Zulkarnaen Aldino Tayeb

What are you up to at the moment bro?

Busy designing jewellery for Yusuf Silver..

A month ago I was busy designing a new shop for Jamila Boutique and Yusuf Silver in Jl Raya Seminyak. I have restaurants, property and silver shops.

Wow…you have a lot of businesses, you must be smart…where did you go to school?

I went to primary school at Muhammadiyah 1 Denpasar, then junior high school at Swastiastu (now called Santo Yoseph). For senior high school I went toNazareth College in Melbourne and then I graduated from RMIT University Melbourne in 2003, with a degree in Industrial Design.

Okay…do you have your eye on any new business?

I do but it’s still a secret haha, wait til it’s ready..

What are your plans for this year?

Keep surviving…maybe more surfing and travelling. But still concentrate on my work as well..

Who taught you to surf?

Not to boast but my friends who are now Bali surfing icons taught me, like Rizal Tandjung, Tipik Jabrik, Lee Wilson, Marlon Gerber, Rahtu, Betet Mertha. I was so lucky to grow up surfing with them, they would give me tips to improve my surfing, but my surfing is pretty ordinary haha…

Why were you interested in surfing? You’re better known as a skateboarder!

Yeah I did start with skateboarding but I am interested in all board sports, including snowboarding. I was born in Bali and live in Bali so surfing comes naturally and I am also interested in the surfing lifestyle. I am more productive in my work if I’ve been surfing and if I’m stressed at the office I go surfing and get rid of all the stress..hehe

What was your motivation to learn surfing?

From before I always wanted to be able to get a barrel at Padang-Padang as easily as my friends, so the motivator was my friends who I mentioned before…but I still haven’t got a barrel at Padang-Padang yet..haha

You’re not interested in starting a surfing related business? Maybe a surf brand made in Indonesia?!

I am interested and have thought about it but I haven’t followed through yet. For sure any surfing related business would be successful in Bali, but I’m concentrating on jewellery at the moment.

You’re known as a young businessman, how do you manage your time between work, surfing, skating and you’re also a party animal?

Haha party animal like what? A bat? I have to prioritise what is more important. If I’m tired from surfing and I go out partying I won’t be able to get up for work the next day, and if I get sick I won’t be able to surf.

What do you think are the similarities and differences between surfing and skating?

Well they both use boards and require balance and a sense of distance, timing and rotation and you also need strong legs and waist. The difference is in technique, I think skating is more complicated and hurts more if you fall. You have to learn how to do an ollie before you can learn any other tricks. Surfing is also complicated but it depends on the waves so you have to learn how to read the different waves and it depends on your experience. I think surfing is more fun because you are at one with nature and if you get a barrel you think about it for days and sometimes even dream about it…

What are your favorite spots in Bali?

Padma, Canggu, Brawa, Blackstone, Greenbowl, Sri Lanka, Airport right and Keramasss!!

Which pros do you like from Indonesia and also from outside Indonesia?

From Indonesia; Rizal, Dede, Lee, Marlon, Betet, Tipik, Rahtu, Garut..and from overseas; Dane Reynolds, Ozzie Wright and Jordy Smith, because they surf like they are skatings..haha

"Boned Ollie in Thun Switzerland - Photographed by Ivan Thun"

"Sequence-boardslide to fakie in Hong Kong Photographed by Michael Kieran"

photo surf & interview by Edy Black