Batukaras is a small fishing village in West Java, Indonesia, named by some as the best longboarding wave in the world. It's also home to some of Indonesia's best longboarders, of which three are on the national team.

Longboarding, or logging, is a different wave riding experience than shortboarding. While competitive surfing gravitates toward shortboarding for intensity and fast pace, longboarding is on the opposite end of the surfing spectrum. It's generally more relaxed and is more about cross-stepping and noseriding than making quick turns, and instead of searching for big waves, longboarders look for waves that go longer, and you can take your time and cruise.

During my time in Batukaras, I shared waves with some talented Indonesian surfers that made walking to the board's nose look easy. Believe me; it's not! But hopefully, I'll get there one day.

Flora Christin Butarbutar barely knew how to swim when she began surfing five years ago, but with committed self-determination, Flora became Indonesia’s first female competitive longboarder. “Traditionally, Indonesian women avoid the sun because it’s considered to be more beautiful to have fair skin,” explains Flora. She wants to encourage Indonesian women to do more sports and defy stereotypes. 

In 2014 she quit her corporate job in Jakarta to travel around Indonesia, searching for a new direction in her life. While visiting some of Indonesia’s most remote beaches, she watched the surfers with fascination. During her six months living in Bali, she rented surfboards of all sizes until she could afford a second-hand board, which happened to be a longboard. Today, people watch Flora in the waves as she elegantly cross-steps her way to the nose