Meet the Team

In da Surf and Surfers House is made up of an amazing group of individuals who love the hostel and consider it their home. The love from our team is what makes every person feel super welcome and have a comfortable and memorable stay.

Get to know our awesome team members who you can see around Surfers House every day.

Indra

Where are you from?

I’m from my mom. In Medewi. My village is named Yeh Kuning

Why did you come to Canggu?

I came here for work, because there are not enough jobs in my village. There are farmers and only people who own rice fields. It’s not touristy. When I finished school I just went anywhere to get experience. I was working in supermarkets and water sports, but it wasn't mine. I love surfing, I started to surf when I was a kid. Once my friend asked me to help him with lesson and I thought it's pretty cool to have job like this. Later I was working in several surf camps and last year I completed my first coach training and got my ASI Surf Instructor certificate. I'm happy I have a possibility now to grow and improve my knowledge and skill, doing surf lessons and services in school better and doing the job I like. 

What do you do at In Da Surf Bali / Surfers House/?

Originally I'm a surf coach, but I help to prepare everything. I not only do lessons, but also help with house maintance, guest questions, BBQs and legendary arak cocktails are on me also :) as well as some official paper work. Here in Surfers House we don't have just one duty, we just do anything we can do to help each other. 

What do you like about Surfers House?

Surfers House, I like it because it’s not really big. Because the people who come here they become like family. I like that. That’s why we won’t make it bigger. Because if we make it bigger, it makes it harder to control and it’s not like this.

What kind of people come here?

I think we have a very nice guest here in Surfers House and in In da Surf. They are chill and easy going, some guest become our good friends. I have a lot of great memories and most of them are about people who stayed here and who somehow made this place better. I like when guests share their opinion or give us some advice. When we started our business we were totally new and knew almost nothing, we just had a dream. So as we met more people, we learned more things. Of couse it's not perfect still and we need to improve all the facilities a lot. But we appreciate that people understand and like this place anyway. I think it's not only us who make this place so great, but also the people who stay with us.

How has Surfers House changed your life?

My life changed after we married.

We married in July and the Surfer House was open in August, 2014. Officially Surfers House was open the 23rd of August, that’s when we had our first guest. But all the preparations we started right after the wedding.

What are your hopes and dream for the future?

For the future, maybe we can make one more Surfers House. I don’t know where. We want our surf school to become bigger. For a bigger business there’s a lot of stuff to look out for. You need to trust in people first. It’s hard to find people you can trust with your business.

Hugo

Where are you from?

I’m from Russia, from the Far East. It’s close to China and North Korea and Japan. The town is called Vladivostok.

Why did you come to Canggu?

When I came here the first time I didn’t plan to be in Canggu or Ubud or wherever else. I was like “I want to go to Bali, maybe I want to surf and okay I want to surf, I need to stay somewhere.’  I didn’t have any time to do any research or check where to go what to do. I just typed in Google ‘Surf in Bali’ and I found the first 5 surf camps. I reached out to them and said ‘Guys I’m coming to Bali for 5 weeks. Can you book me accommodation, surfing and everything in one so I don’t have to do anything else?’ Then one answered and then I went there for 5 weeks. No plan to go to Canggu. This was 3 years ago in 2013.

Why did you create Surfers House?

No purpose at all. It just happened. Indra saw a picture of a bunk bed on the internet. And he said ‘Look at this bunk bed it’s so cool to have something like this.’ There was no hostel like this at the time. There was maybe one or two in Canggu. One was owned by our friend and another one that wasn’t that big. So we said that’s what surfers need. They just need a place to sleep, something cheap, comfortable. Not to spend money for accommodation but to surf anytime you want. He started to talk about it every day, hostel, hostel, hostel. After a month it happened in 2014.

What do you do at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

I can say what I'm not doing in In da Surf, I'm not teaching surfing :) All the other work I do it. When it opened we were cleaning, we were painting, we were doing laundry sometimes, I made curtains in dorm 1 beds :) We bought everything. We handled the bookings. Everything. Then we started to get more and more guests and it was already difficult to do it just by ourselves. One year with a half ago we found Setya.

What is the best part about Surfers House?

It’s small. A lot of people ask us ‘why don’t you make it bigger?’ Why don’t you make one more room or do something in the garden? Because this place is so popular and everybody wants to stay here all the time, stay longer and there aren't always enough beds for everyone. The thing is if we make it bigger it’s not gonna be this Surfer House anymore. And the unique thing about this place is that it’s small and really friendly and like a family.

The people never plan to stay here long but then they come for a night or two and they stay a really long time. They go traveling together then they come back together. It’s easy to meet another people here and hang out together, party or yoga training, there are always people who has the same interest with you. 

How has Surfers House changed your life?

Well on one hand it’s changed all our lives. When I decided to stay here when I moved, I didn’t have any idea what to do actually. I had a totally different plan for my life. And I wasn’t depressed or stressed or anything but I was like ‘I have to do something with this, I have to do something with that,’ like really organize my life. And then things just started to happen. We didn’t plan them but they just happened in our lives. And then I was thinking ‘wow this is actually not bad.’

At first there was a little bit of trying not to take it seriously. Sometimes I thought ‘no it’s not mine, I came for a totally different thing, I have to do something else. I don’t want to do this. It’s not what I was planning or I was dreaming about.’ But then once I let it go and if it happens then it’s happened for something good so why not take it. I can't say that Surfers House changed me a lot. But we faced a lot of problems at the beginning. It gave us really big and good experience and a lot of knowledge. I think it was a really good school for us. After this I think we’re ready to do anything we want. I think Surfers House didn't change me but it's trained me a lot.

