introduction

Panaitan island is a small tropical island, located to the west of the island of Java in Indonesia. It is famous for it's eight world class breaks, two of which are voted the best in Indonesia.

surfing

You know that picture you often used to see on a certain surf brands adverts where a better than perfect left hander is reeling down a reef somewhere in Indo and we're encouraged to 'search' well that's One Palm Point located here at Panaitan Island. Not really the worlds best kept secret I know, and if it were I wouldn't write about it. What I'm trying to say is Panaitan Island is just a great place to go surf, need I say more? oh and by the way, the solitary palm tree that this break was named after is sadly no more.

There are plenty of other breaks here too such as Apocalypse Wow - I love that name - which has been compared to Backdoor at Pipe.

The best way to visit this island is by boat trip with a reputable surf charter company.

where to stay

When planning a surf trip to Panaitan Island accommodation usually isn't too hard to come by. There is a companies offering surf camp style digs right in front of some of the top breaks. The surf camps usually consist of staying in a 'losmen'. These are traditional Indonesian houses, typically constructed from wood and set in well manicured gardens of flowers and fruit trees with an open air yet private bathroom, which is a very pleasant experience.

Many of the surf camp companies will also lay on charter boats that you can use for day trips to other breaks or for fishing, snorkelling, diving etc and have a bar and restaurant to share surf tales with one another in the evening. Prices are reasonable and cheaper than the live aboard boat option but do shop around.

Many companies will also offer the full live aboard boat surfari and prices can often include airport transfers and a night on arrival in a hotel to freshen up before the big adventure. This is the more expensive but more convenient option but do check the reputation of the company you are booking with, there have been some horror stories!

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