The Ultimate Guide to G-land Surf

G-Land surf is some of the most epic on the planet, with spinning left barrels that hardly let up for a second in the dry season.

An introduction to G-land Surf

Oh, G-Land. It hardly comes better than this. Full name: Grajagan. Status: Epic. Seriously, this is usually listed as the single best spot in Indo and that’s saying something because Ulu’s is just over the Bali Strait and Desert Point isn’t much further. But there’s a level of quality on the G-land surf that ensures it’s on the same surf bucket list as the North Shore and Bells et al.

But enough waxing lyrical. Let’s get down to it. A series of eight separate named breaks string along the very last bump in the coastline of East Java, deep in the confines of the wild Alas Purwo National Park. The setting is sublime; jungle to the back, open ocean to the front.

Swells eek out of a void-deep ocean canyon about 8.5 miles off the shore, funneling straight up to the reef shelf here when the dry season SW swells are firing between May and August. The result? Perfect, peeling lefts at different points along the reef bed, each with a unique character and challenge, not to mention the pedigree to bring in the top names in surf.

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This guide is just one part of our complete guides to surfing in Java and surfing in Indonesia

G-land Surf at a glance

The good

The best spot in Indonesia
Works best in the dry season
Perfect, peeling lefts

The bad

There’s not much infrastructure around
Not as consistent in the wet season
Hard to get to

Where is G-land?

G-Land is deep in the recesses of East Java. In fact, it’s just about as far east as it’s possible to go without dropping into the strait that separates Java from Bali. Look, this isn’t the easiest place on the island to reach. Some come in by flying into Denpasar, the capital of Bali and then getting boat and speedboat connections into the bay itself from Kuta. Others go the overland route across Java but we don’t recommend that unless you’re planning to see other stuff on Indo’s most populous island – you’re talking a drive of over a few days through dense forest on tough roads.

A guide to the G-land surf spots

Kongs

Probably the mellowest of all the breaks on the G-Land factory line, Kongs is the first to hit the reefs on the outside of the point. It’s a lovely wave on 3–7-footer swells, rising as you rip it left across what looks like the open ocean since there are no beaches or palm forests to keep things in perspective. Bigger swell pushes in the peak of the dry season (May to August) can sometimes convert Kongs into a barrel that runs for over 200 meters but that’s kinda rare. Usually, it’s a fat and beefy wall that invites turns and weight shifts; a great place to get into the mood for the heavier backdoor sections that inevitably come further down the G-Land surf conveyer

Money Trees

The main face of the reef shelf at the eastern entrance to Grajagan Bay is angled perfectly into the SW swells of the open Indian Ocean. It’s been given the name Money Trees, presumably because scoring a barrel here gives just about the same feeling as finding dollars fluttering from the branches in your garden. It really is a world-class break. The best and most consistent on the whole lineup, it’s a glassy barrel that forms neatly into a left that hollows into lippy perfection.

Some caveats: Offshores from the SE are the reason this one holds its shape so well and they normally get into the full flow around the mid-morning. Without the wind, there can be some floppiness on the water surface that breaks MT into sections and people have been known to bail on shallow reefs. The same goes for the tide. At high it’s much safer because there’s extra depth on the rocks. That said, if the south easterlies keep kicking then Money Trees can pump from midnight through to midnight, so you can steal sessions at low provided you don’t mind glancing urchin cities as you glide.

Launching Pads

Deep backdoor barrel sections are the name of the game at Launching Pads, the third named section down the peeling reef of Grajagan Bay. This spot is much more challenging than both Money Trees and Kongs. It trades off finesse in shape with raw power and size, so you’ll often find the WSL pros and whatnot ripping in these parts.

The first challenge is picking a take-off point that works, not getting too deep on the inside to continuously get caught, not too far up the line and not catching anything. Changing tides and wind strength can both shift the drop in zone so it’s not as easy as it seems. Next, it’s the ride itself, which means a pit that spins fast left and can run for up to 70 meters with stand-up sections before bowling into the take-off zone for Speedies – watch out for the paddle starters in the next section when you land!

Speedies

The big summer swells that turn Kongs and Money Trees into unrideable dumping sessions actually work wonders at Speedies. A smaller wave that won’t work if it’s small but gets the action when it’s huge, it’s a rife-barrel tube that hollows out along a lovely but formidably shallow section of reef. It’s a steep wave face a la Skeleton Bay, so pick your pocket wisely and focus on where the nose is leading, otherwise you risk getting caught in the tumble dryer. SE trades and a full tide are the best times to hit it up.

Chickens

The swell gets tempered even more the deeper into the bay you go, which makes this fourth-in-line spot the mellowest of the bunch. It’s good for intermediate surfers not yet ready for the overheads and pits offered at Speedies and MT. Don’t underestimate it, mind. There are still shallow rock sections when the tide peels back and you have to manage down-the-line surfing to make it out into the channel for a paddle around.

20/20s

Walk north up past Plengkung Beach and you can hit the left and right of 20/20. The left – as is G-Land’s trademark – is the premier draw. It’s always smaller than the others in the bay given the protection but doesn’t make for ride-of-your-life sort of stuff. Goofies get a nice and rippable shoulder that runs into a rare break in the coral to offer a neat paddle channel back to the take off. Regular footers can enjoy a short right, but that’s fickler, needing bigger swell that you can rest assured no one on the G-Land circuit will be wishing for. Possible on all tides but beware of the urchin packs at low.

Tiger Tracks

If you came to G-Land to surf Tiger Tracks then you’re doing something wrong. It’s not that the break is bad – it’s not. The issue is that it’s the crumbly sort of left-righter that you can score at Kuta Bali or in Siargao. There’s just no need to go on an 8-hour romp through the Javanese jungle to score it. That said, Tiger Tracks can be a good solution for multi-level surf groups (a pro wanting to hit barrels at Money Trees, and a starter looking to improve), or when it’s simply massive on the main points.

When to surf in G-land?

G-Land is just like the west coast of Bali’s Bukit Peninsula, working best in the dry season months between May and August. That’s when strong and regular groundswells make their way up from the Southern Ocean and cross the Indian Ocean, rapping into the whole southern side of Java and the Isle of the Gods. The other thing that combines them is the all-important SE trades. They’re the last ingredient to the glassy wave faces that make take-off points like Money Trees and Speedies so fun and famous.

We wouldn’t say DON’T come to G-Land in the wet season period. Anyone who’s traveled Indo in December or January will know that there are waves. However, consistency is an issue then, while the unpredictability of the wind direction means you won’t be surfing the same breaks that this hallowed spot is known for.

This article is just one part of our complete guides to surfing in Java and surfing in Indonesia