I kt Gitran Adnyana

Nama :: I Kt Gitran Adnyana

Nick :: Mangku Alit

DOB :: 28 May 1966

board size :: 6'1

style :: regular

hobbies :: fishing and flirting

fav food :: grilled fish, fried squid ...

 

 

While we were hanging out at the beach we saw a surfer with all his fishing gear. We ended up chatting with him while he waited for his fishing partner to arrive. His name is Gitran and these days he is busy fishing, surfing and guiding. This legend surfer from Lembongan started surfing when he was in year 4 at primary school. “Back then, I think it was 1972, surfing was still quite unusual, hardly any locals were surfing. The tourists would come to surf at Lembongan. I would learn on their boards when they let me. If they didn’t lend their board it was just bad luck. We could usually borrow a board after they had finished surfing and only for one hour.” Surfing for Gitran is a challenge. His first board was an old one a tourist gave him. “I would see the tourists surfing with a legrope but in Bali at that time there weren’t any legropes. I was lucky to be given a board and I used to use red raffia as a legrope. Hahahaha.”

Surfing has definitely progressed a lot since that time. Back then it was hard to get a boat let alone a surfboard. “Back then we used to walk everywhere. There wasn’t much surfing and the tracks to the surf spots weren’t very good. Luckily at Lembongan our house was near the beach so I could go surfing a lot. Well it would depend on whether any tourists were surfing.”

 

Gitran is the 4th child of 9 in his family. He smiled when we asked him about his family. “I met my wife at the warung. Back then we would eat while enjoying sweet iced tea. I introduced myself and started chatting and it went on from there. Now we have one child. I must have been quite attractive back then for her to fall in love with me so quickly. Hahaha.” His son will be 13 in August this year and has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a surfer. “It’s OK, I support him. Kids of his age need a lot of motivation and support from the people around them. Surfing now isn’t like it used to be, everything was harder back then. Now if you want something you just go to the store. Luckily I can afford to provide for him. Before if you wanted to buy something there were no stores or if there was a store we didn’t have any money. Haha.”

 

He thinks that surfing in Indonesia had progressed a lot. It can be seen through the large number of surfing locations in different areas, now it’s not just Bali that is known for good beaches. “I used to go surfing at Legian, Nusa Dua, Green Bowl, Canggu, Uluwatu, and Sanur Reef. They were the best spots back then and there weren’t any others. Biaung was good but it was really hard to get to. I used to ride my pushbike from Sanur to Nusa Dua. But it was OK, now I have the rewards for the difficulties of the past.”

Other evidence of the development of surfing include the numerous surf brands that are now in Indonesia and the number of contests there is now. So there are a lot of sponsors to support surfers who show talent.

What is your advice for the young surfers, bro? “Yeah, don’t give up. I really like entering contests, but I never win. Haha. Even so, what’s important is the desire and the experience gained. With constant practice and a strong will they will definitely progress and succeed. They just need support and motivation.”