ASU Camp

This is an article that Earl from Asu Camp wrote. His words really resonated, and I am re-posting word for word. Read on!

What do we mean when we say that you can surf Asu and our surrounding breaks with NO CROWD? As the world surfing population skyrockets, with surfers coming from nations that don’t even boast a single kilometer of coastline, can surf destinations like Indonesia really offer the same vibe that was found in the water 40 years ago?

Well, let’s define what a crowd is…

I have been spending a lot of time in Bali the last 2 seasons, surfing Uluwatu with maybe 100 heads lined up almost shoulder to shoulder from the Racetrack up to Temples. I have spent many sessions down at our famous neighbor Lagundry Bay, Nias with 40 people on a takeoff the size of a helicopter pad. I have surfed Mundaka with more than 60 people in the water, Pipeline with 40+…the list goes on. I am familiar with crowds and in my opinion a crowd is a defined by multiple people paddling for the same wave. A crowd is a group of surfers, sitting shoulder to shoulder, yet not recognizing one another, not respecting one another, not lining up to share the bounty that the ocean delivers. Why? Because let’s face it, most of us are in this for ourselves, many of us on our dream trip of a lifetime and trying to make the most of it. Some of us just think that we surf so good we have the right to these waves over others that don’t surf so good. Some of us just plain don’t understand the basic principles of the surfing code and brotherhood and sisterhood that goes with it.

At Asu, we find that the adage ‘bad roads bring good people’ most often rings true. We are far, it takes a lot of time and effort to get out to the Hinakos. Not as much as it used to, but still, we are off the beaten path. So that means that most of the surfers that come all the way out to our neighborhood are here for the same thing. Sharing a truly good vibe and sharing the bounty.

The lineup at Asu is normally 0-10 people. Most of those people know each other’s names and have established a relationship at some level, they are not pretending that the other doesn’t exist, they are not wearing blinders so that they can pretend the guy sitting 1m to their inside isn’t there to catch the next set wave that comes in.

Ours is a lineup of respect, of sharing, of caring, basic human principles that can engage each of us on the same goal, to have fun and share waves. So when we say that we don’t have crowds out at Asu, we mean that you are most likely to find yourself surfing with 4-10 other like-minded surfers. We also have 9 other breaks in our area, that we surf mostly by ourselves when we take the boat out. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of pulling up to an empty lineup.

So, if you’re keen to catch that feeling of what it was like to surf Indonesia 40 years ago, before the hoards of surfers invaded Bali and the big name spots with well trodden paths and cheap accommodations, then give Asu Camp a try. Come and feel the peace in our place, share the bounty that exists in our lineups, and make meaningful friendships with kindred spirits who from the great reaches of our crazy connected planet, find themselves sharing waves with complete strangers turned friends.

Let’s go!