Where the Noise Falls Away - Indonesia Specialty Coaching Trip

It’s been 7 long years since we visited our remote family in Indonesia. Too long. We were going annually, until Covid slowed us down. The 2019 trip was a banger (read more about it here), and several upgrades and modern conveniences had been made since our last visit.

But we don’t go for the modern comforts. We go searching for perfect waves. We go to progress our surfing.

What we usually find is something much bigger.

Despite the upgrades Earl has put into the camp, it still sits far from the conveniences that dominate our daily lives. And it’s an adventure to get to. It took me 45 hours of travel to get there – a bus, three planes, a car, a boat, and a walk through a jungle.

Internet is there, but compared to home one might call it spotty. Cell service is also present but I typically just put my phone on airplane mode. Air conditioning was installed in 2019 and the bungalows have all been completed. Comfy beds, flushing toilets, hot water, incredible food, consistent electricity – it was all there.

But there are no longer the endless notifications, no constant stream of headlines demanding attention. The long to-do list is gone. Instead, there is the rhythm of the ocean, the movement of the tides, and the simple routine of surfing, eating, resting, and doing it all again the next day.

We even had a moment in the day just to digest our food – “digestion time”.

The funny thing about removing conveniences, removing what we think is important, is that life often becomes richer, not poorer.

Without screens competing for our attention, conversations become longer. Friendships become deeper. We spend more time watching sunsets and looking up at stars that most people never see anymore. The water is so clear and colorful that it feels almost unreal. Life slows down just enough for us to notice what has been there all along.

Research suggests that stepping away from modern conveniences can have measurable benefits. Studies have found that time spent in nature is associated with lower stress levels, improved mood, better attention, and greater feelings of well-being. Researchers have also observed that reducing constant digital stimulation can improve our ability to focus, reflect, and connect with the people around us. In a world designed to capture our attention every waking moment, places like our home in Indo offer something increasingly rare: the opportunity to simply be present.

What struck many of us on this trip was the realization that this was exactly what we needed, even if we didn't know it before arriving. When we're in the middle of busy schedules, work obligations, family commitments, endless emails, and daily responsibilities, it's hard to recognize the gradual accumulation of mental clutter. We tell ourselves we'll slow down later. We'll take a break when things calm down. Yet things rarely calm down on their own.

Research on mental recovery suggests that periods of genuine disconnection help restore attention, creativity, and problem-solving ability. The challenge is that we often don't recognize the need for recovery until we're already experiencing it. It isn't until the phone stays in the room, the inbox goes unchecked, and the ocean becomes the focus of the day that we realize how much noise we've been carrying.

Many of us came to Indonesia looking for perfect waves. What we discovered was that the waves were only part of what we were searching for. Sometimes the most important thing is simply creating enough distance from everyday life to remember what a clear mind feels like.

THE EDGE OF COMFORT

Once the noise falls away, we begin to hear something else: the quiet voice that asks whether we're willing to step beyond what feels comfortable.

This trip always has a way of finding that edge.

For a few of us, it appeared in the form of larger waves than they had ever ridden before. For others, it showed up during long hold-downs, broken boards, or getting caught inside on a huge set. It even showed in the journey to get there – the heat, the long hours traveling.

Everyone arrived with limits. Everyone discovered that those limits were more flexible than they imagined.

Growth rarely happens in the comfort zone. It happens on the edge of it.

The beautiful thing is that breakthroughs rarely come from dramatic changes. They come from attention to small details.

A slightly faster stroke rate.

A lower stance.

A more committed takeoff.

One extra paddle.

One less moment of hesitation.

The surfers who improved the most were focused on doing simple things better and trusting that those small improvements would compound over the course of the week.

And there were certainly moments that challenged us all – when we were on the edge of panic.

Those moments weren't the time to invent a new plan. They were the time to trust the work that had already been done. The breathing drills. The warm-up routines. The mobility work. The preparation. The countless repetitions practiced long before arriving.

Confidence isn't believing nothing bad will happen.

Confidence is believing you can handle whatever happens.

WAKE UP AND SEE

This trip also reminded us that the best plans are often the ones we don't force.

One of Earl’s quotes of the week was "Wake up and see."

It's a simple philosophy, but an important one.

The forecast says one thing and the ocean delivers another. We would watch the clouds above to see where the wind changed. We looked to the horizon for storms competing with each other to fill space.

Swells popped up without notice. Conditions clean up unexpectedly. Some of our best sessions came when expectations were low and we simply allowed the day to unfold. More than once, we found ourselves surfing perfect waves for hours with only our group in the lineup.

The ocean didn’t care about our schedule.

It rewarded flexibility.

It rewarded attention.

It rewarded those willing to follow the flow instead of fighting it.

Along the way, we learned to pay attention to both the good omens and the bad ones. Sometimes the signs point toward charging ahead. Sometimes they suggest patience or to call it a day. We listened, we followed, we benefitted from tapping into that sixth sense.

The weather, the wind, the tides, the swell direction, the mood in the lineup. This trip constantly reminded us that we are not in control. The more we listened and adapted, the more the ocean seemed to open doors. The more we forced things, the more resistance we found. Some of the best sessions of the trip came from simply paying attention and allowing the conditions to guide the day.

DEEPER CONNECTIONS

But perhaps the most valuable part of the trip had nothing to do with the waves.

It was the people.

Year after year, Asu Camp feels less like a surf destination and more like a family reunion. Shared meals become stories. Stories become friendships. Friendships become a community.

Whether celebrating someone's biggest wave, laughing about a near disaster from a poor kickout, or sitting around at dinner reliving the day's sessions, relationships deepen quickly in a place like this. Removed from the distractions of everyday life, we have more time to connect with each other.

Surfers arrive as guests and leave feeling like family.

The relationships built often last far longer than the memories of any single wave.

WHAT WE REALLY DISCOVERED

By the end of the trip, everyone left feeling they progressed.

But that's not really what they take home.

They left with proof that life can be simpler.

Proof that growth begins where comfort ends.

Proof that small details matter.

Proof that preparation creates confidence.

Proof that sometimes the best thing you can do is wake up, see what the day brings, and trust the process.

And perhaps most importantly, they leave knowing they are part of something bigger than themselves - a community connected by waves, challenge, friendship, and the shared experience of discovering what happens when the noise falls away and the ocean and weather become the teachers.

Photos/video by: Jhoni Photo, Rob, Sanjin, Mike and Travis

If you are interested in joining us on the 2027 Indo Specialty Coaching Trip, please contact me. Dates are already set for two weeks, May 1-7 and May 7-13, 2027 (you are welcome to come to one or both weeks).