G-land: Surf and spirits

Off the coast of Java, Indonesia, lies G-Land, one of the world’s most legendary surf breaks, framed by dense forest that was once home to the now-extinct Javan tiger. Alas Purwo (which literally means “Ancient Forest” or “First Forest” in Javanese) is considered one of the most mystical places in Java, with deep ties to Javanese spirituality and legend.

Despite Java being one of the most crowded islands on Earth, this sacred jungle has remained largely untouched. In the 1970s, surfer Bobby Radiasa arrived from neighbouring Bali to visit American surfers who had set up a remote base there, hammocks and tree houses, what some say is the world’s first surf camp. It is a camp Bobby Radiasa still runs today. He discovered both myth and magic in its waves and shares the extraordinary story of how surfing transformed his life, and how surfing and tourism changed his home Kuta, Bali, so it is now unrecognisable from his youth.

The program also features an interview with Jim Banks, an Australian surfing legend known as a pioneer of big wave surfing and amongst the first group of surfers that arrived in Bali and later to G-land.

Producer: Rebecca Henschke and Dave Arnold

(Photo: Bobby Radiasa at G-land. Credit: Dave Arnold)