What are your hopes and dreams for the hostel in the future?

There’s a lot. We actually have a plan to open more Surfers Houses. In Medawi and Uluwatu. Maybe Surfers House in Ubud but then we’d call it Yoga House. I’m just kidding, no Ubud. This place has become our home and the home of a lot of people actually. I just really want to keep it like this. I don’t want it to change. We’re improving a lot since we opened. We’re making it a little bit more modern. We didn’t have air conditioning for example one year ago. It was very hot.

I don’t want to make it more of a party place or fancy. I really hope it’s gonna be this Surfers House. And maybe people who were staying here 2 years ago will be back after 5 years and it’ll be the same place and they’ll have this feeling that they’re back home. For the new place I hope it’s going to happen soon. Make more Surfers Houses everywhere.

Moks

Where you from?

From Bali, Tanah Lot. By scooter it’s around 15-20 minutes from here.

Why’d you come to Canggu?

For work. I’ve always worked as a surf instructor.

What do you do at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

Sometimes I get to party. And then just hang out with my friends. And I teach surf lessons.

What is the best part about Surfers House?

I like it here because the people at the hostel are really friendly. It’s different from other surf schools. Here it’s like a family. The owner also is part of the family. In other surf schools I had many rules and at this one there aren’t as many. So it's easy to work and enjoy it.

Do you have a fun memory from Surfer House or lesson?

Not yet. I’m still new here. I’ve been here just for one month. I feel better here than when I was working in other surf schools in Canggu. There were always busy classes with many clients. But here it’s just two students per teacher versus 5 or 6 and that’s too many and it’s not as nice.

What do you like to do in Canggu?

It’s a touristy area so it’s good for teaching surfing here because the beach is really nice. But in my place it’s not good for teaching. I also like it here because I have many friends here and I’m more comfortable in Canggu than in my village.

Setya

Where are you from?

Bali. In Munggu Village. It’s up there before Tanalot.

How did you come to Surfers House?

I had a friend (Eka) who was working at Dia Mart and Indra was always buying something in there. And he asked her if she had a friend, because he was looking for a staff member. And she gave Indra my number and then I came here to work. Now Eka also works with me here in Surfers House.

What do you do at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

Cleaning. Housekeeping. Everything. Reception.

What is the best part about Surfers House?

Nice people. They’re friendly and I like it a lot. And I can learn English. I learned to speak English here.

How has Surfers House changed your life?

I have more friends who are travelers.

What are your plans and dreams for the future?

I want to be a teacher for Agama Hindu. Like teaching what is Agama Hindu, what is karma and things like that. Religious studies because I like it.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Talking with the guests every day!

Martin Tempe

Where are you from?

Originally I come from West Bali. More far to the west from Medewi. I moved here when I was still a child. My home break I surf usually in Berawa. Normally I surf there. I learned it from there. Almost all my life I surfed, I’m 25 years old, and I’ve been surfing here since I was a child.

There’s no other place like Canggu, for surfing, for chilling with friends.

What do you do at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

I’m teaching here. Surfing and I just started teaching theory classes.

What do you like about Surfers House?

I like it because I’m supporting my friend, Indra, to be able to teach the guests here. I have skills for teaching and that’s the reason I’m here. This place is so good. Like cheap rooms, cheap surf sessions, they have quality for the teaching too. They’re not letting the guests drown when they go surfing. They take good care of their guests here.

How has Surfer House changed your life?

I feel like my life is still the same. Before I’d surf for fun and now I do it for work and for fun.

What do you like to do in Canggu?

I like the waves here. Like in Echo Beach. And hanging out with my friends here like old friends especially is so good. And having some Bintang at the beach is just that.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

I would like to come to be boss. I want to own a new place that’s bigger. Not a hostel, a hotel. A surf hotel because I want to be the boss.

Eka

Where are you from?

From here, Canggu.

What do you do at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

I clean and cook and do reception.

Why do you like Surfers House?

It’s good. The guests, the school, everything. The family here as well. I like the guests because they’re always smiling.

How did you start working here?

I started in March. Setya called me and asked if I want to work here because they had one more position open. Before I was working in Dia Mart.

What do you want to do in the future?

I want to stay and keep working here. I like it here, it’s nice.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I like to go back home and sleep because I’m tired.

Ji Hye

What is your role at Surfers House/In Da Surf Bali?

I'm video maker and blogger on 'naver.com'.

How did you get started?

My friend, Donggi, introduced me to Indra and Hugo. First we took lessons with Indra and some time after that Hugo asked me to help with blog. I think it was my best choice in my life. I felt so happy when I stayed at Surfers House and did some video projects. I like planning and thinking about new concepts.

Share a favorite memory you have from your time at Surfers House?

Anniversary parties. I joined the first and second anniversary! I met good people who enjoy their lives and spent good time with them. Recording memories (anniversary videos) is also one of my favorite things. It was awesome to me.

What do you think makes In Da Surf so special?

All the people who work at In Da Surf or stay at Surfers House. Sometimes I think they look like second family. They can enjoy their lives and share happiness with other people :)

Anything else you want people to know about you?

I love In Da Surf and Surfers House so much. I've studied video making. I'd like to improve my abilities and keep working with them. Also, I wonder when I’ll be able to surf well.