LombokBeaches / Southwest Peninsula / Desert Point
SOUTHWEST TIP - BANGKO-BANGKO
Desert Point
Also known as Bangko-Bangko, one of the best left-hand barrels on the planet, and strictly a wave for experts only.
TYPE
World class left hand reef break
SWIMMABLE
Not recommended
BEST TIME
Jun-Aug, mid-incoming tide
ACCESS
CROWD LEVEL
Crowded when firing
Final stretch unpaved
OVERVIEW
The wave that put Lombok on the map
Desert Point, locally known as Bangko-Bangko, sits right at Lombok's remote southwestern tip and is widely regarded as one of the best left-handers in the world, at one point named the "Best Wave in the World" by Tracks Magazine. On a good day it peels for up to 300 metres, offering rides of 15 to 20 seconds or longer through a fast, hollow barrel.
This is the wave that first drew international surfers to Lombok, and it remains a genuine pilgrimage spot. It's also notoriously fickle, capable of going flat for weeks at a stretch, some surfers camp out in basic local homestays for ten days just to score a single four-hour window of perfect conditions.