Ujung Bocur surf break South Sumatra
Ujung Bocur or Karang Nyimbor? Though there's debate over the original name of this surf break there's no debate that this wave picks up the most swell in the Krui area. On the best days it's 200 meters long with wally carving sections and the odd shallow barrel.
Unfortunately this wave's quality is very inconsistent. Irregularities in the reef and an extremely narrow swell window make this a fickle wave. A small southerly swell makes the wave sectiony, a larger southerly swell makes it break wide and a west swell makes it close out. 1 in 3 swells will be coming from the magic SSW (210°). On a trip less than 4 weeks you may not see this break at it's best.
A common sight 2.4 mtr Ujung Bocur breaking wide
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Quality: | Excellent. Can produce World Class waves. |
| Wave Type: | Reef |
| Direction: | Left |
| Best Wind: | E to SE |
| Best Swell: | SW (best is a narrow 205° to 215°) |
| Best Tide: | Incoming or Outgoing - Mid to low |
| Access: | Paddle out |
| Crowd: | 20-35 Feb → Mar, 50-60 Apr→May, 60-80 May→Sept |
| Dangers: | Sea urchins, stonefish, firecoral, kooks ditching their boards in your face. |
Vibe in the water
Gird your loins !
Surf etiquette is almost non existent at Ujung Bocur. When the wave faces are under 2.7 mtrs you will suffer constant snaking, drop-ins and have to endure some pretty poor and dangerous behaviour.
During peak season you'll be competing for waves amongst crowds of 50 to 80. Sitting out on the shoulder and waiting does not pan out well at this break.
Paddling out
There are two main places to paddle out, best place depends on swell size, tide & current.
North side of reef
There's a small channel on the north side of the reef and this seems to be the most popular way out for visiting surfers. However if you drift out of the channel you'll be in for a long hard paddle and risk being washed into a nasty reef affectionately called the Surgeon's Table.
South side of the breaks outside section
This route is used by many locals and as long as the swell is not huge it only requires patience and good timing. On most days this is the easiest route. There are sea urchins and stone fish so booties are recommended.
The construction of a 1.8 mtr high breakwall in Feb 2024 can make the paddle back in on 1.1+ mtr tide with 2 mtr swell a challenge.
