Raja Ampat, Papua, Indonesia – Photo: David Doubilet @ National Geographic

The largest online social travel network WAYN (Where Are You Now) through its website has recently revealed the top seven dream destinations as chosen by its 21 million users worldwide.

The nominated destinations (both cities and countries) were selected by employing a combination of market research data and tracking user engagement on WAYN.com.  WAYN’s 21 million users voted for their favorite destination out of the seven listed, with prizes up for grabs for those who vote, in the period of two weeks starting from 3rd April. Additionally, each nominee received US$70,000 of marketing promotion globally, out of a US$500,000 marketing contribution from Where Are You Now? Ltd.

Comprising 17,504 large and small tropical islands fringed with white sandy beaches and stunning landscapes, Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country in the world. The country is blessed with fascinating diverse natural landscapes and exceptional cultures. While the fabled island of Bali has built its own international reputation for its stunning beaches and unique culture, yet Indonesia still has a lot of other equally amazing splendors.

 Those who could just die for divine beaches and stunning underwater life can spoil themselves in Raja Ampat, Wakatobi, or Bunaken. For wildlife and adventure seekers, a chance to see the Komodo Dragon in its natural habitat on  Komodo Island or an up close and personal encounter with Orangutans at the Tanjung Puting  National Park are surely experiences that cannot be found in other parts of the world.

As a country of diverse ethnic groups, Indonesia is also blessed with some of the most unique cultures.  The grandeur of Javanese art and lifestyle in the city of Yogyakarta still retains its classic ambience of the sultanate. Other more exotic cultures can also be found on Nias, Mentawai, Flores, and other islands in the archipelago.

For the full list of the top dream destinations click, here

 Sources: indonesia.travel

]]> http://indosurflife.com/2013/06/indonesia-among-top-7-dream-destinations-in-the-world/feed/ 1 http://indosurflife.com/2013/06/photos-claire-bevo-take-hot-girls-and-groms-around-bali/ http://indosurflife.com/2013/06/photos-claire-bevo-take-hot-girls-and-groms-around-bali/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 03:06:51 +0000 iuri http://indosurflife.com/?p=27268 Claire Bevilacqua, West Oz pro, was recently in Bali to coach young talent on the island in a week long camp. Her surfing prowess, years of experience on the tour, coupled with knowledge of health, nutrition and wellness have led her to develop a holistic approach to training and developing athlete talent, skills and drive which offer results. At the end of the week it was hard to see who was more stoked, the kids or Claire.

If you’ve ever met Claire you know she’s a bundle of pure energy and where others may kick back after a day of coaching, she was determined to get her waves in while on island. She hit up Keramas, Canggu and even scored Padang a few times. A big wave frother, the pint-sized blond gets her thrills where others may opt out. Needless to say she turns a few heads.

We headed out to Lembongan with Pulau Charters for an all-girls day trip with Claire. The crew were stoked to see the girls ripping and happy to cruise around and explore until we found the best spots. While not an epic day in terms of wave quality, Claire and the others found the right waves and showed the boys how it’s done. Next time you’re keen to organize a surf day trip, contact Pulau Charters, who have boats that’ll make you feel like you’re pulling up to the break right out of a music video and the coolest crew around.

Perfect waves of all sizes (standard size between 1,2-1,9 m), lengths (standard length around 18 second surfing ride duration), shapes and speeds are consistently generated in a safe, natural environment using much less energy than any other wave generator in history.

Sources: wavegarden.com

Nihiwatu Beach, Sumba, Indonesia

Photo: cntraveller.com

Nihiwatu Beach at number 17. In some ways, the perfect beach. It’s remote (an hour’s flight from Bali then a 90-minute drive) with fine, clean sand, clear water, almost no people and amazing sunsets. It is home to the impressive Nihiwatu resort and is best outside wet season.

Highlight: For surfers, the incredible left-hand break. For everyone else, as dusk approaches, a chance to join local villagers as they scour a section of a nearby reef at low tide for octopus, crabs and seaweed.

Canggu Beach, Bali, Indonesia

Photo: tripadvisor.com

Canggu beach at number 39. This surf-perfect coastline has everything from easy waves to serious breaks. The scene is unpretentious and the mood laid-back. The crowd is heavy with adventurous people who know Asia well.

Worth knowing: There’s little nightlife here; instead, travelers kick back with themselves and locals

Pulau Derawan, Indonesia

Photo: adventurenusantara.com

Pulau Derawan at number 63. Tourist accommodations are no-frills here, and that’s what makes the place special. Most visitors will be able to spot turtles wading about on the island’s spotless silvery beaches.

Highlight: The waters surrounding Derawan are known to be a home to manta rays and green turtles.

Watch the full list of World’s 100 best beach, here

Sources: cnn.com

He started filming his brother Finn and has been hanging with a group of kids for a while, now mainly Sonny Perrussel, Kian Martin, Saxon McHutchison and Gully Steelhead who all have a lot of skill for their age on a surfboard others grommet when they get surf in Canggu, Bali. After a while he got to know these kids and found out how amazing their everyday lives where and especially there skills out in the water. He decided to get more into filming and make a short edit filled with these boys shredding. He has a plan on making another edit within the next 2 months specifically focused on Gully Steelhead and hope it turns out as well as his first film did.

