Surf South Sumatra, is the most complete unaffiliated quide to travel destinations and surf breaks surrounding the seaside towns of Tanjung Setia and Krui on the South West Coast of Sumatra.

Nestled at the base of the world's largest World Heritage National Park it's a destination discovered by surfers 30 years ago and you won't find many regular foreign tourists exploring this 150 kilometers stretch of Indonesian coastline.

In recent years the quiet authentic village feel has given way to a steady stream of Millennials and Gen Zs (ages 25–44) all marching along the well worn Indo Surf Freeway. Their objective, post it to their social media stream and cross Sumatra off their bucket list.

The Krui Surf

Mainland South Sumatra gained a reputation for it's variety of easily accessible uncrowded surf breaks. However even 13 years ago the premier surf breaks could not hold the attention of experienced surfers with a return rate of only 10 to 15%. Long flat spells and inconsistent quality kept Krui off the map making it a unique Indonesian surf destination.

That time has past and the post COVID global surfing boom is rapidly transforming Krui into the next Surf Nirvana for beginner to intermediate level surfers, Social Media "Legends" and the usual surf culture hanger-ons fresh from Bali. If you don't fit that demographic or are hoping to surf epic waves everday Krui's inconsistency coupled with the now overcrowded lineups might not fulfill those expectations.

What is Krui like ?

Though the demographic in and out of the water has changed radically over the last 4 years Krui itself remains remarkably the same.

If you're looking for a full-on daytime shopping experience, a place to party or hang-out in funky cafés and restaurants? Then the Krui area is definately not the destination for you: no air-conditioned shopping malls, no amazing markets, Mc Donalds or Starbucks, no fast food joints, night clubs, vegetarian / vegan cafés or gourmet coffee shops.

Hoping to find Bali as it was 40 years ago ... think again. Tourism accounts for less than 2.5% of Pesisir Barat's GDP. The vast majority of the population is convervative Islamic and don't rely on nor cater to tourists. Foreign tourists are not king here but rather a tolerated commodity.