Surf nations slowly reopen their borders
"There'll never be another year like 2020."
It's been said a few times now, the implication being that fires, floods, and pestilence have combined to make 2020 our own annus horribilus. Yet every week or so I'm seeing a video of someone making the best of the situation. Take Anthony Fillingim for instance, the young Costa Rican surfer who was at Kandui when COVID broke out and had a decision to make: head home, or take a chance and ride it out in the Mentawais.
Anthony chose the latter, and fortunately for him the virus hasn't been as lethal as first suspected, surfing was legal, and the borders stayed shut. He found himself in a time warp; it'd been thirty years since the Mentawais had been so uncrowded and no-one else was coming, not for a long time.
Anthony Fillingim, Kandui (Justis St John)
Indonesia had planned to open their borders again on the 11th September, however the government is now signalling that they may not reopen this year. Despite this, surfers from countries still allowing their citizens to travel - and Australia isn't one of them - are allowed to enter Indonesia if they buy a 60 day visa. The visa costs USD $1,700.
As of this week, Kandui Resort has begun facilitating access to the visas, with payment made to the resort who'll handle the paperwork with the Indonesian government. Prospective travellers need only book with the resort (10 days minimum stay), and then get a COVID swab to enter Indonesia. What happens upon return differs from country to country, but even two week quarantine may be worth an uncrowded ten day stay. Time to soothe the shoulders and let the cuts and ulcers heal.
For surfers already within Indonesia the process is far simpler, though COVID swabs are still necessary when passing through airports.
Meanwhile, Fiji has ostensibly closed its borders, yet like Indonesia there are still ways to enter, though it'll cost far more than $1,700. People can only enter Fiji by yacht, and so far thirty boats from Australia and New Zealand have sailed into the Pacifc nation.
Travellers can either set their Automatic Indentification System so the Fijian government can track them to confirm they've quarantined at sea, or complete it at Port Denarau - which is the closest port to Cloudbreak and Restaurants.
Meanwhile, over in the Maldives, which opened its borders just over a month ago, uncrowded sessions are happening from north to south. According to World Surfsris, the first foreign surfers into the country were a French crew of seven surfers, including Antony 'Tep' Colas.
"The sight of Cokes, six foot glassy and offshore with one boat in the channel was a dream come true. I haven't seen it like this since the early 2000s when I started coming here," said Yep.
See footage below of Kyllian Guerin, who was with Yep, at Cokes.
Since then a small trickle of surfers from Europe and the US have been making their way to the Maldives.
Below is a list of nations and their estimated dates for reopening the borders:
- MALDIVES - Opened 15th July .
- INDONESIA - Planned to open on 11th September however recent news casts doubt on this.
- SRI LANKA - Planned to open on 1st August but has delayed for an indefinite period.
- PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Closed until further notice.
- SAMOA - Closed until further notice.
- FIJI - Closed until further notice, unless entering by yacht.
- TONGA - Closed until further notice.
- NEW ZEALAND - Propsed trans-Tasman bubble still on hold.
- MICRONESIA - Closed until further notice.
- TAIWAN - Closed until further notice.
- SOUTH AFRICA - Border re-opening planned for mid-September though could be as late as January.
- AMERICAS - Open with tight restrictions.
Comments
as we approach covid normal thick with conspiracies.......i cringed at the sentance containing fijjian automatic identification system.....works well if you have heapa money and time.
No conspiracy @mick-burnside AIS (Automatic Identification System) is an international system to ID and locate shipping globally, been around for a long time:
http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Safety/Navigation/Pages/AIS.aspx
Or to boat-stalk try:
https://www.vesselfinder.com/
"No conspiracy" says the guy with the Matrix avatar.
So you want the red pill or the blue pill?
I thought your avatar was Hugo when he was in the film PROOF.
The real question you should be asking is not what movie but is that Hugo at all?
cheers for the links braudulio.....i sure dont know how things are.....so much different stuff to read.......so much grey and many new poorly exlplained rules.....above all for me and many others....still so many unknowns.
Despite the fact barely anyone is actually opening properly, you'd have to be pretty keen. Huey must've known this by throwing the East Coast a cracking winter.
gee solitude, you eastern staters been great citizens of the universe in hueys eyes......i must be in naughty corner repenting for something....im in melbourne!!!! faaaaark!!!
No sneaky trips down South or West Mick?
gday kham.....nup ....dictator dan has killed that reality for me.... if i was poor yes and rich yes....road blocks will turn you back with a $1652 fine .... someone apparantly got fined for trying.....,i dont have money to burn and dont deal well with authority at times....better to stay calm as possible for now....no footy no surf not allowed to visit parents....winters the time of year.....my year screwed.....not much different to jail id imagine.princess mary fuck up, dan andrews, and ccp have stuffed it for a lot of people down here at least.
