In the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, the Earth has been busy making new land. Over the last month, not one but two new islands have reportedly emerged around Anak Krakatau (or Krakatoa), the perpetually restless “Child of Krakatoa.”
Mount Anak Krakatau (Bahasa Indonesia for “Child of Krakatoa”) has added an estimated 81 acres (32.8 hectares) of land during a prodigious eruption between September 4th and 6th, Jakarta Globe. Krakatau is a relatively young and recently active volcano, whose caldera—from which the recent eruptions are believed to have sprung—formed in 1883 following its initial and most catastrophic eruption to date, which destroyed the very island of Krakatoa. How like a child, indeed.
Krakatau has shown bouts of both creation and destruction by land and sea ever since, including its partial collapse resulting in the December 22, 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami. It’s such an active volcano that, despite its peak rising at an average of 23 to 30 feet per year (per MAGMA Indonesia), it regularly collapses time and again, and no dependable satellite imagery or charting stays up to date long enough to be of much reference.
But now, following September’s 25-hour eruption, two new islands, one about 2,500 feet to its northwest and another about 1,600 feet to its southeast, form a line with the caldera. The elevations of the new islands—or extensions of Anak Krakatau, as they’re not yet confirmed to be separate islands—remain yet to be measured. Those nearby are still being told to take caution (and, as of the time of this writing, stay at least 1km (0.6 miles) away from the simmering inferno.
The eruption sent plumes more than a mile and a half (2.7km) into the sky and disrupted the air travel of more than a quarter of a million people. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program puts the island’s new size at about 844 acres (341.5 hectares), and its peak at just under 1,000 feet. And so it goes to show the Pacific Ring Of Fire is still very much alive and well as planet Earth continues to heat and cool and blow, and generally spin on its axis.
But where surfing exploits are concerned: What of these two islands? A quick look at Google Earth satellite imagery says that Anak Krakatau and its neighboring islands certainly fetch their fair share of swell, and I, for one amateur, spy what looks to be a beautiful series of point breaks in one area that are particularly receptive to anything with even just a bit of south in it.
Related: Watch: Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang Goes Off In Pumping Surf
The Krakatau archipelago and Sunda Strait, of course, are known for some heavy-duty slabs, but technically—and for obvious reasons—surfing isn’t allowed right off of Anak Krakatau, neither now nor for the foreseeable. These are newborn volcanic islands. Their shorelines are unstable, their elevations are still being determined, and the volcano itself remains very much active. Still, imagine what happens if the islands stick around: Volcanic rock meets ocean swell. Lava cools into cliffs, reefs and shelves. Currents rearrange the sediment. Waves begin doing what waves do, grinding, carving and sculpting the newest pieces of the planet into something altogether different.
So could these new islands lay groundwork for future surf, either for us, our groms, or our groms’ groms? That’s a resounding you betcha. It sure is pretty to think so, at least. Then again, they could just tumble right back into the sea…
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