Indonesia Raja Ampat - Surfing in the Land of the Four Kings

The far distant reaches of Pacific Indonesia are better known as diving destinations, but the Raja Ampat region does have surfing waves in abundance.

These coral reef and beachbreak waves are in some of the most remote island groups in the country, nearly inaccessible to all but the most determined surfers. If you like to do your surfing alone, free of crowds of other surfers or in many areas of Raja Ampat; any other people at all, then these remote reaches of the vast Indonesian archipelago are for you.

The gateway to Raja Ampat, both the diving and surfing areas, is the small city of Sorong, on the western tip of the island of New Guinea, in the Indonesian province of West Papua. A somewhat gritty town of oil and gas industrial facilities with little charm, Sorong has a large natural harbor where dozens of live-aboard dive charter boats can be seen at anchor in the off-season for diving.