West Sumba · Indonesia
Surfing Occy's Left (Nihiwatu)
A left reef in West Sumba, Indonesia, for advanced and pro surfers.
Occy's Left is a long, hollow left on the reef at Nihiwatu, on the west coast of Sumba. Only guests of the Nihi resort can surf it, and there's a limit of ten surfers a day.
The takeoff is easy to get into and the wave bends down the point with walls and barrels. It's consistent right through the dry season. It works from 3ft to 10ft on SE trades.
You book your surf slot along with your villa, and if you're not staying there you can only look from the beach. Sumba itself is very different from Bali, with horses on the beach, traditional villages and megalithic tombs inland, and not many tourists.
When to surf
Occy's Left (Nihiwatu)
Occy's Left (Nihiwatu) is at its best from May to September. Conditions it likes: SW swell, SE trades.
May to September: Prime
Trades offshore all season, T-Land and Occy's at their best
Oct: Good
Warm, clean and very quiet
November to March: Quiet
Wet season: smaller waves and very few visitors
The year across Sumba & Rote
Waves near Occy's Left (Nihiwatu)
Marosi
8 kmWest Sumba · Beach Break · Intermediate / Advanced
Pero
25 kmWest Sumba · Left & Right Reef · Intermediate / Advanced
Cobblestones
153 kmLakey Peak (Hu'u) · Right Reef · Intermediate / Advanced
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: West Sumba is spread out, pick the wave zone you came for and stay there, because the coast road eats hours. Pero/Kodi serves Occy's-adjacent reefs and the villages; Lamboya serves Marosi. Nihi guards Occy's Left for guests only. Fuel up and carry cash from Tambolaka.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the West Sumba guide.
West Sumba surf guideSurf it often and something here is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.