G-land Surf Guide

G-land Surf Guide

Grajagan is a massive, lava-based coral reef that curves around in a big circle with the Blambangan Peninsula, starting inside the Bali Strait and eventually finishing its 10-mile arc way down inside the northeast corner of Grajagan Bay. Deep Indian Ocean swells from the S and SW close out along the reef line until beginning the final curve into the bay. About a mile from the reef's end point, the machine clicks into gear. Kong's is the name for G-Land's opening stanza, a series of long sectiony runs across relatively deep reef shelves. Around 300 yards at full length, Kong's has a reputation for hotdogginess, but on a double overhead W swell -- long barrels can be found. Otherwise, it's the region of choice on smaller swells. Kong's is a 400-yard walk up from the camps, a careful 200-yard tiptoe over the exposed reef (or a similar paddle at higher tides) and a lot of paddling.

Moneytrees is the long-walled, almond-barreling, G-Land midsection. Best on a SSW swell, it's focused by an outside cloudbreak onto a lovely flat slab of coral savagery. Fast and clean, Moneys can deal with the right swell to triple overhead and tends to change shape as it advances down the lava-creviced reef. Care should be taken while riding this wave at low tide, when the reef fringe is fully exposed. It can be approached easily through a swirly rip that forms between set waves just off the final section of Kong's.

Speed Reef is the exceptional, super-hollow wonderland that completes the picture of G-Land's main reef. Best on a S-angled swell, it doesn't truly show itself until the double overhead+ mark, when waves begin closing out Money's down to an outer peak called Launching Pads. Waves roll off Launching Pads, double up, hit Speedies and start barreling, sometimes holding the exact curl pattern for 200 yards or more. At triple overhead+, roaring off Launching Pads into the first bottomless tube section, Speed Reef is a triple black diamond.

Chickens and 20-20s, down the reef from Speedies, are playful waves for rare days when the real breaks are out of control. Tiger Trails is a small right, west of the camps. One of G-Land's greatest overall features is its relationship to the SE tradewind, which blows consistently from April to October each year. This wind, kicking in most days around 9am, is perfectly offshore along almost the entire stretch of reef.