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Surfcamp Costa Rica or Lombok? Why More Surfers Are Choosing Lombok
When planning a tropical surf holiday, Costa Rica is likely to appear in your search....
If Selong Belanak is Lombok’s classroom, Mawi is the exam. Located on the exposed south coast between Kuta and Gerupuk, Mawi is an A-frame reef break that produces both a quality left and a punchy right, working across most swell conditions and widely considered Lombok’s best intermediate surf spot.
Mawi is one of the standout spots covered in our comprehensive overview of Surfing in Lombok: Top Spots Suited to Beginners, Intermediates, and Pros. That article gives useful context on how Mawi fits alongside Gerupuk, Selong Belanak, and the other south coast breaks.
The Wave
The Left
Mawi’s left is the headline act. It breaks from a defined peak and walls up for 50 to 80 metres on good swell, giving surfers enough distance to generate speed, perform bottom turns, and attempt cutbacks or re-entries. The wave face is relatively smooth during offshore conditions, making it ideal for learning to turn. At 4 to 6 feet it is challenging but manageable. At 8 feet or more it commands respect.
The Right
Shorter and more hollow than the left. The right section connects fast and can pitch slightly on the inside, giving advanced surfers a tube-riding opportunity. Intermediates will find the right useful for practising faster pop-ups and steeper drops.
Who is Mawi Right For?
Mawi is genuinely intermediate-to-advanced territory. You should be comfortable paddling out through a channel in 3 to 5 foot surf, duck-diving or rolling under oncoming waves, reading set patterns to identify takeoff position, and falling safely from waves breaking over reef.
The typical progression at DHM runs through Selong Belanak, Inside Gerupuk, Outside Gerupuk, and then Mawi. Our article on What Makes Lombok One of the Best Surf Spots in the World explains how the variety of breaks makes Lombok so well-suited to progressing surfers compared to any other destination in Indonesia.
Best Conditions
Best season is May to October (dry season, southwest swell). Best size is 3 to 6 feet. Best tide is mid-tide on the push (incoming). Wind is offshore in the morning during dry season. Avoid low tide due to a very shallow reef on the inside, heavy onshore wind, and very large swell (6 feet or more) unless you are an experienced reef break surfer.
Getting to Mawi from Kuta Lombok
Mawi is 8km west of Kuta on a sealed road that turns to a steep dirt track for the final kilometre. The descent is accessible by scooter for confident riders; others leave their scooter at the top and walk down (10 minutes). There is no commercial infrastructure at Mawi so bring water, snacks, and everything you need. A DHM Surf Camp guide will navigate the access road and carry equipment.
Book a Guided Mawi Session with DHM
DHM coaches bring intermediate and advanced guests to Mawi as part of the weekly session programme. Browse available packages on the DHM Surf Camp packages page or see the
What’s Included page for a full breakdown of what every session covers.
