Bono Waves : You can Surf on the River Waves Only In Indonesia

Did you know that Indonesia has a natural phenomenon in the form of big rolling waves?  You can find these big waves called Bono waves on the Kampar River, Pelalawan Regency, Riau.  

Australian surfer James Cotton (standing behind) managed to set a world record for surfing bono waves as far as 17.2 kilometers, breaking Steve King's record from England as far as 12.23 kilometers set in 2013. (KOMPAS/SYAHNAN RANGKUTI)

The phenomenon of rolling waves is usually found around coastal waters. However, this phenomenon can be found on the coast of the Kampar River, Pelalawan District, Riau Province.

 Its name is bono waves. In the local language, bono means brave.

 The big waves rolling in this river occur because of the confluence of the river currents towards the sea and ocean currents that enter the river due to high tides. Bono waves even reach 4 to 5 meters high, rolling from the estuary coast in Pulau Muda Village to Teluk Meranti Village and Tanjung Mentangor. No kidding. From the estuary, bono waves can reach 50-60 km along the river basin with an average speed of 40 km/hour.

 The further away from the estuary, the smaller the height of the waves, no more than 70 centimeters to 1 meter.

   Uniquely, these big waves flow against the river flow. Unlike big waves at sea, bono waves can reach a length of 200 meters to 2 kilometers following the width of the river.

 The Kampar River itself has a length of about 413 km with its headwaters in Fifty City District (West Sumatra) and empties into the Malacca Strait.

Because of its privileges, many world surfers have broken records by surfing bono waves.  Not to be left behind, Indonesian surfers and other countries have also set their records on the bono waves of the Kampar River.  Launching from indonesia.go.id, bono is a natural phenomenon in the river in the form of big rolling waves.  Bono waves occur because of the confluence of river currents towards the sea and ocean currents that enter the river due to high tide (not bore).  It is said to be big because the bono waves of the Kampar River reach four to five meters high.  These waves move from the estuary of Pulau Muda Village to Teluk Meranti Village and Tanjung Mentangor.  Bono waves cover a distance of 50 to 60 kilometers along the watershed (DAS) with an average speed of 40 kilometers per hour.  The height of the waves will decrease to 70 centimeters to one meter the farther from the estuary.  Bono waves can reach a length of 200 meters to two kilometers following the width of the river, unlike the big waves at sea.  What's unique about this big wave is that it flows in the opposite direction to the river flow.  According to coastal environmental researcher Guntur Rahmawan from the Marine Fisheries Research and Development Center of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), the meeting of three currents from the Kampar River, the Malacca Strait and the China Sea at the mouth of the estuary has created a tidal bore called bono.  The waves of the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea will break through the mouth of the river.

 Large waves as high as four to five meters similar to a tsunami wave accompanied by a loud bang are generated by the turbulence.  This occurs when the current passes through the increasingly narrow and shallow gaps of the Kampar watershed.  The current will move faster so that there is a big impact because it meets the river flow.  For about two hours, the bono will continue to crash along the watershed and get weaker when the river's path bends.

 Bono waves have a destructive tendency because they cause erosion in the Kampar River boundary area.  Bono waves also cause water to overflow onto land, and it is not uncommon for residents' houses to be submerged up to one meter high.  Big bono waves can also cause fishermen's boats to capsize.  Not only does it have a destructive impact, bono waves have also become one of Riau's tourism icons.

 Since 2013, the Government of Pelalawan Regency has looked at bono as a tourism potential, especially for tourists who like surfing.  Annual events are routinely held, namely the International Bono Surfing Festival and Bekudo Bono by the local government.  On February 15, 2013, world surfer from England Steve King broke the world record twice, namely the longest surfing bono Kampar River.

 Together with his two colleagues, Steve Holmes and Nathan Maurice, at that time they competed in agility "riding" a four-meter high bono for 12.3 kilometers for one hour and 13 minutes.  Australian world champion James Cotton later broke King's record.  Cotton was able to follow bono waves as high as 3.5 meters for 17.2 kilometers for one hour and 20 minutes.  Even this world record is recorded in the Guinness Book of The World Records.

 Indonesian female surfer Gemala Hanifiah has also broken a unique record.  At that time, along with 30 other national and foreign surfers, he tried to conquer The Seven Ghost Waves.  Gemala and his colleagues can surf for 30 minutes on the Kampar River bono.  The bono waves rolling towards the mainland can be seen in Teluk Meranti Village near the mouth of the Serkap River (a tributary of the Kampar River) or in Pulau Madu Village.

 The bono phenomenon on the Kampar River does not occur every day.  Bono only appears during the full moon on the 12th to 16th hijri calendar.  Big bono waves can be seen from October to December during the peak of the rainy season when the Kampar River water discharge is high.  In addition, bono waves can also be seen from February to March.