NEWSLETTER

Hi, and welcome to the last newsletter for 2003.
Overall it was a pretty slow season for surf tours given what's been going on in the world, although we were pleased to see more surfers getting back to Indo, especially Bali, as the season progressed. The surf during the 2003 season was a little out of the ordinary as well, with a couple of flat spells in June-July and then later in the season in October. Boat charters were still pretty popular, possibly because of the perception that they are safer than being on the land. Those hardy travellers who did go overland were rewarded with the most uncrowded waves for years. So thanks to all of you who supported us during the season.
On the issue of safety, we are always getting asked the questions: "What's it like over there? Is it safe?" Nev got back from Bali mid October and filed this report.

Nev's Update
For a pretty slow year for surf tours we seem to be running late getting this newsletter out. I got back from Indo in mid-October after visiting the Big Rock 5 losmens in West Java and Sumatra. The surf was a bit small but that was ok. At Batu Besar Losmen in West Java, in front of Turtles, there was only two surfers. In Sumatra at Ombak Indah Losmen, I was the only guy there for two days until this wandering Frenchman rocked up to check out the waves he'd heard about. At a couple of other breaks I visited in West Java the only company I had was our Freeline Indo staff Diki, Mumuh and Agus, so it was good to share a few empty waves with them to finish off a quiet year.

Bali
I got to Bali for the anniversary of the Bali Bombing. It was a bit sad but also good to settle a few demons. So many people were there for the commemorations, which mainly had a positive and upbeat theme for the future. And many Indonesians there pointed out that of all the leaders of the countries involved in the bombing, our PM John Howard was the only one to turn up!
Everywhere I've been in Indo this year (and Stu says the same thing), has been a positive experience, as it always is. At no stage have I ever felt unwelcome, uncomfortable or worried about my safety. The fanatics are a tiny underground minority. Most Indonesians are as disgusted as the rest of us with their actions. They don't like to see pointless loss of life, their economy being damaged, life's tough enough as it is, and they hate seeing their country's reputation being dragged lower. But I'm happy to note surfers are leading the way back to Bali and Indonesia in general.

Mentawais
On a more positive note, we've hooked up with Mentawai charter operator kiwi 'Moose' Matthew, owner of the 'Kuda Laut'. This tour is possibly the best value Mentawai deal going (click here for details). Moose has been operating in the Mentawais for 10 years on word-of-mouth, and we're happy to be working with him. Freeline regulars Dave 'Messiah' Custer and Sturt Royle did a test run for us in June and reported back good news: 'We got more waves than the other boats out there - fantastic value..". Thanks to Sturt for the pic's. So if you want to surf this place on a budget priced, no-nonsense rig, with a crew focussed on giving you great service, and a guide focussed on chasing the best, least crowded waves, contact us now as booking already coming in.

Other News - Win the new Rubber Time Two DVD We've been threatening to update our Rubber Time video for quite some time now and we are pleased to say that it's finally happening. The new DVD 'Rubber Time Two' will be available from mid February. There's heaps of new footage from just about all the locations we go to and a fantastic home grown sound track. To commemorate this occasion we are giving away 5 free copies to newsletter readers who come up with the best answers to the following 5 questions:   Q1. What's the well known big wave spot between Ujung Genteng and Cimaja? Q2. Ombak Indah losmen is located in what province of Sumatra? Q3. In Bahasa Indonesian, how do you say: "Where are the best waves"? Q4. What's the name of the strait between Java & Sumatra? Q5. What is the name of this break? (Click link to see wave)   Email us your answers and we'll announce the winners in the next issue. For those of you who, can't wait, you can order a copy here for AU$20. It's great value and fully refundable when you book a tour.

Next Issue
We'll update you again around March-April 2004 with a pre-season run down of what's happening. Stu is planning to do a boat trip exploring islands from Rote to Sumba sometime in June-July so let us know if you're interested in coming along.

Well, it's getting towards the festive season, so we'll take the opportunity to wish you all a great Christmas and New Year and we hope to see a bunch of you in Indo in 2004.

Take care on the roads and good surfing....... Nev & Stuart