Hang in there Mick. I’m stuck in Elwood and can’t get in the water either. I’m just focusing on my fitness and being the best husband I can. Tough when you also don’t have work too. This will pass and we’ll be back in the water. Look out for me, I’ll be the guy with biggest grin on his face.
"Despite the fact barely anyone is actually opening properly, you'd have to be pretty keen."
That's the point isn't it?
Does anyone know what Australia is doing? are our borders open? or closed, can crew from over the world come here at all?
"Australia’s borders are closed. Only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members can travel to Australia."
https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov...
Thanks Ben. Basically you cant leave. But if you do, you are allowed back in with a 14-day quarantine... I know there are flights out of AUS, just limited.. wondering if they can sell tickets to anyone?
I note no one is stopping you from sailing out either.... and Fiji is open.. just a short 1 - 2 weeks sailing away!!
Australians can’t leave to go overseas or even interstate for virtually any reason. Funeral of relatives...nope . Heart breaking with missing your relatives....nope . Yet Scott Morrison is trying to bring in International students. If that doesn’t alert ordinary Australians as to where they figure in the totem pole then nothing will.
Yep that is absolutely cooked. If you're a SA resident living in Victoria you're not even let in, but you're an international student coming from another country that isn't covid-free? Sure come on in, enjoy our virus free state.
Genuinely fucked. And spare me any 'it'll stimulate the economy bullshit' as the reason it's happening.
Crew are too bloody smart...
Smutto: Don't do Arrivals or hand out Nursing Home names.
ABS : 1.3 Monthly change > (Visitor Short Term)
May 2020 (3,440) > June (5,400) Up 56.8%
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/3401.0
There's another breakdown link...that details visitors being Chinese + [457]
You'll know it... cause it lists individual classes of [visa]
tbb reported on this recently...
PM cries wolf ate his Jobz, then slips on bell hop cap for Asian invasion!
Shades of other Lib betrayal classics during World Crisis...
Coward sharpening the Mad butcher's knifes to carve up Coalition troops.
We decide which baddies fuck over Australia.
Libs waste no time getting the Trousers down...at least shut the bloody door!
357,000 = (1year of Expats) Aussies have Returned during Covid
( July Only )- NSW 39,394 / Vic 15,374 / Qld 10,054
Flights cost x 3 > 13% full
(Note Govts > Stash Meds in other 87%) Qld has a Huge Stockpile!
Imagine the Meds in a plane crash! O D-Bomb? Fuck Standards!
There is no guarantee you will get permission to leave either, Border Force refused to allow someone to leave this week who wanted to fly home to spend time with a dying relative. They gladly gave a millionaire business man permission to go pick up his new yacht. Kudos to him for speaking out against the above event. Seems compassion has different meanings to some in the public service or none at all.
I saw kandui villas advertising something on social media about claiming a way to get into indo, im calling bullshit doesn't make sense ,tourist or social visa are not being issued, if its corruption it wont last long, once other places start trying to do the the same thing, there isnt one rule for Kandui and one rule for the rest of indo tourism.
Maybe they are just trying to get some money in for cash flow, id be very wary.
indo wont be opening any time soon the September thing was Bali governor being hopeful but he has no say, its the government in jakarta who make the call and those in government only this week have said Indonesia is unlikely to reopen this year.
$50 per day at Joyos ATM..
Was almost gonna take up the Bobby's deal, but they couldn't assure me it'd be honoured in 2022. Next year they would've, but the way things are going, both here and in Indo, who can say if we'll even be able to get there then?
Maybe someone should start doing boat trips to the Great Barrier Reef?
Already been happening - the guys at World Surfaris have done a few trips.
How about boat trips from Aus to Fiji...?
There could be a demand for that sort of thing. As for me I’m happy surfing at home for another year.
What's this about Indonesia allowing anyone to enter if they are happy to pay $1,700 for a 60 day visa?
Is the biggest issue still Australia not letting its citizens out? Can I get out if I really want to?
Yes this whole paragraph makes zero sense to me:
"Indonesia had planned to open their borders again on the 11th September, however the government is now signalling that they may not reopen this year. Despite this, surfers from countries still allowing their citizens to travel - and Australia isn't one of them - are allowed to enter Indonesia if they buy a 60 day visa. The visa costs USD $1,700."
If Indonesian borders are still closed how can you enter Indo from OS?
