’s a favourite of HOB Torren Martyn styling through the Nias perfection.
  • And a little drone magic of a pumping 2018 swell.
  • There’s more details over at Swellnet.com if you need it.

Main Image: Nias. John Callahan

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