Text + photos: Jason Wolcott

Two long time friends sat in the aisle and window seat of the old German-built airplane. In between them sat Bejo, an uncomfortable Javanese videographer, who happened to be on his first airplane ride. We were heading to Sumbawa on a last minute photo trip. Bejo grips the armrests as the plane accelerates and lifts off the sticky tarmac. A broad smile creeps onto his nervous face.
This trip is a first for me as well. I have never been to Lakey Peak. Winding roads and smiling faces blur past as we race across the island hoping to get in an afternoon session before the sun slides into the Indian Ocean. We manage to get about an hour in and it was well worth it. The water went from slight onshore to perfect oily glass as the new swell started to show itself under the glimmer of the evening’s first stars.

I yawn and stretch listening to the distant sound of thundering surf on the reef in front of the Aman Gati hotel. I walk to the gate to see how it is. There is a large crowed gathered at the water’s edge and people are running down to the boat to see what the commotion is about. The first victim of the early season swell was being carried up the beach with a spinal injury received by a mistimed bottom turn on an early morning set wave.

As the small metal boat moves into position, a series of lumps appear on the horizon. I did not realize that I was about to witness one of the best days of surfing I have seen in some time. Lee Wilson paddles hard for a large peak and chooses to go right. Being a bit late, he air drops over a step in the wave face and lands as if nothing had happened, leaning into a smooth bottom turn. As the session progressed we motored around to the right and managed to photograph a few sets before a panicked surfer paddled up to the boat. His girl friend had decided to go snorkeling on a day that experienced watermen would think twice about going for a swim, with no fins I might add. We rescued her and returned to the lineup in time to see Marlon pull into a deep tube followed by his patented round house cutback. Finally the wind turned onshore and we got out of the
blistering sun.

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