Indian Ocean mega swell hits Indonesia - photos
Before the swell had struck any coastline in Indonesia it already had a name: the 'Muzza swell'. The moniker was an honorific to Murray Close, Australian surfer and expat who succumbed to cancer on the 24th June.
Said Tim Russo from Project Clean Uluwatu: "This swell is in his honor. He took his final days in grace and asked that his friends enjoy life and come together often."
Anyone who's ever surfed a cyclone swell will understand that with a common name comes unity. It gives total strangers something in common. We may all be out there surfing but when we realise we're surfing the same swell it brings a bit of brotherhood into the game.
On Bali, Uluwatu was the flash point. In big swells Padang is usually where the attention gets focussed but this was to be a particularly big swell and people came to see just how big it would get.
10' to 12' with the odd larger set seems to be the accepted size, breaking a little randomly but pumping when they came through. After two days of great waves Tim Russo was emphatic: "Muzzaswell did not dissappoint!"
Dawn Saturday by Trevor Murphy (@tmurphy_photography)
Uluwatu by Nicolai Notter
Jughead by Trevor Murphy (@tmurphy_photography)
Uluwatu Saturday by Naomi Thompson with Tim Russo's 9'6" Lopez gun in the lip
Uluwatu lineup by Jim Banks (@jimbankssurf)
Uluwatu lineup by Zak Lyon
One of the biggest waves ridden. Photo by Alex Postigo (@thefrogeye)
Uluwatu Saturday by Tim Russo
Padang Padang, Saturday, by Jeff Fellows
Kandui on Saturday by Black Pearl Photography
Koa Rothman at Kandui, Saturday, by Zak Noyle (@zaknoyle)
The biggest set of the swell according to Jim Banks who took the photo (@jimbankssurf)
Mustafa Jeksen at Padang Padang by Sean Gilhooley(@indoinc)
Kandui on Saturday by Black Pearl Photography
Kandui by Black Pearl Photography
Kandui by Black Pearl Photography
Kandui by Black Pearl Photography
Comments
I'll say it again- Fark!!! :)
I was at Ulus Sat and it was huge big mother sets a lot of big boards in the range of
8ft to around 10ft and those guys needed them it was spectacular thats is a understatement. Great Ulus and a huge crowd watching. I would put it at 10 to 12ft with bigger sets maybe around 15ft .
My mate Boogs went out in the arvo on a 7ft 4in and tore it apart but he would be happy if it was 20ft so it was no big deal to him.
Today Sunday more around 8 to 10ft and just fine a very nice day to be a surfer.
Still pumping on dusk.
Sounds bang on forecast which is great to hear :D What a sight it would of been!
How were some of the other spots? Balangan must have been 8 foot plus. I see the usual crowd at Padang which would have been the pick of the breaks.
Everything on the Bukit was on fire. My pic (second) is from Impossibles actually...
That top photo is beautiful
Seems the abrolhos interferes with west swells a bit in Geraldton. It was big but some spots weren't that good as expected as they seem to get more swell on SSW swells.
I'd like to see some shots of bluff though.
A not-so-graceful end to a great wave at Kanduis:
That was so gnarly at the end. What a pit tho!! Wonder if he escaped unscathed?!?
Justin Hollands leg break xray is up on his instagram, just a little misaligned.ouch !
Murray is my uncle and it's an absolute honor that you have named the swell after him I know he is looking out for everyone riding his swell.
Sorry for your loss Nathan.. but what a great way to honour Muzza's memory.
Wow! Legit?
Epic swell
bad photoshop job.
Could of at least photo shopped a surfer in wearing boardies.
"Once in a decade swell "........ Wonder if it was? Depends how you judge it I suppose. What specific region it refers to.......In a "surfing sense".......Pure size alone or size & conditions, how surfable it was etc.....the longevity of the swell...... Apparently possibly the biggest wave ever ridden at Cow Bombie went down. Mark Mathews says he has never seen The Right that big before, presume he's been on it for over a decade?!? Interesting call in the end I reckon.....
Jim Banks instagram some good pics of Ulu in the Muzza Swell.
anyone who writes the bhukit off, -get it on, that setup was just perfect.