Stab Magazine | Harrison Roach, Adventure in Paradise, Indo

Live Now — Episode 2 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

180 Views

Harrison Roach, Adventure in Paradise, Indo

“It was my first time to Nias and there’s no doubt about it, it’s the most classic wave in Indonesia,” says our surfer, Harrison Roach, of his recent stint at Indo’s most recognisable spot (save for, perhaps, Ulu). “You’ve never seen anything so dreamy. Obviously there’s waves that are longer, more hollow and more heavy, but nowhere holds the same level of mystique as Nias. Every surfer knows the wave at first sight, dreamy barrels and palm tree backgrounds. Perfect, seemingly friendly pits. Low risk, high reward. Unless you fall over walking across the reef to get out, or go for the hero waves at Indicators and Sobatu, there’s no way you’re hitting the reef. From the old man’s VHS of Jack Mccoy’s Storm Riders to the benchmark swell of JOB and Makua, we all want a chance.” Harrison, as you may be aware, ain’t the kinda man to pick up a Fred Rubble and hang the fins out. He’s more tapped into surfing’s earlier roots and really digs on the classics. So, what did he pack for the trip? “I was riding two different boards. One was a 6’8” handshaped channel-bottom quad that Rich Pavel shaped the day after AB died. He was a big influence on anyone who shaped channel bottoms. That’s the board. The other is another 6’8 quad, same style but with more volume. It smacked me in the face really hard and I don’t like it as much any more. I had two golf ball lumps on my head and now I have a black eye. Nias is suited to smaller boards than what I was riding, but the channel-bottom found its groove.” And, if you need any extra incentive to strike a thick black mark through the Surf Nias line on your to do list: “Read Custodians Of The Point by Kevin Lovett,” encourages Harrison. “And tell me you don’t want to see Nias. 1998 Surfers Journal, they dedicated 37 pages to the place and his story. Shit has changed since ’75. The coconut groves are gone from the point and not coming back. The coconut bread isn’t as fresh as when the old girls made it. But the wave is still there, it still pumps as it has for decades, if not centuries or more… Nias was my dream and it is now a dream come true.”

full frame // Mar 8, 2016
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

“It was my first time to Nias and there’s no doubt about it, it’s the most classic wave in Indonesia,” says our surfer, Harrison Roach, of his recent stint at Indo’s most recognisable spot (save for, perhaps, Ulu). “You’ve never seen anything so dreamy. Obviously there’s waves that are longer, more hollow and more heavy, but nowhere holds the same level of mystique as Nias. Every surfer knows the wave at first sight, dreamy barrels and palm tree backgrounds. Perfect, seemingly friendly pits. Low risk, high reward. Unless you fall over walking across the reef to get out, or go for the hero waves at Indicators and Sobatu, there’s no way you’re hitting the reef. From the old man’s VHS of Jack Mccoy’s Storm Riders to the benchmark swell of JOB and Makua, we all want a chance.”

Harrison, as you may be aware, ain’t the kinda man to pick up a Fred Rubble and hang the fins out. He’s more tapped into surfing’s earlier roots and really digs on the classics. So, what did he pack for the trip? “I was riding two different boards. One was a 6’8” handshaped channel-bottom quad that Rich Pavel shaped the day after AB died. He was a big influence on anyone who shaped channel bottoms. That’s the board. The other is another 6’8 quad, same style but with more volume. It smacked me in the face really hard and I don’t like it as much any more. I had two golf ball lumps on my head and now I have a black eye. Nias is suited to smaller boards than what I was riding, but the channel-bottom found its groove.”

And, if you need any extra incentive to strike a thick black mark through the Surf Nias line on your to do list: “Read Custodians Of The Point by Kevin Lovett,” encourages Harrison. “And tell me you don’t want to see Nias. 1998 Surfers Journal, they dedicated 37 pages to the place and his story. Shit has changed since ’75. The coconut groves are gone from the point and not coming back. The coconut bread isn’t as fresh as when the old girls made it. But the wave is still there, it still pumps as it has for decades, if not centuries or more… Nias was my dream and it is now a dream come true.”

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

What Actually Happened to Occy’s Mad Max Plunger Pool In Yeppoon?

Surf Lakes’ brass talks: internet hecklers, the unplugging of the plunger, and the Tom Curren…

Jul 2, 2025

Surfing’s 2025 Q2 Report

An assessment of surfing's vital signs throughout the second quarter of 2025.

Jul 1, 2025

Poor Goofy Foots 

Data shows that the world is stacked against goofs — they even make 15% less money than…

Jul 1, 2025

Britain’s First Wavepool Has Closed — What Really Happened?

Bankruptcy, social media hackings, debts unpaid — and yet, reopening looms.

Jul 1, 2025

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025

Houshmand Bludgeons Field To Win Second CT — Molly Picklum Tastes Blood, Snatches World #1 In Brazil

You can't argue with big surfing — that's Saquarema wrapped.

Jun 29, 2025

37 Years Old And World #1 — What’s Changed For Jordy Smith?

On rediscovering decades old surfboard templates, having a personality on the CT, and why this…

Jun 27, 2025

Tom Lowe Stars in ‘Let Me Live’

The wild, improbable ascent of Britain’s best big-wave surfer.

Jun 27, 2025

Saq Wrap: Italo Celebrates Mid-Heat, Griff Drops A Freestyle, Jordy + Yago Continue BBQing 20-YOs

Top seeds sow ruin, Final 5 starts to crystallize.

Jun 27, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 2

Our seven surviving surfers confront an oddly large California beach break.

Jun 26, 2025

SEOTY: The ‘Once-In-A-Decade’ Caribbean Swell That Kelly Slater Passed On

Michael Dunphy stars in Jimmicane's 'Blue Veil'

Jun 25, 2025

Who Owns Bingin? Legal Fight To Stop Demolition Begins

Eviction notices served for all businesses built on state land.

Jun 25, 2025

Tony Hawk Just Named Hughie Vaughan’s Internet-Breaking Air Because… No One Else Can

89% of our IG poll respondents claimed the 'stale fish flipper' was the best air…

Jun 25, 2025

German Surfers: AN INVESTIGATION

Truth is the light by which the world can see. 

Jun 24, 2025

“I Lost Everything I’ve Ever Owned, But This Board Came Back”

One month after the LA wildfires, a surfboard washed ashore.

Jun 24, 2025

Shock Therapy: World 1 & 2 Eliminated Early In Saquarema

Gabriela Bryan and Caity Simmers fall victim on Day 1 of the Vivo Rio Pro.

Jun 22, 2025

German University Surf Contest Derails After Local Pushes Competitor Off Wave

The story behind the shove, and why wave-rental politics turned physical in Seignosse.

Jun 22, 2025

An Accidental 90-Minute Chat With Caity Simmers

A Stab Interview on life, individuality, and chimpanzee research initiatives.

Jun 21, 2025
Advertisement