Sandy, with his wife, Helen, runs an eco friendly surf school in Lombok. But, as many enthusiastic visitors will tell you, it involves much more than surfing; it’s an experience of the island that stays with them for a long time. Sandy spoke with My Lombok about what Sasak Soul is all about.

What exactly does Sasak Soul offer?

We primarily offer surf lessons and tour guiding, and with our partners, Same Same Bungalows, we also run full surfing camp packages, which include accommodation, photography, BBQs and trips. Our guests usually experience more than just surf lessons; we like to get to know them, form friendships, and educate them about local culture. For example, we might invite them to a home cooked BBQ, a traditional Sasak wedding, or even take them on an adventure around the island.

Where are you based?

Through our partnership with Same Same Bungalows, we have an eco lodge in Kuta, and we run our camps from there. It’s a beautiful space, where people can come to book lessons and rent equipment.

Tell us about your team at Sasak Soul

I am Head Coach, and I am accredited with ASI (Academy of Surfing Instructors) and have First Aid training. I also look after a few of the younger groms* here in town. I’m helping to train them up to become confident teachers and I’m hoping they will help me out in the future, or maybe be able to get jobs elsewhere.

At the moment, my full time team consists of three fellow Lombok locals.

Epol is originally from East Lombok. He is absolutely fearless in the water. He also knows some great secret spots and is my first choice to go to when anyone needs intermediate or more advanced guiding.

Toni is a fellow Kuta local; in fact, he’s my neighbour in the fishing village. He has heaps of positive energy and makes everyone feel totally safe and happy in the water.

Ary is still doing his teacher training. He’s fantastic with kids, and always popular for our family sessions at Selong. He’s also our photographer.

I’m super lucky to have them all on my team.

Was there a particular moment, or event, that prompted you to start out on this adventure?

It was about two years after I met my wife, Helen, who’s from England. We had found out how difficult it was for me to get any kind of work visa there. So, about four years ago, we decided that starting up something in Lombok was the way to go. At first it was solely a way to make sure that we could remain together – which is super soppy – but it developed into something that slowly grew bigger and bigger.

What’s the range of things you might find yourself doing in a typical week?

Surfing. Surfing. And surfing. We live and breathe surfing. We have lessons just about every day, so we take our groups to the spot that’s most suitable for their level. That generally takes up about half a day, but if it’s a fun group we often stay longer at the beach, have dinner or drinks in town, or go to the beach to see the sunset…. I really can’t complain about my schedule.

Apart from surfing, there are often local events – things happening in my village that I need to be there for – like weddings, funerals, and other traditional ceremonies. It’s expected that everyone be there to help prepare food and drink, pray, or pay respects, depending on the occasion. The communities are very close here.

Any memorable moments you’d like to share?

I remember the day when our beautiful branded wetsuits and surfboards turned up. I had spent maybe a year and a half using borrowed boards and rash vests, before I had saved up the money to invest in some proper equipment. My team and I tried them all out, and it was an awesome experience; it felt like we had finally made it.

Also, there was the day we first had a group of 10 students in a lesson. That might not seem a lot to some, but to see all those smiling faces, out in the water with my team, was an incredible feeling for me.

What do your guests tell you are the best experiences they have with Sasak Soul?

Many people say they really enjoy our positive attitude, and the fact we want people to be part of our family. We try to involve our guests in activities outside of surfing, and we form friendships with them. Many people come back to visit us.

They also like the fact that we are safe and professional. We keep our groups small, and make sure everyone is at a break that’s suitable for their level – even if it means splitting up groups and hiring extra instructors. Our number one priority is to make sure everyone is happy and comfortable.

What’s the main thing you’d like the public to know about?

I suppose my message would be that it’s good to have the most qualified instructors in the world, but a crew of people who love each other, as brothers, is a rare find. That’s what I believe puts Sasak Soul apart from the rest. We really are a family, and we care for each other, our guests and our amazing home.

Can you tell us more about how you care for the environment?

For several years now, we have tried to reduce our environmental impact. This includes eliminating unnecessary waste, avoiding single-use plastics and freebies like plastic stickers, and getting involved in beach clean ups.

I was inspired to set up Zero Waste Lombok, which is still fairly small, but offers zero waste products such as shampoo, soap bars and various other toiletries, bamboo cleaning products and reusable alternatives to everyday products. They are all available at our base in Same Same.

We also offer our Zero Waste sample travel packs to our surf camp guests, to encourage them to ditch the plastic too.

What is the best thing about being involved in Sasak Soul?

The best thing is the massive smiles on people’s faces when they stand up on their first wave.

What are the biggest challenges?

You mean apart from trying to get my team to wake up after a night at Surfers Bar? Seriously, though, it’s probably the fact that Lombok is evolving very rapidly and, as the owner of a small business, I worry that I don’t have the ways and means to keep up with the bigger rivals who are coming in. But I know that we have a lot of love and soul in our business, so I can remain positive.

How do people find out about you?

Physically, we are located within Same Same Bungalows, in Kuta. Otherwise, we are easily contactable via our website or through Facebook and Instagram. We publicise our camps and tours in our Facebook groups, and when there are various promotions, we also run ads online, but we don’t do a huge amount of advertising.

What are your goals for the future of Sasak Soul?

We have a beautiful plot of land in Kuta that we want to develop. Very soon we hope to start building our surf camp, and make a real home for Sasak Soul. It will be more than just a place where people can come for a surf holiday. We want it to be a place where locals and tourists can hang out together, and where we can offer support and education to young people. It will be a place of equality, good vibes and happiness. That’s the dream!

Finally, how would you sum up what Sasak Soul is all about?

As a Lombok native myself, I want Sasak Soul to embody the true soul of Lombok. It’s all about sharing with others the beauty of Lombok and the beauty of the Sasak people – in a way that is respectful to the island, its inhabitants and its culture.

There are reasons why so many people come and never want to leave. We share those.

We live Lombok. We love Lombok. We are Sasak Soul!

Website: sasaksoul.com

Facebook: facebook.com/sasaksoul

Instagram: instagram.com/sasaksoul

*Groms, or grommets, are young, ‘beginning’ surfers.

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