The last thing you want on a surf charter is to have a bullet zing over your head. Photo: Matt Hoffman
According to reports, a police officer boarded a surf charter in Indonesia, pulled out his gun, and fired a shot in the air. The shot in question happened to be over the head of a visiting surfer from Australia, which was probably not was he was expecting when he reserved his spot.
Steve Sewell, Captain of the Australian charter in question, The Huey, claims it was on over-reaction–which it undoubtably was–to The Huey being moored off Macaronis in the Mentawais. A few years ago, a system was created that effectively made it impossible for more than two boats to moor at the wave. Sewell, however, says it’s usually not an issue if you pay someone off.
“I offered them some money, as you do,” he told Jed Smith and Stab. “If there’s two boats there, as long as there is a third or fourth boat there they don’t mind if you hang around there for a few hours or the rest of the day.”
This time, though, it didn’t work out like he planned. The person in charge of the camp at Macaronis wanted them gone, and he told them as much. Sewell wasn’t having it. After telling them they’d leave when they were good and ready, he was presented with an arm load of permits. “…I said, I don’t acknowledge your permits, I don’t think they’re legal, they’re based on a flimsy by-law,” he recounted to Stab. That’s when things escalated. A short time later, they came back with a plain clothes officer, who happened to be strapped.
Sewell told the guests to get downstairs, which most of them did, save for a man named Fred Annesley. Although details surrounding exactly what happened are still murky, it seems clear that the officer pulled out his weapon and fired a shot into the air above Annesley’s head, who probably ducked and/or wanted his money back.
This is just one incident in a series of wave-related quarrels in the area since the installation of the mooring system. Although violence and localism have always been a part of surfing, it seems as though things are escalating in recent months. Last month at the Cloud 9 event in Siriago, Australian surfer Brent Symes was beaten up by locals after surfing during a local trials event.
