Photos: A Day At The 'Bush

stunet's picture
By Stu Nettle (stunet)

Photos: A Day At The 'Bush

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Features

All images by Steve Arklay

From a frigid Australian winter to the warm embrace of the tropics, Indonesia has long been our favourite mid-year migration.

Recently, Victorian photographer Steve Arklay posted up in the Mentawais - his first time out there - swapping the blanched light of a southern winter for the saturated colour palette served up two degrees from the equator.

Staying at Kingfisher Resort, Steve had easy access to a number of A-grade waves - Lance’s Left is right out the front - but it was another wave that he hoped to see through his viewfinder.

“I’ve always wanted to shoot Greenbush,” said Steve. The channel angle at Greenbush offers the classic palm-lined backdrop, not unlike Lagundri Bay, but breaking the other way, of course, and an order of magnitude more dangerous.

The combination of verdant backdrop, cobalt water, and top heavy waves create what is, at least in Steve’s mind, the classic Indonesian image.

All you need is swell, over a certain height, and from a certain angle.

The swell has to be big enough to get up the bay, and south enough to slow the wave down to allow an escape, either to the end, or off the back if the last section bares its claws.

Sail past the reef on a moderate south-west swell and you’d be forgiven for mistaking the wave as an accelerated closeout. Perhaps one of the reasons Greenbush flew under the radar for many years despite being on the Mentawai milk run, not far from the refuelling port of Sikakap.

“I’d been there for over a week when Jaco [Kingfisher Resort owner] spied a swell,” said Steve. “He thought it was going to be good for Greenbush, so he hit up a few of the guests if they were keen to do a mission.”

“Not many were, it was perhaps outside their ability,” said Steve, “but I was frothing to shoot it and another guy, Louie, was also keen to surf it.”

“We set off on the morning,” explained Steve, “and arrived around 9am with a small crew already in the lineup.”

Billy Bain was on the last day of a charter trip. "We'd just had four or five days of great waves, and all to ourselves," said Billy, "so we were pretty satisfied; we were in high spirits." So much so that, despite the forecast, some of his crew spent the night celebrating in Sikikap, beer in one hand, karaoke microphone in the other.

"I went to bed early," explained Billy, "then got up early and we were the first to arrive. I was first in the water, had it to myself for a while too."

After a while, Beau Cram joined him and the two had it to themselves.

"Beau's spent a lot of time in WA's North-West," says Billy, "he's not too worried about being backside on a heavy left."

Beau styling from deep as Billy paddles out.

It was Billy's first time out at Greenbush and having no-one in the lineup to show how it's done he made a critical error on his first wave. 

"I took off and made the drop OK," says Billy, "but then I instinctively faded and when I pulled up under it I got left for dead." 

"After that I realised you've just got to fucking pin it for the channel."

Beau, weight forward, rail engaged, terminal velocity imminent.

As the crowd built, Steve sealed his waterhousing, put on his flippers, and slipped overboard.

"If I had to put a number on it," says Steve, "I'd say only about 30% of the waves were made."

The slim return on investment didn't deter surfers who kept chancing it on the sets, looking for the one that didn't break too fast and stayed open till the end.

German Aguirre claiming victory on a solid one

Also with Billy and Beau were Max Weston and Kai Ellice-Flint, two longboarders who compete on the WSL Longboard Tour. Greenbush is arguably as far removed from a trad longboard wave as is possible, yet Max - shown here - compromised riding a shortboard with longer rail line and less rocker.

Appeared to work OK.

"A lot of the time I was shooting empties," says Steve. "Maybe no-one went the wave, or maybe they fell off on takeoff."

"A few times I'd be kicking and shooting, and suddenly my flippers would be on the reef as the water drew off the reef - it was pretty crazy."

"I took care to watch my position after that, especially with the tide dropping."

"The last section began to squeeze and pinch as the tide dropped," explains Billy, "but if you got one that stayed open you could make it from so deep."

Herman from Peru, board swallowed by the shockwave, still confident of success. 

As the tide dropped further the surfers in the lineup dwindled until there were none.

"I kept shooting," says Steve. "Fuck that, it was firing; just big, empty Bush."

A lot of the crew began leaving, including Billy, Beau, Max, and Kai who put the boards away and prepared for the crossing back to the mainland. Their trip drawn to a close.

"Louie and Jaco were watching an empty lineup," says Steve. "No-one in the water at all. It was going right on low tide and I was shooting these beautiful waves that were coming through, and Louie and Jaco couldn't resist, paddled back out and got a few waves each."

Kingfisher Resort owner Jaco Steyn hands free and eyes peeled for bottom-of-the-cycle shutdowns and imperfections.

"We left departure till as late as we dared," says Steve. "It was a long trip back but we were reminiscing over Bintangs on the way."

"It was a successful misssion to the 'Bush."

Comments

Major kong's picture
Major kong's picture
Major kong Thursday, 10 Jul 2025 at 1:53pm

Cool as .. felt like I was there.. cheers

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Thursday, 10 Jul 2025 at 2:20pm

Great shots and accompanied story.

That second last photo is amazing.

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Thursday, 10 Jul 2025 at 5:06pm

Great stuff, that's a dream wave of mine I'm yet to surf. Thanks for the new background, that 2nd last pic is sick.

wetgecko's picture
wetgecko's picture
wetgecko Thursday, 10 Jul 2025 at 10:06pm

Ahh that last empty shot is the one. What a great feeling as a photographer to return home with that in the card.

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Friday, 11 Jul 2025 at 6:34am

Great action and shots there Steve! Sick wave by Billy as well.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Friday, 11 Jul 2025 at 7:01am

Beautiful photos.

Too heavy/tricky for me.

caml's picture
caml's picture
caml Friday, 11 Jul 2025 at 7:16am

Nice photo of Herman, he is good older surfer
from Peru .
And Crammy flying on his twin fins!

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Saturday, 12 Jul 2025 at 6:58am

Anyone on here had a crack at it?

blow-in-9999's picture
blow-in-9999's picture
blow-in-9999 Sunday, 13 Jul 2025 at 8:08am

Yeah, fun joint, not too tricky. Most competent surfers should give it a nudge. The entrance is a rebound wedge which is often shoulder hopped, really hard to see it from the water angle tho.

pjbyron's picture
pjbyron's picture
pjbyron Sunday, 13 Jul 2025 at 1:15pm

Certainly wouldn't call it fun. Had a go a few years back, not again... heavy heavy wave, I reckon I saw maybe 3 guys make the end section all others like myself failed.