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.
Unfortunately Ujung Bocur's quality is very inconsistent. Irregularities in the reef and an extremely narrow swell window make this a fickle wave. You need losts of time to score perfect waves at Ujung Bocur. On a trip less than 4 weeks you may not see this break at it's best.
On most days it's a series of sections that link together on some waves. Take-off zones that shift depending on the size of the wave coming through. A small southerly swell makes the wave sectiony, a larger southerly swell makes it break wide and a west swell makes it close out.
One in three swells will be coming from the magic SSW (210°). On those days it's 200 meters long with wally carving sections and some shallow tubes on a low tide.
On average one swell hits the coast every 11 days. Do the math.
A common sight 2.4 mtr Ujung Bocur breaking wide
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Quality: | Can produce World Class days when all the conditions line up. |
| Wave Type: | Reef |
| Direction: | Left |
| Best Wind: | EbN to SSE |
| Best Swell: | SW (best is a narrow 205° to 210°) |
| Best Tide: | Incoming or Outgoing - Mid to low |
| Access: | Paddle out |
| Crowd: | 20-35 Feb → Mar, 50-65 Apr→May, 65-80 May→Sept |
| Dangers: | Sea urchins, stonefish, firecoral, kooks ditching their boards in your face. |
Vibe in the water
Gird your loins !
Ujung Bocur is a 200 mtr long wave that can't handle a crowd and with 60 to 80 wave hungry surfers in the lineup things get hectic. During peak season it's common for 7 car loads and 40 surfers on foot and scooters to suddenly descend on this break.
When even your surf guide is snaking you for the best waves you know surf etiquette is only paid lip service in this area of the world. 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. Sitting out on the shoulder and waiting for the leftovers is a strategy that doesn't pan out well at this break.
In recent years Februray to mid June China's Olympic surf team base themselves at Ujung Bocur. With 15+ team members working the lineup conditions are now extremely competitive during this once favoured time of the year. If your planning a shoulder to peak season trip to Ujung Bocur you may want to check China's Olympic Surf team's training schedule with the Pesisir Barat Tourism department.
The paddle 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.
