Four days now and there still seems to be some question how I got here; Scar Reef, Sumbawa Indo. Retracing the moments I guess it started with my day long search through the harbors of Bali for a boat to Lombok about three weeks ago. That search resulted in my eventual backing out of a deal when the process of securing the trip became more work than necessary. Most probably in the past I would have worked to push the deal through regardless of the friction, yet now that is no longer the case; trying is a waste of time. Instead I discovered another means of achieving the goal and flew to Lombok which is where I meet Hariss, whom brought me to Gili Air and thus the KotaBaru.
After surfing with Hariss for a day in Lombok he left and returned to his home on Gili Air but continued to stay in touch and just as I was winding down my time in Lombok he called asking if I wanted to go on a surf trip to Sumbawa-home to some of Indo’s heaviest barreling waves-of course I wanted to go. After a bit of negotiating I ended up on a boat trip to Sumbawa for half the price of the trip I originally tried to get to Lombok. Crazy thing is I never spoke of or even mentioned the Bali quest to Hariss; he just offered…so to speak.
After a total of four days, where I am the only westerner for miles, I have been adopted into the Gili Air family as the rich foreign uncle. The four guys that comprise the crew are all related to Hariss; cousins, uncles and the like-for that matter I think the whole island of Gili Air is related in one way or another. We all reside on a 15 meter (50 foot) island transfer boat that has been retro fitted with paper thin plywood, a portable gas stove and generator to create a surfing charter. The KotaBaru motors us from spot to spot with its two 40 horsepower outboard engines as we fish for dinner along our search for surf. Most boats I’ve been on sustain their living quarters above the water line however not the KotaBaru we sleep at or below the water line which leaves a thick film of damp sea breeze on everything. I am painted from head to toe in the residue of the sea which when coupled with the files and mosquitoes makes sleeping an uncomfortable requirement; after-surf naps prove to be much better. Literally the 2nd night in Sumbawa the wind died serving me up as fresh piece of meat…I woke to over 100 mosquito bites covering my feet, legs, arms and hands. I love the raw adventure and the gentle rocking of the oceans embrace however; for life is truly the simple calm of living unmasked as the barriers between man and nature dissolve into the creative emptiness from which we pull them. Breathing is easy out here; a little rain and a tender breeze cure the humid bug infestation of the equator cleansing the soul as I inhale the en-lightened air.
The surf is not stellar and the best spots like Supersuck’s are virtually non-existent but we are finding waves like Tropical and Scar Reef Inside which are providing a fun, fast, challenging wave and it is only Hariss and I out in the middle of the world floating about. It is the simplicity of being in the water, somewhere I’ve only heard about, that melts away all the stuff I create separating me from you. The wave knows no difference I am just as wet as the ocean, just as real, subject to the same laws that govern its inevitable crash upon the reef as I seek to unite with it. Sometimes we are one and I feel as if I have lost my-self to find my-Self in the wave and at over times I crouch to fit inside the hope of a barrel only to be smacked across the face by the lip. It is grand, full, and complete for every wave is perfect when I let go of what I expect and accept what I find.
Two-a-day surf sessions have my body sore and exhausted as it cries out for the magic touch of a masseur and the blessing of a shower. Yet energy abounds as the wonder-full beauty of each new surf spot awakens the heart causing me to bow my head in gratitude for what is given. I sit in active meditation-suspended in the crystal waters of the Selat Lutan Lepas Sea with my feet dangling over an endless garden of coral reef-silently waiting the Waves arrival. It is the present that recognizes my-Self here, where I’ve never left; for now my consciousness expands to accept it. One wave and then the next allows the Moment’s wisdom to unfold calmly wiping clean the clouds from my vision as the windy-thunder and lightning-rain stir above the surface. Lucid without thought of what was or will be; rather it is, what is that consumes the space my mind seeks to fill. I am me like never before yet have always been, wishing to express my adoration and gratitude for the gift of the KotaBaru.
