Desert Point

Desert Point, or Bangko Bangko, breaks off the extreme south-western tip of Lombok facing the Lombok Strait, and its reputation rests on a narrow set of conditions: it needs a large south-westerly swell and the right tide, and when it gets them it produces a left-hand barrel running along a shallow coral shelf for several hundred metres, ending in a section called the Grower that stands up and gets hollower as it goes - a wave that has been placed at or near the top of world rankings by surf publications. The rest of the time it does not break at all, and surfers wait, sometimes for weeks. The camps are basic, water is limited, the reef is very shallow and unforgiving, and the track in is rough enough that many arrive by boat from Bali.

What you actually see

• A rarely working wave - needing a specific swell and tide, flat most of the time.
• The Grower - the section that stands taller and hollower along the shelf.
• Basic camps - simple shelters with limited water and no infrastructure.
• Long waits - surfers sitting out days or weeks for it to break.

When to go

May to September, on a big south-westerly swell. A week or more.

Honest expectations

It is flat far more often than not. The reef is shallow and sharp and injuries are common. Facilities are minimal, with water and food limited. This is an expert wave.

Nearby

Sekotong and the south-west Gilis are east; Bali is across the strait.