Video: Oscar O’Shea on Vimeo

The overnight journey, on King Of Millenium 2, was too easy. After 2 days of surfing Rifles non-stop I crashed around 8 pm and woke up at 5 am when the boat was pulling up the anchor from the safety of a bay to head to Macaronis for the morning session.

We did not have a booking for mooring at Maccas on that first day, in fact our booking was for the next 2 days, so we were going there to surf from first light until the time that the Macaronis Resort would send their patrol to clean the line up.
Luckily on these dates the entire camp was booked by only 4 or 5 surfers, a wealthy crew had rented out Maccas for themselves, but as the Macas guests decided to go to Green Bush, Macaronis was FREE, and we could stay there for longer. Only leaving for Green Bush when the tide was too high (Wait for our Next Article, Part 3) and returning to surf low tide at an empty Macaronis again.

We spent the night in the bay. For those of you who are unaware the moorings are located in front of the break, so after surfing the boats head deeper into the bay where it’s safer. The mooring system is ONLY to regulate the lineup as the boats have to anchor inside of the bay.

The next day we woke up and went straight to our mooring, we were booked and we were frothing to only share Maccas with another boat and the 4 or 5 guests from the land camp. Macaronis with 25 people max. It was going to be a Dream… and it was….

Waves were pumping, barrels and rippable walls coming in at 4-5ft, and only 4 boats in the morning.  Once again, with only the 4-5 guest in the land camp all the boats were allowed stay in and we all had fun together as it should be. Every surfer taking their turn. At one point there were about 40 guys out but every one of us was smiling and having a great time.

Our last day booked in Maccas was also unreal, the waves were a bit smaller, 3-4 ft sets, but very consistent. Early in the morning it was super glassy and around 10am a Northly wind would begin to blow. But this wasn’t a big deal, it was a cross-offshore wind and waves were still pumping. We had another dream day, great waves and a very cool crew out, sharing and having fun, No drop-ins, no snaking, no stress.

The next day we spent the entire day at GreenBush. The swell was fading and we were headed somewhere else. On our way we decided to stop in at Maccas for a late afternoon session. We had heard that Maccas Camp had just received 32 new guests, and other boats were having nightmare there, but we were keen to get a few more at Maccas and we were hoping it wasn’t so bad.

It was true, we arrived at Maccas and it was 2-3ft, the line up was terrible,  with 50 guys out and a lot of dropping-in and snaking. I’m not quite sure why I bothered to paddle out, wishful thinking perhaps. I was impressed with a surfer on a red board, who would burn people with no compassion; look straight at them and just drop-in. After few sets he was burned by another guy and then had the gall to tell him off. Bit of a hypocritical move.

Having their new 32 guests, the land camp was controlling the lineup again, and after only being anchored for 20 minutes, our boat was called off to leave the bay following the rules of the owner of Macaronis Land Camp.

Teks and Photo: Iuri Borba

Video: Anna Lazar on Vimeo

photo: wallpaperhi.com

From the innovative surf gear to maritime science, surfing has been collecting stories, records and achievements. Did you know that…

1. The Hawaiian Islands are the most isolated archipelago on planet earth.
2. The windiest surf city in the world is Wellington, capital of New Zealand.
3. The tallest tsunami ever recorded so far is the 1958 Lituya Bay mega tsunami, which had a record height of 524 meters (1740 feet).
4. Polyurethane foam was created during the World War II as insulation for refrigerators and airplanes.
5. The first competition won by a thruster surfboard was the Bells Beach Classic, in 1981.
6. Mike Stewart was the first to surf Teahupoo in 1987.
7. Kelly Slater generally starts his day with hot water and lemon.
8. Swells were used by Polynesian navigators to maintain course when no other clues were available, like in foggy nights.
9. Tsunami waves can’t be surfed because they’re too fast and only made of whitewater.
10. Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy that applies to the surfboard size charts.
11. Teahupoo, the world’s heaviest wave, has claimed the lives of five surfers, since 2000.
12. Surfing has been considered the 20th most dangerous sport in the world.
13. A trained surfer can hold his breath for about four minutes, while the static apnea record holder does it for more than 11 minutes.
14. The highest tides in the world can be found in Canada, at the Bay of Fundy. Sometimes the difference between high and low tide is 16.3 meters (53.5 feet).

Read more fact and history at http://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/8836-things-you-didnt-know-about-surfing

Sources: Surfer Today

When I saw the monster approaching I called our friends from King of Millenium, who have 2 really good boats that operate in the Mentawai, Nias and Telos Islands: King of Millenium 1 which was already full and King of Millenium 2, a large, luxurious Catamaran  which still had a couple of spots available. Watching the swell for the last 10 days I was sure that the Ments were the place to be, so I got all my gear and boards ready, paid the boat and bought the tickets.

