Donny Agustyana

Name: Donny Agustyana

DOB: 16 August 1980

Board size: 6’2, 6’0

Stance: Goofy

 

“Surfing can bring out our emotional side that can be hard to express..Surfing is a ritual for me.”

 

  Last month this Carita surfer and local government figure was our ‘Guest of the Month’. This time MW looks at the surfing story of this father of one daughter named Alisya…

 

So you’re on holidays pak Lurah?

Hehehe…not really, I have a job to do here as well.

 

So you’re here undercover, we thought you were on holiday…

Yeah…although I’m on holiday I also want to look at the lives of the Balinese as a community in a tourist area. How do they behave and develop business to grow the area’s economy.

 

What’s it like in Carita?

Carita is in the Sunda Strait so the waves are seasonal. In the wet season the waves in the strait are really great. If there are no waves we have to drive 2 hours to the next surfing spot.

 

Who are the surfing pioneers in Carita?

In the 80s there was a surfer from Java, who had lived in Bali for a long time, who would surf there by himself. His name was Budi and he also worked at the Hotel Krakatau Carita. Because of that the Hotel Krakatau now has one of his old surfboards on display, but I don’t know where he is now, I heard he lives in Bali.

 

So…what is your story of becoming a wave addict?

Actually my father is also a surfer and lots of my cousins and my younger sister also surf. So it was automatic that I would also love surfing and my house is very close to the beach. I started surfing in 1999 with around 10 of my friends. It was really hard to find a board to use let alone one that was suitable. Finally a friend sold his 6’6 board for Rp.400,000.

 

What made you addicted to surfing?

I really like anything that gets the adrenalin pumping. I used to be active in motorcross. Because a lot of my friends were into surfing I joined them and fell in love. Surfing can bring out our emotional side that can be hard to express. Like if you have a debt you can go surfing and forget all about it. Surfing is a ritual for me.

 

  So why didn’t you try to be a pro surfer?

Of course I thought about becoming a pro surfer but for me it’s better to be a free surfer because there are no restrictions. If you surf well there’s no praise but if you surf bad no one is angry about it, hehehe…for me to turn a hobby into a profession would take some of the pleasure out of it.

 

Oh yeah…before we finish, that tattoo on your arm is pretty cool, are you allowed to have a tattoo like that?

Hahahaaa…sure as long as you can’t see it. I was elected by the people and they don’t mind my tattoo.

 

Okay what are your hopes for surfing in Carita?

That the local government will be more concerned with surfing. I hope all my efforts to get the community to embrace the development of tourism will soon come to fruition.

 

Text:bee