24 December 2024, Kuta-Bali: The 2nd annual International Surfing Association (ISA) Surf Instructor Level 1 training course was completed on the 14th of December at the Tropical Beach Resort in Sekongkang, West Sumbawa, with 20 local participants joining in the 5 day course that included 2 days of classroom coursework and 3 days of practical training that ensures they are fully qualified for their roles as professional surf instructors.
During the opening of the training, PT Amman Mineral Nusa Tenggara (AMMAN) took the opportunity to share their book called Surfing Masuk Sekolah, literally “Surfing at School”, as part of their Community Development and Empowerment Program. This book program was created in cooperation with the West Sumbawa government. Surfing Masuk Sekolah is integrated in the school curriculum and will be introduced to the local school children from 6-15 years of age to provide them with a positive extracurricular sporting activity that also teaches them about the environment, marine ecosystems, and water safety. A book launch was held in November at Jelenga Beach, West Sumbawa and was attended by the Regent and all related local government officials.
Some of the instructors that participated in the ISA course will become the teachers of these local children, and some are local surfers who will be able to teach tourists visiting West Sumbawa how to surf. In preparation, AMMAN has donated 20 learning surfboards together with fins and leashes for the instructors to use in the upcoming programs.
International Surfing Association (ISA) certification is recognized worldwide as having the highest international standards for safety, quality, and efficacy for surf coaches and instructors within the surf industry, so with Amman’s Blue Program and their aim of developing surfing and creating economic opportunities through surfing in the West Sumbawa area, a core requirement was that the program start with ISA training for all the surf coaches and instructors in the area.
The AMMAN Blue Program operates under Amman’s Community Development and Empowerment Program and seeks to utilize the natural resource of the ocean waves and to the local surfers with a path to both increasing their skills as surfers towards becoming professional competitors as well as to increase their economic opportunities by participating in surfing education and surfing tourism.
“This is our second year collaborating with Asian Surf Cooperative (ASC), Rip Curl School of Surf and Rizal Tandjung to provide ISA Surf Certification to West Sumbawa’s local surfers,” said Mr. Priyo Pramono, Vice President of Social Impact at AMMAN. “The training program is always engaging, not just theory but also teaching practice. Most importantly the surfers are also taught about environmental responsibility, surfing etiquette, handling emergency situations, and hazard analysis. The sessions given were very structured but practical, making it easy for the surfers to implement their new skills and knowledge to practice.
“The vision of AMMAN with these programs is to help West Sumbawa build a strong and striving tourism-based industry. West Sumbawa is perfectly situated and blessed to have world-class waves which attracts surfers globally and domestically. If developed correctly, surfing has the potential to contribute highly to the tourism economy of West Sumbawa. There are many components that goes into developing the tourism industry, and one of the most important is the human capital. This is why we are pushing for West Sumbawa surfers to be professionally trained and hold certificates which are recognized by international bodies, so they can offer standardized services to tourists and have more leverage when doing so, increasing the value of their services and ability to gain more for their wellbeing. The certification training will also give our surfers the latest knowledge of what is being expected from a certified surf instructor, so they are up to date with the development in the industry whilst at the same time improving their skills and income,” he explained.
After the 5-day ISA course had been completed, one of the participants, Muhammad Saleh from Jelenga Beach was asked for his thoughts on the course experience. “This course is very good and very important for the future, especially for teaching children how to surf. In these five days I have gained a lot of knowledge. Before this course, I was just a regular surfer, but thanks to these five days, I now understand the process and can apply it to others. My motivation is to help young children advance in learning about surfing because the opportunities for surfing here are excellent. The beaches are amazing, so we must take care of them,” he replied.
ISA Presenter Jonni Morrison-Deaker was delighted for the opportunity to return to West Sumbawa, saying, “First of all, it was amazing being back in West Sumbawa and working again with AMANN, PSOI and the West Sumbawa Boardriders. This second round of guys were equally as enthusiastic and passionate about their surfing and learning, and it was good to see some younger guys involved this time as well. I definitely see that they all have the ability and potential, which will keep improving as they keep following the example of the senior instructor’s that have already utilized their ISA certifications, so all I see is moving in a very positive direction, and that’s very gratifying,”
This surf instructor training program for the West Sumbawa local surfers is a comprehensive training designed to equip participants with the technical skills and necessary knowledge to become a certified surf instructor. The program is a blend of theory, practice in the water, and hands-on teaching sessions to students. The program is also complemented by lifeguard training provided by Balawista (Tirta Tourism Rescue Agency) Bali, focused on lifesaving skills, and providing first aid. These two separate training courses become a unit to support the development of a safe and conducive surfing ecosystem in West Sumbawa.
By increasing the teaching capacity of local surfers, AMMAN hopes to create a surfing ecosystem that can provide quality teaching to visitors, thus providing a conducive environment to increasing the revenue of the tourism industry. And most importantly ensuring safety and first aid for all visitors / tourists visiting West Sumbawa.
About the ASC:
The Asian Surf Cooperative is a professional surfing organization with 20 years of experience in organizing, managing and supporting surfing events around the Asian region, from local boardriders club competitions to World Surf League World Championship Tour events.
The ASC’s mission is to grow the sport of surfing in the Asian region by offering reliable and consistent resources and assistance to both small and large organizations as they work to progress the sport and their surfing athletes, including consulting and management, live computer scoring, certified judges and professional staffing, event media packages, athlete management, and site surveys, as well as ISA surf instructor and judging/officiating programs.
See more @asiansurfco @ligasurfingindonesia and @grom.patrol
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About the ISA:
The International Surfing Association (ISA), founded in 1964, is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the World Governing Authority for Surfing. The ISA governs and defines Surfing as Shortboard, Longboard & Bodyboarding, StandUp Paddle (SUP) Racing and Surfing, Para-Surfing, Bodysurfing, Wakesurfing, and all other wave riding activities on any type of waves, and on flat water using wave riding equipment.
ISA membership includes the surfing National Federations of 116 countries on five continents.
Its headquarters are located in Cardiff, California (USA).
