Australia's Surfing Life Magazine

Reports From The Faultline Frontline

Thursday, 01 October 2009 00:00

Chris Binns

Pic news.com.au

When reports first hit of a Sumatran earthquake, surfers the world over panicked. We’re a small community, and for Aussies in particular, Indonesia is our backyard. Everyone knows people there. We have friends living, working and travelling the archipelago; it’s where we go to play, to surf, and to leave life’s stresses behind. Bali may well be the Island of the Gods, but surfers consider all 17,500 of Indonesia’s islands Mecca.

Respected charter boat captain Martin Daly has been plying his trade in the Mentawai Islands, just to the west of Sumatra, for almost 20 years, and knows their waters intimately. He runs his fleet of Indies Trader vessels out of the port town of Padang, which was yesterday rocked by the 7.6 magnitude quake. He spoke to SurfingLife.com.au via Skype, on a satellite phone from the bridge of the Indies Trader II, bobbing in the calm waters off Pulau Pagai Utara, at the surf break of Macaronis.

“I was at sea and didn’t feel a thing,” says Daly, “but the guys aboard the Indies III definitely felt it. They thought someone was starting the ship’s engine, but it was running really rough, on only a few cylinders. There were guys surfing at the time; they said they could feel it in the water, which was really disconcerting. My office is in Padang, a few miles from the city centre. It is still standing, but is unsafe, and will need to be demolished. There is no town water, power went out as soon as the quake hit, and about 20% of the big buildings in the city have collapsed. There are car showrooms with cars squashed flat, dozens of them, and the army are guarding lots of buildings. There have also been about twenty aftershocks. So far there are no reports of looting.”

One of many many Indo islands that got rocked by the quake. Pic Martin Daly

At this point Martin calls his Indonesian office manager Eddie Solihin, and translates his Bahasa Indonesian conversation for us, again though Skype. The joys of modern technology, eh?

“I was in the office on the second floor when it hit,” says Solihin. “The building was swaying like a palm tree, and there was a big rumbling noise. I ran downstairs and all the motorbikes outside had fallen over. It felt like the quake was a minute long, and everyone sat down in the car park and waited for it to be over. There was no warning whatsoever, everyone was in the office happily working away when it hit.

“Then there was total panic on the street. There were many cars, many motorbikes, many people, and lots traffic and people running for high ground. It wasn’t really a traffic jam but it was very slow moving. There is lots of dust everywhere. It’s rumoured there are 200 dead, and hundreds more buried.”

“There are big issues at gas stations, police keeping order and the traffic cops are doing their jobs as all the traffic lights are out. Padang is cut off by road from everywhere, including the main fuel depot. The main priority is to repair the road so people can get in and start the clean-up. Motorbikes can get in, but that’s it. I saw a Hercules land this afternoon, so obviously some planes can land, and the road to the airport is okay, which is good. Fuel and shelter are what is needed.”

Paul Clark is a West Australian who dreamt of setting up a surf camp in the Mentawais. After years of hard work he realized his ambitions, and last year opened up the Pitstop Hill Resort, overlooking a playground of waves. In his short time in Indonesia he has overcome all sorts of challenges, but nothing as serious as last night’s tremor.

“Yesterday's earthquake happened around 100k's from here,” said Clark. “It was incredibly intense and lasted for about 30 seconds. The buildings have held up fine, although many things fell down from the walls. Most importantly we’re all fine. We’re very worried about crew and friends in Padang, and not sure when we will next get supplies, or whether our charter boat that brings guests to and from the resort, and due to leave Padang tomorrow night, can leave.

“The shock of the earthquake was super strong. We've had hundreds of little shakes over the last couple of months but this was the only one I've bolted outside for. It lasted for at least 30 seconds, our cats and dogs were scattering in all directions. A friend was hanging on to the TV to stop it coming off the shelf. We’re very, very thankful that we are 35m above sea level up here on the hill, and not having to think about running from tsunamis,” he says with relief.

This is why we love Indo. Pic Martin Daly

Queenslander Shane Peel runs the Telo Island Lodge, located in an archipelago west of Sumatra. “We’re 180 nautical miles from Padang, and felt everything,” says Peel. “I was standing on the beach having a conversation with my girl and suddenly the floor started to move. We looked at each other and realised it was an earthquake, or "gempa". For the next minute or so we experienced a feeling similar to turbulence in a plane. The trees swayed and the buildings creaked, then it eased, gave one last shudder and was gone, as a perfect set rolled through out front!

“I have felt many quakes up here before but nothing as long and solid; we knew it was a biggie. The radio started to crackle and everyone fired a million questions; most about the "T" word. We watched and waited and after an hour the danger passed; gardeners went back to work and guests went surfing. Life went on.

“Later, as reports came through about what happened in Padang the gravity of things set in. Lots dead, buildings down, lives ruined. Indonesia is nothing if not resilient and as rescue efforts began in Padang so will the rebuilding. Airports have already reopened, and the lure of perfect waves begins again.” In the time honoured larrikin-in-time-of-crisis spirit, Peel concludes; “one guest reported spilling about 25 mls of beer though, which was a pity.” Some things never change…

When disaster strikes our northern neighbour it affects us all, and surfers will be some of the first to react. Malaria in the Mentawai’s island chain has been drastically reduced on the back of the amazing efforts of Dr Dave Jenkins and his SurfAid program, when the Boxing Day tsunami tore through the Indian Ocean in 2004 SurfAid reached out to over 150,00 people through western Indonesia. Already they are enlisting a small army of volunteers to go above and beyond and provide what relief they can in this latest catastrophe, only a fortnight after receiving a $15,000 cheque and an Agent of Change award at the Surfer Poll in the USA. “It’s time for us to put our money where our mouth is,” says SurfAid representative Keren Ruki, from Sydney.

A tent hospital has been set up in Padang, and Dr David Lange is on the ground for SurfAid, working with local authorities, as founder Dr Dave Jenkins plans his team’s strategy from their Balinese headquarters. “People are trapped and screaming for help,” says Dr Lange, “but they are below huge slabs which will take heavy equipment to move. I saw dozens of the biggest buildings collapsed in town, and most of the damage is concentrated in the commercial centre market, which was packed.”

Dr Lange narrowly escaped death as he fled the Ambacang Hotel, which then collapsed, killing many and trapping others. Many buildings have been destroyed with people caught underneath the rubble. There is a report that schoolchildren are trapped under rumble at three schools. A hospital is destroyed and another is so badly damaged staff are working in tents outside. Overnight, doctors used car headlights and torches to operate on the injured.

SurfAid International have formally gone into Emergency Response and have launched a Padang Earthquake Relief Appeal. Information regarding donations can be found at www.surfaidinternational.org If you are in Indonesia and wish to volunteer, please email Keren Ruki - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it