We were one of the first group of surfers that explored up the Banyak archipelago. These islands were only accessible by boat so we had to take a boat from Padang, which took us about 40 hours to get to the Banyaks. Back then, there were no other boats and not a single surf camp. We had every spot to ourselves so nobody hassling for waves. We also had a special group of surfers known as “The Niseko Snow Surfers.” I was the photographer on that trip so I just surfed from behind the lens. This is Gentemstick boss Taro Tamai on a perfect wave at Treasure Island. He was carving the waves the same way he carves in the mountains. It was so beautiful to see. 
When I wasn’t shooting photos, I was shooting fish. It took us 2 days to get there and I remember arriving in the evening right before dark. The boys went surfing and I went hunting for the evening sashimi platter. The reefs up there were untouched so I was like walking into a fish market. We had sashimi/Bintang parties every single night…
Then I went back there 10 years later and there were boats, surf camps, and lots of surfers. The treasure has been found…
