Bol’s On Fire

Made Adi Putra ‘Bol’, 25

Kuta, Bali

With his uncle running the Komala Indah hotel right by Kuta Beach when he was a boy, Bol befriended many of the foreign visitors, and it was only a matter of time before one of them gave him a snapped board which he fixed up and began riding. That first board stayed in one piece for over two years, and would prove to be a major turning point in a ten-year-old Balinese kid’s life.

Fifteen years later, Bol is one of the stars of an ultra-talented crop of Balinese pros spearheaded by surfers like Rizal Tanjung, is appearing in major international surf flicks like Creepy Fingers alongside some of the world’s best surfers and has been Indonesian champion for the last two years. Being a goofyfoot, Bali’s famous Bukit Peninsula is paradise to Bol, with the obvious drawback being the crowds of visiting surfers that flock to the island.

“I’m not complaining about the crowds though,” Bol explains, “for me it’s great to see so many international surfers surfing my home breaks. I don’t have to go to Hawaii to see Bruce surf or wherever to see Kelly, I can see them right here, pushing my surfing. For travelling away from here I love Hawaii though. It feels like Bali to me, nice weather, blue water, sick waves and of course the aloha spirit of the people.”

At the time of press Bol just got back from a boat trip in Sumatra, and will soon be heading to California for a Volcom contest. Bol’s fiancée Monica comes from Switzerland, and he admits he’d love to come to Europe to surf and check out the places as soon as he can. As Bol continues to feature more on the international pro scene, you can expect to see him ripping at a beach near you sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Bol rides for Volcom, Sequence surfboards and Jungle surf shop.