My read is: borders are currently closed to international travellers, but the Indo govt has stated that they'll re-open on Sep 11th, so some businesses have prepared for that and are offering holiday options (including Visas). However, the Indo govt is now suggesting it might not open borders as previously stated. So, buyer beware.
Though, I may be wrong.
Deffo 'Caveat emptor'.
The September thing comes from an original rough plan from quite some time ago, that hasn't really been going to plan so is pretty much irrelevant.
Then the Governor of Bali about a six weeks or so ago said in the media Bali will be reopening to tourist on the 11th September, i guess just being hopeful as Bali is obviously so reliant on tourism.
But end of the day the Bali governor has no power over immigration and there has been no date set by the Indo government
The latest news has been:
From about a week ago "Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menkomarves) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said Indonesia would not open the tourism sector to foreign tourists until the end of 2020."
https://www.cnnindonesia.com/ekonomi/20200813122345-92-535282/luhut-tega...
And then this week nothing in Indo media i could find but for some reason two Japanese news outlets actually had articles reporting Indonesia wouldn't be opening borders to tourist until a vaccine is found.
Although i think they are kind of jumping the gun there it was based on things Erick Thohir, chief of Indonesia's national economic and COVID-19 recovery team said (see article, kinda vague)
This article https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2020/08/caf0d420850f-indonesia-to-clo...
Or this article
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/08/15/asia-pacific/science-health...
As for the $1,700 visa deal.
There is no tourist or social visas being given and those still in Indonesia on tourist and social visa have been under pressure in recent weeks to depart or extend visas.
Only possible Visa it could be is a limited stay visa and trying to exploit some angle, id expect using a Visa agent.
Expect the angle they must be trying to exploit is either investment or education or film/photography work, but normally for things like that you need evidence of previous work in that field and can't see how you could bring in groups of people with surfboards that are obvious tourist.
Sounds dodgy, wouldn't expect they would be giving these visas out too easily at the moment either, might get a couple though if lucky
https://kemlu.go.id/sydney/en/pages/limited_stay_visa/438/about-service
"Limited Stay Visas are given for the purpose of: Foreign Investment, Employment in a Government/Private sector, Education, Training or Research, Religious duties, Joining Husband and or a Parent who is a foreign national in possession of a Limited Stay Permit or who is an Indonesian citizen, for the wife and / or single, legitimate child(ren) who is/are under 18 years of age."
Another link and notice under most activity's it can be given it states "and can not be combined with a tourism stay"
http://consular.indonesia-ottawa.org/foreign-citizens/visa-information/t...
The $1,700 visa deal also struck us as strange. We haven't heard anything about that. Not officially, at least.
Good info though in this article and comments.
Thanks for that.
It has already been announced by Gov. Koster that Bali will not open international flights for tourism until December this year or January next year.
Since the Australian government has already hinted at not opening their borders until mid-year 2021, we suspect Bali may follow in lockstep as it has donde so far. It's a shame no matter how empty the waves may be. Stay free.
had a chat to the world surfaris guys - trips to the barrier reef. $3500-$4000 need 10 people. leaves from Gladstone - ready to go at 24 hours notice....
timing is bad.. be horrendous up there in spring. maybe early autumn next year when the wind dies down..
Jody Perry running the charters
It’s be good fishing if you didn’t get waves
and diving.
I have done a few Dive Charters up there, and it's pretty extreme. massive reef dropoffs, and limited passes that would hold surf. the ones that look good are often protected from outer reefs. also the outer reefs are way way way way out.. so wind is a massive factor... be more miss than hit... but you could defo score...
If Jody Perry is running them you wont get anyone better with local knowledge that I have heard of
yep, ge a helluva good trip as long as you could secure a supply of gudams.
2020 will be remembered in the surfing world as the sexiest season in a generation
Common knowledge since March,
of course
A good friend of mine did the barrier reef trip in July during that big south swell , they didn’t really get it on just average , a few barrels . He’s never seen so many sharks in his life lol , some spots they couldn’t get a fish to the surface before a shark stole it , they would pull anchor and go to a different spot but the sharks would follow them . I asked if he would go again and he said definitely not.
On account of the fickle waves?
Who knows.
jeezuz. thats sounds an attractive option with spring looming.
Ha ha ha
Can’t tell if Mango is being 100% serious? Whole show seems like a crock of shit. By the time you get ya business visa sorted and all those hoops passed through and if the aus government miraculously let you out, you get to indo by mid-late September at best and before you know it it’s october and the season is done. Fucken joke.
I think the Kandui deal is mainly targetted at US surfers, who can leave the country.
Hey Stu, how interesting. Would Indo seriously consider letting in Americans?
