T-Land, Heri/Freelinesurf.com.au

Summary

+ Mellow, accessible waves	- Small swell window
+ Cheap losman option	- Strong mid-morning trades
+ No boat charter crowds	- Lack of nightlife and beer
+ Perfect dry season weather	- Isolated spots with no land access

Savu and Rote is a region that cops stronger wind than most places in Indonesia, which often brings cross-chop to line-ups that look like they should be offshore. Like Sumba, there are more breaks to be sniffed out, but wind direction and strength will be critical, as will the direction that the swell arrives through the narrow SSW to W window. West Timor’s far southern coast is SW swell exposed at a couple of obvious reef set-ups, but it soon transforms into long sandy beaches and large rivermouths bringing sediment from the mountainous interior.

When to Go

Roaring Forties lows send plenty of 6-12ft (2-4m) swell from April-October but the swell window for the West Timor region is smaller than much of Indonesia. Swell direction is critical and the more W the better, which usually makes September more reliable than the biggest month June. Swell charts often show Bali getting pounded while Rote is much smaller on the fringe of the arriving swell. The E-SE trade winds can be strong, consistently in June, and kicking up an underlying SE windswell. Winds shift to a more southerly direction from September on, which is still offshore for the west-facing lefts, but other spots should be surfed before 10am. The off-season is dominated by lower strength SW-NW winds, buffing the rare east-facing locations, but combined with inconsistent swell, means the summer season is a gamble that rarely pays out. Early/late season should be the best time for a boat trip, before the trades strengthen, making navigation and anchorage more difficult. There is a big tide and a small tide every day and some spots only work on certain stages.

Surf Spots

More than a 160kms west of Rote lies tiny Pulau Dana, where it’s long, barrelling left pointbreak and attendant right pick up all available swell and the only locals are turtles. Left is offshore in the trades, the right isn’t. Raijua has a set of classic lefts on the SW tip of this remote, desolate island, including a really long, smoking fast, lower tide left that can barrel top-to-bottom for long sections. There’s also a wild, rippy outside bombie at high and an insane, cliff-hugging wedge. The left and wedge work better in W swell and more S in the wind. These waves are only ever surfed by the passing charters, at the halfway mark between Sumba and Rote. Savu is the biggest island (pop. 30,000), but it’s definitely off the beaten path and local infrastructure is not geared to western tourists, so once again, it’s boat access only. Savu Lefts hit a coral fringe near the main town Seba, lining up some heavy walls with hollow sections if the swell is strong enough and the trades are offshore. Savu Rights are extremely fickle, occasionally firing off perfect right drainers down a swell-sheltered reef that gets blown to bits by the trades. Needs a massive swell to wrap around with as much W direction as possible to create some ruler-edged wonders and probably the best barrel in the east. The wind swell combo means most people get skunked waiting for this one. Lying just off the SW tip of Timor, Rote is the southernmost island in Indonesia. Some surf spots are located on offshore islands and require chartering a boat. Ndao is only 15km offshore, but the people are very different and have their own language. The western reef tip has good exposure to swell and holds a left in any type of E wind plus there’s a right further S in glass or N winds. Both feature fast, steep drops and racy walls. The cross-currents don’t help and there’s a good chance of seeing some reef sharks out here. In the land of lefts, a long right like Do’o is welcomed, but facing almost north, it mainly works before or after the standard surf season in glassy or NW winds. Higher tides needed to cover the sharp coral reef. Baa is the main city on Rote, but Nemberala Beach, with its reefbreak and white sandy beach, is the place to be for surfers and tourists alike. The local spot, T-Land, is a consistent left with 3-4 sections that can connect for a 300m+ ride. The name may sound like G-Land, but this is a much more accessible wave, that peels at low tide and walls up at high tide if the swell is around the headhigh range. When a moderate to large SW pulse arrives, it transforms into a heavy barrel and speed wall combo at double to triple overhead. Can have a lot of people out, but the long 25min walk from the beach and paddling between the take-off spots spreads the pack. Other waves in the area include the low tide bombie peak over the channel plus the inside reef beginners waves near the fishing boat harbour. North of T-Land there’s more quality like Suckie Mama’s short, round rights and a choice of slow or fast loping lefts at the openings in the barrier reef. If the swell is breaking up, a 30min bike ride to the exposed outside reef of Peanuts will offer more intense barrels over a shallower reef than the neighbouring T-Land. Not as long and more wind sensitive, but superb ride on its day plus some rights on the correct swell direction. If there’s enough push in the swell, Boa will wake up and hiss along an east-facing setup that’s hollow, challenging and unlikely to be good unless its blowing W or light winds.

Statistics

J

F

M

A

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

D

dominant swell

SW -W

SW -W

SW -W

SW -W

SW -

SW -W

swell size (ft)

3

4

5

5-6

4-5

3

consistency (%)

50

70

75

80

75

60

dominant wind

SW -NW

E -SE

E -SE

E -SE

E -SW

S -W

average force

F3-F4

F3

F3-F4

F3-F4

F3

F2-F3

consistency (%)

72

41

74

73

79

56

water temp (C)

29

29

27

26

27

29

wetsuit

boardshorts

boardshorts

boardshorts

boardshorts

boardshorts

boardshorts

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