One of the most barreled men on the planet? Photo: Courtesy of Tandjung archives.
Rizal Tanjung has helped define surfing in Bali, and Indonesia. I caught up with him to talk about his Momentum Generation chat group, Gerry Lopez as a coach, and his 1995 cover shot heard around the world. And of course get his takes on the greatest aspects of surf culture.
The greatest thing about being a surfer in Bali? That we are here. We’ve grown up with the best, most consistent waves in the world. Perfect lefts, perfect rights. One side of the island to the other. And we have over 15,000 islands in Indonesia, so multiply them by that. We are so spoiled. And the whole world comes to Bali and wants a piece of it, of course. And even though we have hosted well and shared our waves since the late ’60s, inside, we know the greatest thing about Bali is that the waves are ours.
The greatest thing about growing up with the Balinese Culture? I’m from Sulawesi, but we moved here when I was one year old, so I grew up with the Balinese culture all around me. So many colors and ceremonies. But personally I think the greatest thing was how Balinese dancing deeply influenced my surfing style. Balinese dancing, it’s really important to maintaining the stories of the culture. So every kid in school, every kid in class here must learn the dance movements. So my finger movement, the way I hold my hands, the details of those dance lessons, they teach you how to be graceful naturally, from your own energy from within your heart. And that training formed my expressions when I started riding waves. I hated those lessons when I was a kid, a lot of us did. But looking back at it now, you know what? I think it especially helped my surfing because I was tall and skinny and lanky, and the dancing fit that. It’s hard to be tall and skinny and to look nice on a wave. Tall surfers can look really awkward if they aren’t stylish. So yeah, to me, Balinese dancing might have saved my life. Ha!
The greatest thing about raising Bronson Meidy? To watch him win Indonesia’s first world title, for sure. But you gotta know we raised Bronson since he was 10 years old. That’s when I recognized his talent. I saw him on that first wave down at Lakey Peak in Sumbawa where he is from and it was just a pure natural talent, you know? You could see that he had heaven’s fire on him from the beginning. He had this awareness in the water and one of his earliest skills that was amazing was he could read the waves and the sets and he was always in the right place. You know, like one of those surfers, like Curren, who the best waves always seem to come to? I don’t think the waves come to them, I think guys like Bronson call the waves to them. Just by being in such perfect sync with the conditions all the time. And so I think the greatest thing about raising him was providing the opportunity to bring out the magic in someone like that. When we first met him he was super shy, couldn’t even look at people in the eye, couldn’t talk to people, and to be a good surfer these days you gotta have more skills than just ripping, you need to be everything. Language, people skills, you gotta sell yourself. So to see him grow and become a better man and to see the light in his eyes grow. And the smiles. And that was so great for my son Varun too, to have a friend and a brother and to always be pushing each other to be better surfers and better people. A healthy family competition. Our family is love and a team.You can see from all the other surfers like Filipe Toledo and all the dads and moms and everyone involved. Gabriel Medina. Full family support. You need people around you. And it has been great to provide that for Bronson. Family, that’s the real team.
The greatest thing about surfing Padang Padang? Not having to catch a lot of waves to be satisfied. It’s not about catching a lot of waves there. It’s about cherry picking and reading the tides and swell and all the things that you must do to get the best one. It’s like big-game trophy hunting. That’s the best feeling. Like hunting in a forest, You know, you don’t want to shoot everything that moves. You want to get the king of the jungle. The best one for that day. Catch the wave of the day. Yeah, it’s the hunt for the greatest wave of the day. And that can take hours. Just to get the biggest, greatest blue room and get spit out. Another great thing about Padang Padang is the mutual respect the Indonesians have for each other. We watch and we really make sure everyone gets a chance. No shit. I know how that sounds, but it is true. We all know whose next in line. It’s a code and we stick to it. Well…at least most of us. Ha! Don’t want to name anyone, but really, when I’m out there we will wait for hours for the most beautiful one and we all know whose turn it is to try.
The greatest single surfing performance you ever saw? With no doubt it’s Kelly Slater. Every time he paddles out. Watching him surf you feel like your brain is going to explode. Especially from the water. Not many people get that chance. I mean, when you’re surfing with him, and I have surfed with him in perfect waves a lot, but when you are really surfing with him, you feel a floating sensation, like something great is happening to you. I mean, I’ve surfed on the same wave with him and no matter what, you are almost nervous because you don’t want to screw up, but at the same time you feel like you are just playing catch up. Watching him close, in the water with him, is such a privilege. I mean, when this guy surfs, it even sounds different. It’s strange. There was this one turn he did at Padma Beach, just a small afternoon session, and I think it was the best single maneuver I have ever seen in my life. You want to call it a carve, or a layback or a cutback or a something, but it didn’t seem to have a name at all. It just happened and it looked impossible. When I saw it I asked myself what kind of human can do that? And it was on a twin fin, believe it or not. Fifty-three years old…and he still has that? Wherever on Earth he is, whenever he paddles out, he creates these special moments on a wave. Like that cutback at Kirra, which is the best cutback ever done in history. Performance, power, style, everything is one, everything is connected to the universe. And I so wonder, all the time, what it would be like to feel like that. To be a surfer like that?
