Tag Archives: save malaysia waves




This dangerously threatens surfing waves which were created through many, many years of environmental formation by elements of nature because the natural environment is very, very sensitive.

The earliest surfing etched in the memories of Malaysian surfers today are of surfspots from the 1990s. Reliable surfspots are a scarcity in the east coast of Malaysia. Back then, there were 2 legendary surfspots known as great, long left-hand point breaks: “Quarry”(Teluk Kalong) and Cherating. Due to human activity, Quarry now ceases to exist because the wave is now extinct. Now, the other spot is under possible threat: Cherating.

In the last 3 years, a hotel chain has been cutting down trees from the northern headland of Cherating beach directly above where Malaysia’s best known left-hander wave breaks. Regular surfers at Cherating would have witnessed the gradual environmental deterioration on the headland due to the hotel development. The bottom of the headland is the special sweet spot in which waves that travelled hundreds of miles across South China Sea, break onto our local shores for our enjoyment. It created Cherating as it is known today: the surfing capital of Malaysia. The spot is special because the beach points to the west/south west where north easterly monsoon winds are blocked by the headland, allowing the formed waves to be consistently beautiful and well shaped for surfing because the sandbanks are also perfectly lined up along the shoreline to allow a long left wave to peel. Over the years, many have acknowledged Cherating’s beautiful wave and during the monsoon, scores of people from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and several other towns in Malaysia congregate at this once sleepy village to surf pristine peelers and indulge healthily in the utter sense of happiness that surfing in the ocean provides. Having watched the development closely since it started where most of the environmental damage remained within the headland, we are now disturbed by recent photographs of the sandbank in Cherating being dug up. When the trees in the headland were destroyed, silt flowed from the headland onto the beach where(if not controlled) it can forever change the shape of the wave over the course of time. But now, the hotel chain is directly digging into the sandbank. PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THE SANDBANK!!!

All past/present/future surfers in Malaysia, needs to unite and take action before we lose another gorgeous surfspot like how we lost Quarry to human development. If we lose Cherating, there is no other long left point break that still breaks consistently good in the thick of the monsoon with convenient access to accommodation/food and with easy road access from Kuala Lumpur. We need to take this threat seriously and protect our only reliable surfspot in Malaysia! There is nowhere else of such surf quality, my friends.

We believe at this time that this is just a case of a lack of education on the sensitivity of the natural environment and call upon The Royale Bintang Hotels & Resorts Group to please share the environmental impact assessment to help the surfing community understand the consequences of planned development activity so close to the surfing point break. Economic activity in Cherating village used to be very low over the monsoon but due to these waves, monsoon in Cherating is now a hive of activity because these throngs of surfers from all over Singapore and Malaysia brave possible flash floods and unstable weather to make the pilgrimage to Cherating, just for a chance to surf these magnificient waves. This brings economic income in the form of tourist ringgit to the villagers of Cherating who would otherwise be without an income over the monsoon months. If the waves disappear, it would be a great loss of income to the villagers of Cherating. Has this been included in the environmental impact assessment, if any?

The threat is real as exampled in the link below where Bali lost a surfspot due to hotel development except that in Malaysia, we don’t have anywhere else in Malaysia with a wave like Cherating.


Please share this post and the pictures below to raise awareness and stay tuned here for further action to take. If you want to be a part of this, please message over your email address. Help prevent Cherating from being on the extinct surfspots list!

Kepada sesiapa yang biasa pergi main luncur air di Malaysia, kita sebagai surfer Malaysia perlu bersatu untuk melindungi ombak Cherating dari kemusnahan akibat kecuaian manusia atau kelakuan manusia. Mana lagi di negara kita yang ada ombak yang selalu pecah cantik macam ombak kat Cherating, tak kira apa arah angin, yang dekat kemudahan moden, senang dikunjungi dan yang mempunyai legasi paling lama dalam kesukanan surfing di Malaysia? Tolong hantar email anda kepada klsurfrider@gmail.com kalau anda nak tolong melindungi ombak Cherating sebab kita memang perlukan pertolongan anda.

To all surfers in Malaysia, we need to unite as Malaysian surfers to protect Cherating waves from destruction as a result of human negligence or human activity. Where else can we find a wave in Malaysia that breaks as beautifully as Cherating whatever wind direction, that is close to modern facilities, easily accessible and has the longest legacy in Malaysian surfing? Please send your email to klsurfrider@gmail.com if you want help protect Cherating waves because we will need your support.

Article/Text was taken from KL Surfriders Facebook page.


Let us unite and save our waves in Cherating….