Swell From Hell: Nias's Apocalyptic Day of Days

It’s been eight years since one of the biggest swells to ever hit Lagundri Bay lit up the idyllic right-hander of Nias. Bombarding the Indo coast from July 25-27, 2018, the Indian Ocean swell drew a cavalcade of chargers from around the world, as well as California-based photographer Ryan “Chachi” Craig.

“We hear the cliché terms ‘once in a lifetime’ or ‘biggest ever’ thrown around loosely; there were certainly moments over the course of those two days that deserve such praise,” Craig recalls. 

“We initially went to Nias for the swell set to hit on the 19th and 20th of July,” he continues. “It was a really big swell, by all accounts, but quickly became an afterthought as the forecast grew and grew. A swell of historic size was headed our way, one of the biggest swells (on paper) to hit Indonesia in the 21st century. It seemed like the entire surf world knew what was coming; people from all over Indonesia, Hawaii, and Australia flew to the remote island. With a forecast this large, it was assumed that not many waves in Indo would be able to handle this much swell. Many of the iconic breaks around Bali would be maxed out, and the Mentawais were also a risky bet.”

Joining a Hawaiian contingent that included Billy Kemper, Koa Rothman, Nathan Florence, and Eli Olson, Craig touched down in Indo just as the forerunners of the swell began to tickle the coastline. 

“It was clear from the first few sets of the morning that Wednesday, July 25th, was going to be a special day,” Craig describes. “The raw power of the swell was obvious. Debris and chunks of reef were rushing up to the edge of the buildings as each set looked increasingly more dangerous. Only a few surfers made it to the lineup, with almost every wave going unridden.”

“Some of the best surfers in the world were out the morning of the 25th, scratching their heads on how to approach the growing swell,” he continued. “The waves were moving so fast that many surfers simply didn’t have paddle power to get into them. The wind picked up during the middle of the day, and the swell continued to grow. For a brief moment during midday, the lineup was empty, and during the early afternoon, only a few guys were paddling around. It was near victory-at-sea. Towards the late afternoon, though, the wind mellowed out, and it looked as though the peak of the swell had passed. About ten guys gave it another go, as most of the town watched on the reef’s edge. Most sets were below-sea-level mutants, terrifyingly beautiful but too difficult to catch.”

“The 26th was another absolute dream day of surfing. The swell had dropped from the previous day but was still massive, still bigger than most swells that hit the island chain,” Craig adds. The water color returned to its more identifiable green, and there was less debris; the conditions were perfect.