FINDING LATITUDE ZERO

An invite out of the blue to go shoot epic foil conditions at a remote resort far beyond the saturated Indo surf breaks was favorably received by foil legend and photographer Shannon Stent. He had one condition though – that he bring a worthy rider for the shoot. Gabriella Bella was the obvious choice.

Words & Photos: Shannon Stent

It all started with a random text message from one of the owners of Latitude Zero Resorts. They were looking for a foiler to jump in on a last-minute trip to their Nusa Tenggara camp and investigate the potential as a foil-specific travel destination. This all sounded pretty amazing, but I had so many questions, and the answers were hard to come by. With very little to go by, aside from a few spicy wave photos via text message, I’d be flying blind into the unknown. The waves and setup looked insane, but Google searches were coming up empty, I couldn’t find any information on this place no matter how hard I tried. With less than a week to prepare, all I knew is that I’d be heading somewhere remote in east Indonesia. My brief was simple, come and check the place out, foil all of the breaks and curate some tasty imagery that could potentially be used later down the track. I was excited and apprehensive, the timing wasn’t great for me but this opportunity was too good to pass up. I only had one condition – I’m bringing Gabi.

You see I’d just returned home to Australia from a few weeks on Maui covering the Hawaii downwind race season with the AXIS Foils team. It’s always a great time on Maui but there’s usually a lot going on. In addition to the races, we’re often trying to fit in a product release or campaign shoot. The riders are hyper focused on the racing schedule and it’s difficult to find time for anything else.

Gabi Bella and I had only ever worked together on Maui, it’s her home and a photographer’s dream location, and it’s no surprise that we always manage to nail the shots. We were throwing around ideas for a trip somewhere a little different, without a brief, no brand obligations, just riding and creativity. Exotic locations in the South Pacific were considered, but we hadn’t managed to lock anything in. So when I received the text message about this trip, Gabi was the first person I thought of. The timing was actually perfect, and we got the green light. We’re off to Indo!

It’s now winter in Perth, Gabi was flying in for a couple of days to break up her travel from Hawaii. The rain was coming in sideways, and it was freezing cold. It was comforting to know that we’d likely be foiling in board shorts (and yoga pants) by this time tomorrow. As we boarded our flight to Bali, the excitement really started to kick in. The Perth to Bali bogans were fired up, comparing sleeve tattoos and exchanging Schapelle Corby jokes, but we were on a different adventure, thankfully. With no idea about where we were going or what we could expect on arrival, we could only speculate. Our minds conjured up visions of primitive surf camps and eating rice in the jungle, it turns out this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Landing in Denpasar, the real Indo adventure was only just getting started. Following a series of short inter-island flights, it felt like we were headed to the end of the earth. Disembarking the small plane and making our way across the scorching tarmac, we were greeted by our guide, Luke, and promptly ushered into a waiting 4×4. “Won’t be long guys, all going to plan, we’ll be there just before sunset.”

We drove for an hour or so through narrow, winding roads passing through small Indonesian villages and rice fields, before the landscape changed and the roads gave way to rocky tracks more reminiscent of outback Oz. Sunset had come and gone and we were still driving, I remember looking across to Gabi at this point and we both just shrugged and laughed. What are we even doing?

Luke’s rundown of the resort and nearby waves almost sounded too good to be true. Stories of uncrowded, perfect point breaks, undiscovered and unridden foil playgrounds, and the modern luxuries of the resort itself had us absolutely frothing to see it with our own eyes. We pulled into the resort well after dark, to be greeted by Chloe and Ned. Chloe runs the resort and makes sure the guests are well looked after; she also hosts sunrise yoga sessions in the yoga shala. Ned would be our surf guide, jet ski driver and resident comedian.

After a quick check in we were taken to our villa. Wow! This must be a mistake. We had been upgraded to one of the three luxurious family size villas. Featuring a huge open plan living area, stunning timber architecture, separate ensuites and a plunge pool! After a long couple of days of travel we struggled to come to terms with the reality of the situation. This was going to be our home for the next week or so. We dumped our bags and headed back to the main restaurant area for a quick meal to round out a hectic day. We were treated to the most incredible chef-prepared meal, while the staff gave us a detailed rundown on the resort, the surf forecast, and what we could expect over the following week. It had been a long few days, we needed some sleep, and there were whispers that the waves were gonna be firing in the morning….

We woke to the most stunning Tenggara sunrise; golden hues sweeping across the bay out front, this was our first chance to see our new home in the daylight. We poured coffee and found a spot on the deck to get our bearings. Ned and Luke had already launched the ski right out front and we could tell by their excitement that this was going to be a good opening day. Our attention quickly shifted to the point, and the long wrapping right handers making their way into the bay, the swell was starting to show, and it was set to build for the next couple of days. No time for breakfast!