Rizal, enjoying life at home. Photo: Courtesy of Tandjung archives.
Greatest lesson you ever learned from the older generation? To be welcoming to people coming to out our island. Sharing the waves and the lineups. And I have done this a lot of over the years. And you know, all the smiles and the laughter you get here, I think it’s why Bali is the biggest surfing destination in the world. It’s the way of the people here. And I’m one of them. But most importantly, the older guys, they taught me to remember to be humble and filled with generosity. The whole world could use this lesson, I think.
The greatest thing about that wave at Pipeline in 1995 that put you on magazine covers around the world? I was 19 years old and all that excitement is felt so hard at that age. I felt it all. I mean the wave, not the magazine covers. Because I was waiting five and a half hours for that wave. And that taught me about patience in my life. Just be patient and good things can come your way. The covers? I guess the greatest thing about those is that it gave me a chance to express my gratefulness for them. A cover, any cover was a big deal back then. My entire career jump start, is what that was. And so that gratefulness that is such a big part of the Balinese culture had a chance to come forward in me. To give thanks for so many things. Woody Woodworth shot that photo, risking his life for it, ha! And I thanked him. And you know it was Liam McNamara that gave me that wave. He just looked at me and nodded even though he could have had it. And that taught me a lot about how to do a thing like that myself. And I will never forget that drop. Plus I was just driving for the channel totally out of my body, so when it clamped at the end, all I remember is being underwater for awhile.
The greatest thing about being mentored by Gerry Lopez? Gerry showed me the ropes about how to be a surfer with style for sure. That calm. On land and in the ocean. And not making up a style, but finding your style and being one with it. Your natural style. Your natural expression. Letting your body do what it wants. What it should do on a wave. It’s the full exposure of what is inside you. And if you can pull that off, if you can find it, you will be elegant and beautiful on a wave. He taught me it is a lifetime pursuit and I know I am still trying to find that inside myself. You know I was only 17 when I first stayed with him at his famous Pipeline house. And I stayed there for two North Shore seasons after that. So I’m very grateful that he took me under his wing back then and taught me, by example, how to look inside myself and try and find what is there. Yes. I am very grateful for that.
The greatest thing about being one of six brothers? Survival awareness. And how to grab a leg of fried chicken off a plate real fast.
The greatest thing about surf tourism in Bali? Obviously, it’s the surf economy we have here. I grew up on a developing tourist island, so the tourism income was a natural flow. Like COVID and the disasters and back during the Bali bombings, that was a sad time with no one around and it felt unnatural. Not just the money, but the whole flow of surf tourism as a lifestyle to be a part of. Growing up that way, being on the inside of surf tourism, it can be a real happy thing, lots of friends and excitement and good times. But when it’s gone, it’s a sad time. Its all the friendships you miss most. It’s like being a friend to the world when you think of how varied all your friends are, how many different countries they come from. But our entire Balinese surf culture was born on tourism, and paid for by tourism, so I think of it as a very lucky thing, a good thing.
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The greatest thing about being part of the Momentum crew? It’s great to be part of such a tight, lifetime group. That’s so special when you are young. And so special when it survives into your adult life. All the competition with each other, pushing each other, all the waves, the memorable waves and sessions. I mean, wow. And look what happened. I don’t think Kelly would be Kelly without all that friendship and competition within our group. I know I wouldn’t be me. It was such an important time of development for us all. And even today, we all still have a group chat, constantly giving each other shit or congratulating each other on family and accomplishments, or sending old photos, whatever. And it is hard to believe we are all still congratulating Kelly on winning heats, ha! So yeah, we all still exist together. Because we know it should never end, friends like that. Such a good era for surfing, the industry was huge and all the magazines were paying attention and we were just riding the whole thing, what a highlight in a surfing life.
The greatest thing about the gnarliest wave you ever surfed? The feeling of having done it. You can be scared when you’re doing it, but when you are done, the adrenaline is money no one can buy. Pipeline was the gnarliest wave I ever faced. I mean everything about it. Even before you paddle out, it’s gnarly. The whole spiritual side of it. The whole experience. I mean even picking your board for the day is a big part of the spiritual journey because it’s you and that board that you are staking your life on. Life and death, no joke. And being out there and waiting for the one that the ocean is going to give you is hard to explain. But it’s there. In your heart. It’s there and you are just waiting for each other. And when it happens, well, only a surfer knows the feeling. Ha!
The greatest thing about the future of Indonesian surfing? It’s gotta be today’s young surfers. These young surfers are modernized and motivated. With the success of Rio Waida and Bronson Meydi, the young kids know how it works now. And the work it takes. When before we were just stumbling around in the dark. Surfing came to us and now we have come to surfing in Indonesia. We have a whole new generation of rippers coming up and the government is recognizing us and we are on the right track to be more and more in the spotlight and on tour. And more surfers here are going to be able to make a living from something as incredible as the surfing lifestyle. I believe in surfing and I believe it’s going to spread from Aceh to Papua. And from where I can see, all of us on this island are really happy where surfing has taken us and where it is going to take us.