Where do you see things landing next year?
Word is it's already happening with Americans, though I have no firm proof.
As for next year...two months back I had my credit card in hand ready to lock in a deal with Bobby's at G'Land which covered accomodation for this year or next, but they couldn't vouch for 2022 so I put my credit card away.
its not a business visa indo from what I can gather
but there's shit happening for those in the know it would seem, and Im thinking a big end resort like kandui are in the know, and have been for some time...
so yeh, dodgy as fuck...
Im betting it's a limited stay Visa (that can cover many things see post above)
And I'm betting the reason they are giving to the government to sponsor people is that they are looking for more investors.
So they tell the government because of the crisis we need to find more investors to stay afloat.
Which allows them to bring people in with the excuse that investors need to come in and check out the resort and the experience etc before they invest..
They may really be offering actual investment packages so it's still technically legit, or maybe they could even be getting away with an investment deal where the returns are in further time at the resort.
Under this excuse they can bring in quite a few people and even if people don't sign up to invest, well its just because it wasn't what they expected or deal they expected etc.
I’ve read in Seminyak Times and coconuts online feed that Indonesians returning home must self quarantine for 14 days, on a Facebook group that I’m a member of which is daily updates on covid 19 and mount Agung status they had a list of all the visas available and prices from various agents some of which were 3 times the old agents price , these visas were for people wanting to extend and were already in Bali there was no mention of people wanting to fly in . Surely anyone that was somehow able to get in would have to quarantine for 14 days ?
apparently not supafreak, a clear pcr test and you're good to go (or rapid test, whichever's the better one... pcr i think)
but then maybe quarantine at home - or in your 5 star resort - whatever the case may be. after the boats planes and boats to get there of course, what could possibly go wrong?
sounds almost as watertight as a rent a cop quarantine hotel scheme
denpassar you must download an app before you land, i think that traces you for your 14 days quaratine, or did before at least...
good source told me her friend just returned from singapore, clean corona test, and good to go (not bule)
also stories of people stuck in quarantine until they show clean corona test, with so many false readings, people not happy...
big risk I reckon these dodgy visas, so much could go wrong, especially if you've only got a few weeks window
depends how much kandui's paying for 'premium service' I guess...
Other Indonesian resorts now onto it:
From Kandui Villas..."The dream loophole is open to come to Indonesia to score perfect empty surf! $1,700 will get you a visa that enables you to stay in Indonesia for up to 6 months! We are not sure how long the fracture in the matrix will remain open so now is the time to jump on this amazing opportunity! Please DM if you are interested."
Stu , what about flights available out of Australia ?
Hard. But truth be told, I think the Indo resorts are aiming for the US market more than Oz.
What about LHI ? Worthy of a charter IMO.
"Access to Lord Howe Island is currently restricted to residents and people providing essential services. Tourists will not be permitted to visit Lord Howe Island until at least 31 August 2020."
https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/lord-howe-island
I would have to agree with Indo-Dreaming. A large group of us booked a particular Ments resort .
Fully paid and then COVID turned up, borders closed etc. The resort was reluctant to give us a credit let alone our money back which is in the USD tens of thousands.
I wouldn't be handing my money over to anyone, anywhere, let alone some cash strapped island resort in Indo with unscrupulous operators who are happy to walk away with a suitcase full of cash for providing nothing. On a side note a friend who is a senior pilot for an international carrier here in Australia has been advised that it is highly likely they will not be flying for up to 3 years.
I don’t doubt what your friend told you it’s all a bit confusing at the moment , the treasurer announced that international flights were penciled in to commence on January 1st 2021 then the other day qantas boss says July is probably their first flights internationally , I’ve booked and paid for flights with Jetstar in May , here’s hoping it’s all good to travel next year , if they are going to allow international students come in September can’t see why we can’t travel now if we are prepared to pay for quarantine on return.
Who’s going to go on a 2 week surf trip then have to quarantine for 2 weeks self funded?
Totally agree Robo , it’s my main concern that even if flights start up internationaly , nobody will want to pay plus 2 weeks of work on return so how many flights will there be ?Come May next year it will be 2 years since my wife has seen her family plus my daughter’s grandparents aren’t getting to see her grow up . I’m booked to go for 2 months and where we are going in Bali it’s extremely remote , small village on the side of a mountain. Both governments keep changing the plan and at the moment there are 18,000 Australians trying to get home but the daily intake is limited even though come September international students will be flying in.
'International students flying in from September'
Why the fuck is that allowed to happen???
Yeah i mite have to sign up for uni and get on some foreign exchange program to indo.