Story and captions by Matt George
Photos by Pete Frieden

It's not so much the needle they stick in your vein, but the long Q-tip they shove up your nose. Surf travel in Indonesia is possible, but no-one said it would easy. Which is why photographer Pete Frieden found himself in the drive-thru COVID-19 testing bay at a local hospital on Bali. You can’t go anywhere without your health clearance and with the swell of the year about to hit, so Frieden figured he had it all worked out. A secret boat to Desert Point as a practical stowaway, then back to Bali at the end of the week for the Padang Padang super session that was sure to happen on that following Sunday. 

A heavy crew was on the way to Desert Point by any means necessary. The car ferry over to Lombok, the one that recently ran aground and was briefly on fire, is an odyssey these days. Up to an eight hour wait in line just to get on the thing. “That’s not waiting,” says Frieden, “That’s camping”. Of course you can always fly over. It’s just a twenty minute flight. One small board only. That is if there aren’t many surfers on the flight. Then the rental car hassle. Then a long drive to the southeast tip of the Lombok. All sorts of things can go wrong there. So it was a lucky Frieden who was able to jump on board a locally-owned jet boat with the promise of shooting the best surf photos the Captain ever had taken of himself. 

But first, the blood test and the Q-tip up the nose. With the necessity of the thing reaching the farthest reaches of your nasal passages, it is a study in discomfort. Still, given the green light, Frieden raced down to the harbor, health papers in hand, jumped on board, and after a roaring channel passage, was shooting maxing Desert Point within three hours of departure. What he found there was a group of hardcore international devotees and the local surfers revelling in the most uncrowded Desert Point in decades. Padang Padang would have to wait until the end of the week. 

And it did. And it was as good as it gets. 

And Frieden killed it there too.

Nothing happens in the water without local resident 'Budi' knowing about it. He’s had Desert Point on lockdown for years. The owner of the best accommodations and the controller of all photography and video, the Desert Point world revolves around his unofficial decrees. A hot surfer, he has carte blanche whenever he paddles out. 

The South Americans have staked their claim at Desert Point over the years. It’s the hairy nature of the wave, especially the meat grinder on the inside known as the Grower, that seems to call to their almost suicidal tendencies. Manu Grana is a surfer from Uruguay that boasts never having missed a major Desert Point swell in the past five years. “With international travel non-existent, how he got here on this day was anybody’s guess” says Frieden, “But you could find him on the bigger waves of the day”. 

John Kelly is one of those surfers who sits way outside and very, very deep. With a hard charging style and his leash attached to his front foot, he's impossible to miss. 

The Prince of Desert Point, local Usman Trioko is one of the only surfers with the confidence to carve around on this bottomless wave. Growing up with this wave as his front yard, he rarely travels. Though a perennial threat at the Annual Rip Curl Cup over at Padang Padang, he prefers to mostly wile away his days ripping his birthright to pieces.

A long time master of the break, Bruno Santos brings impeccable positioning to the wave. On his distinctive red board, he rides with complete comfort, bringing a very professional act to a very remote place. His influence on the handful of local surfers has been profound. Emulating Bruno, they have developed into world class barrel riders of their home break.  

Having raced back across the Lombok Strait, Photographer Pete Frieden showed at at Padang Padang just in time to see local master Made Winada 'Bol' Adi Putra bring his matador style to one of the best day in years. There was a lot of water moving around the corner from Uluwatu, and only so many surfers held the key to the challenge. As usual, Adi Putra spent the day proving why he has two Rip Curl Cup Championship trophies at home. 

Mega Semadhi, yet another Rip Curl Cup Champion, has a special bond with the wave. Studying to become a 'Pemangku' or Balinese Priest, he often leads worship within sight of Padang Padang from the temple close by on the cliff. With this wave literally in his backyard, Mega surfs here with an exuberance and belonging that inspires the younger generation like no other surfer.

No day at Padang Padang would be complete without another master, Rizal Tandjung, bringing his mature, flawless lines to the session. Now a dedicated father of two and a mentor to legions of young surfers, his surfing is showing no signs of slowing down. “So I jumped off the boat”, says photographer Pete Frieden, “and I raced up to Padang Padang, swam out and the first guy I see taking off is Rizal in absolutely perfect position, of course. It was a perfect way to spend the last afternoon of what had been a long week of insane waves”.