Surfing West Sumbawa

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 4-12 ft · Crowd 3/5

SW swell, SE trades, mid tide

Scar Reef is a left in Jelenga Bay, west Sumbawa, that bends around a finger of coral. The takeoff is steep and sucky, the middle section walls up and barrels depending on the day, and the inside finishes over shallow reef.

It picks up a lot of swell. Forecasts that leave Bali flat often mean head-high waves here. It also holds real size and keeps its shape above 10ft. Mid tide, SE trades and 4-8ft are the best conditions.

The bay has a black-sand beach and a few camps and losmen under the trees. The crowd is small and good. The last section is shallow, and if you lose your board in the middle of the reef, it's a long swim. Bring a shortboard and a step-up.

Left Reef · Best May-Sep · 3-8 ft · Crowd 3/5

SW swell, SE trades

Super Suck, at Maluk in west Sumbawa, is a very hollow left that pulls so much water off the reef that the base of the wave drops below sea level. The barrel is square and fast.

It needs a solid SW swell wrapping into the bay, SE trades and mid tide, and that doesn't happen often. When it does, word gets around quickly and the small takeoff area fills with very good surfers by dawn. Rides are short: drop, pump, a long barrel, and then you come out or you don't.

The reef is shallow and sharp, so experts only. When it's flat, Maluk is a friendly former mining town with cheap losmen and empty beaches. Bring your barrel board and a spare.

Right Reef · Best May-Sep · 3-8 ft · Crowd 2/5

SW swell, SE trades

Yo-yo's is a right point in Sekongkang Bay, west Sumbawa, with three parts: a hooking outside section, a middle section with walls for turns, and a wedging inside section that works on most tides.

It's much easier than Super Suck or Scar Reef. Intermediates get long faces to practise on, and better surfers find speed and cover-ups on bigger days. It works from 3ft to 8ft, is best with the morning land breeze, and breaks over deeper water than most waves on this coast.

The bay has white sand, a few warungs and lodges, and sometimes turtles in the shallows. Eight people counts as crowded. It's the wave that makes this area work for a group of mixed levels. One shortboard covers it.

Right Reef · Best May-Sep · 3-8 ft · Crowd 1/5

SW swell, SE trades

Sejorong is a bay south of Maluk in west Sumbawa, with a right over the reef at one end and beach-break peaks along the sand. There's usually nobody there.

The right only works now and then, on a bigger south-west swell in the dry season, but when it does it has long walls and sometimes a hollow section. On smaller days the beach peaks are the option.

It's 15 minutes from Maluk by scooter, and there's one warung with noodles and coconuts. Bring water and everything else you need. A good choice for a quieter day between sessions at Super Suck or Scar Reef.