It was to be my Birthday present: 12 days on one of the best boats in the Mentawai, surfing the best waves in the world. Not bad. On top of which I soon found out I’d be having the best meals imaginable day in day out. All the meals were gourmet and I felt like I was at a 5 star resort in Bahamas, but it was the King of Millenium 2 in the Mentawai Islands.

Our guide, David Valladares is a very experienced surfer, who has worked in the Ments for more than 20 years. When I got on board, I found everyone was already there and waiting for me so that we could head out to the island. As we made our way out of Padang’s hectic Harbor David told us the swell and winds were perfect for Rifles, so we all turned in early at the prospect of an epic first day surf at the mystic wave in the vicinity of Playgrounds.

The next day I woke up around 5 am, Bali time, 4 am in the Ments and it was still dark. We were already at Playgrounds and I could hear the waves breaking but could not see anything. I was frothing, just thinking about the surf. Around 5am the captain pulled up the anchor and people began to emerge from their cabins: 4 Spanish guys: 2 from the Canary Island and 2 from the mainland, super cool guys and 4 Brazilians.

We headed out of the safety of the bay where we had parked moored in the night and out towards the waves. Every minute you could see more, around every corner more white-water appeared, and the inevitable boats and surfers. Rifles was pumping with 4-5ft waves, a bit inconsistent but given time you would get a good barrel.

We gorged ourselves at Rifles for the first 2 days of the trip, a 200 meter barrel that runs over a shallow reef. We couldn’t have expected a better start for the trip, which would include Rights and Lefts, all perfect. After those two days we headed South looking for love at Macca’s. Stay tuned for the Mentawais Part 2.

Teks and Photos: Iuri Borba

The new 700-room Mulia hotel, which has been built on the previously pristine Nusa Dua Beach. Photo: Michael Bachelard

For tourists, his 2300 square metres of emerald green rice paddy on the edge of town is a point of serene beauty – one of the things that draws millions to visit the Island of the Gods. For Nengah, it’s his inheritance: ”These five plots belonged to my father … My grandfather was also a farmer, and my ancestors.”

Nearby, though, Nengah’s uncle, Putu Wirnatha, has been forced to abandon his family plot.

”In the past five years, it is boxed in by buildings, houses … they cut his access to water,” Nengah says. ”There’s no view, no irrigation. There’s nothing we can do.”

This family’s story encapsulates the dilemma that tourism presents for Bali. The buildings erected to allow people to come and enjoy the view are spoiling it; the tonnes of rubbish dumped every day are fouling the beaches; the burgeoning traffic is disturbing the peace; and the massive demand for water could trump all these problems within five or 10 years.

”Yes,” says the chairman of Bali’s tourism board, Ngurah Wijaya, ”we are loving Bali to death.”

Bali’s sophisticated communal irrigation system, in which water flows from channel to field and back to channel among multiple farms, is called subak. Negah Daryana says that ”as long as the subak system still works” his father will not sell their land to the developers.But subak is not just about irrigation. It’s a network of farms, a ritual of meetings and agreements and an important expression of the Balinese religious philosophy of ”Tri Hita Karana”, which holds that there are three sources of happiness: people’s relationship to God, to each other, and to nature.

Disrupt the flow of water, and you disrupt water worship in Balinese Hinduism, the rituals of which are part of the island’s allure, as well as its World Heritage listing. Now, though, because of tourism, the entire water supply of Bali is under severe stress.

The soundtrack at hundreds of upscale Bali hotels is the gentle play of water in swimming pools and fountains. But despite its tropical rainfall, clean water is in critical undersupply. I Made Suanatha, from the local non-government Wisnu Foundation, says locals use about 150 litres of water a day, tourists in hotels use 1500 litres or more.

Most of it does not come down pipes from dams. Those who are connected to piped water find that it rarely actually flows. Instead, businesses and households rely on wells. The hand-bored wells of the locals are about 10 to 12 metres deep. At the big hotels, artesian water is pumped from 60 metres underground.

All wells are supposed to be taxed and regulated but nobody pays and nobody measures how much is extracted. The volume is now so great that saltwater is beginning to spoil them.

A researcher at Bali’s Udayana university, I Nyoman Sunarta, has identified saltwater intrusion throughout Bali’s southern tourist strip and says water quality has ”degraded quite alarmingly” in recent years.

British academic Dr Stroma Cole says 260 of Bali’s 400 rivers have run dry and Bali’s biggest natural reserve of water, Lake Buyan, is in deep trouble from shrinkage, sediment and the inflow of agricultural chemicals.

Water that once flowed from springs and into and out of rice paddies to feed the subak system is being sold to the drinking water companies for purification and sale in plastic bottles, or diverted to keep tourist activities such as rafting afloat.

The catchments are declining fast. Bali’s zoning regulations require a minimum of 30 per cent of the island be covered by forest, but that figure is now 23 per cent and falling.

Continue reading and watch also video “Loving Bali to death”, here

Source: Sydney Morning Herald | Author: Michael Bachelard