Meet Gemala, an Indonesian female Pro surfer who is also an avid traveler. Through her collaboration with Pinneng, an underwater Photographer to start their YouTube channel called Wet Traveler, the Roxy Indonesia team rider gets to explore not only the beauty of the Indonesian archipelago but also the rich local culture while doing the things she’s passionate about; surfing, diving and outdoor adventures.
Born in Balikpapan, Gemala named her first win at the 2010 Occy’s Grom Competition Billabong in Malaysia as the most memorable achievement in surfing. The sport that she once learned just to kill time with her friends at the University in between studying soon enough became a passion and took her into some of the most prestigious international surf contests such as ASC Quicksilver Pro Thailand, ASC Ripcurl Surf & Music Festival Halfway and ISC Quicksilver Pro.
When asked about her pre surf rituals, sunscreen, water and warm ups are her top to-do lists. Gemala who preferred sunset than sunrise surf due to her love affair with coffee, maintaining her stamina by committing to a 15-30 minutes workout daily, from jogging to TRX training – anything she can do while at home or traveling.
When in Bali, she surfs some of her favorite spots such as Airport rights/lefts which according to her is a great spot to get some cool surf photos, Keramas during small days, Nikkos Nusa Dua for some fast righthanders and Balian for its great vibes. Gemala named her surf session in Bo’a, Rote in early 2016 as her best – with a 4-6ft glassy waves, no wind and only herself and a friend in the line up, everything was perfect.
When not traveling, Gemala who also enjoys video editing, loves spending her time with her friends at the skatepark and jog with her dog Pang. Besides sharing her travels along with some amazing footage by Pinneng on the Wet Traveler YouTube channel where you can expect some great tips and some other valuable information about travel, Gemala also shares some of her stories in a book she wrote called Ocean Melody.
www.gemala.me
YouTube : Wet Traveler
IG : @g_hanafiah