At this point we realized we were the only ones here. Gabi and I had the entire place, and the staff, all to ourselves for the next few days until the next group of guests arrived. On top of that, this place is so remote that it was reasonably guaranteed that we wouldn’t see another surfer for the entire trip, and this turned out to be correct. With the ski deployed and Luke and Ned at our disposal we had no choice but to take a closer look at the glassy right hand point perfection. We decided that a mellow tow foil session would be the ideal warm up. Gabi took the rope first and I made my way into the line up to paddle into a few. It was a dream to be back in warm water.

I saw some lines on the horizon, the ski started to move and Gabi was up on the rope, it seemed like she was way too deep, almost like she was at another break altogether. Master ski chief Luke has six years’ experience surfing this wave, so if he decides it’s time, then it’s time. I still have the images imprinted in my brain of that first wave, Gabi slingshotting in about 400m up the point, racing the huge glassy wall while the hefty barrel unloaded on the shallow reef behind her, eventually making it to the safety of the corner, where the wave wraps into the bay and mellows out. On any other day this would be an A-grade surfing wave, and at times it would have been easy to question our choice of surf craft – but this was a foil exploration trip after all.

We traded perfect waves like this for a couple of hours before jumping on the ski and checking out one of the bombies we could see across the bay. It was still glassy and we had about an hour before lunch was served back at camp. We had filled our cups all morning with right hand perfection, and Gabs really wanted to go left. This wave is often overlooked by surfers as it breaks in deeper water and there are much better surfing options nearby. It turned out to be foil perfection. Left and right peaks offering rippable glassy walls before eventually reforming into deep water for another few hundred meters. “Gabi’s Left” was born. It made for a nice change after a gnarly morning session on the right.

The next day the swell had really filled in and we woke to the sound of the waves thundering down the point. I won’t lie, I was slightly nervous, there was nowhere to hide. We were the only ones here and we had one job. Foil. So with that, I graciously offered Gabi the rope and declared that I’d shoot this session. Gabi gracefully weaved her backhand magic across flawless walls for the next hour or so. We were filling memory cards faster than ever before. We decided to switch things up for the afternoon and after a crash course in photography Gabi traded the tow rope for the camera. While Gabs took a well-earned break on the boat I took the opportunity to bag myself a few glassy runners. And as you can see here, it turns out the girl can shoot!

Back at camp (if you can call it that) we were treated to the most incredible service. It seems surreal to step out of the ocean, and straight into the restaurant just 20 steps away. We’d spend our afternoons enjoying iced lattes and healthy food while kicking back on the deck, watching empty waves roll down the point. By the time the sun dipped we’d be enjoying a world class meal while tuning in to Luke and Ned’s hilarious stories. We’d make plans for the next day before retreating back to our villa and crashing out.

After a full on first few days, the swell backed off a touch and some more guests arrived. Three Aussie lads on their annual surf trip. The mellow conditions were welcomed by us and were ideal for the newbies to settle in. The Aussies hit the point while we went across the bay for some more dreamy sessions at Gabi’s Left. Later that afternoon, kicking back with a coffee, we were mind foiling a fun little peak right in front of the restaurant. Thanks to a hefty incoming tide a new spot came to life right before our eyes. There was a one-hour window on the top of high tide, a fun peak in crystal clear water right in front of camp. Chip-ins and reforms to the beach. The ultimate novelty wave, we named it “The Skatepark”. The Skatepark turned it on during the big tide swings then disappeared as fast as it came.

For the next few days we were treated to clean glassy conditions and fun sized waves. We used the opportunity to load up the boat and jet ski to explore some of the nearby coastline. We probably passed a dozen fun looking breaks within the first 10 minutes, eventually finding anchorage in a pristine little bay. Ned set the anchor while Luke prepped the ski. A fun left coiled its way toward the boat while a playful right hander went unridden just a stone’s throw across the bay. The Aussies waxed up and hit the left, they must have been pinching themselves scoring waves like this with just two mates.

We gave the surfers plenty of time to enjoy the line up on their own, we rigged up our foilboards and waited in the boat in the channel. It wasn’t long before their arms were cooked and they were making their way back to the boat for lunch. We deployed the tow rope and took the opportunity to check off yet another new spot. With a backdrop that looked like it was straight out of Jurassic Park, this was one of the most memorable sessions of the trip, Gabi was stoked to be on her forehand and I was just happy floating around documenting her solo session.

As the week drew to a close, the swell started to fade. The timing was perfect. We were sunburnt and exhausted from so much riding, we actually needed a break at this point. The trip of a lifetime was coming to an end, but I have a feeling we’ll be back.

Until next time, Tenggara.