posted April 10, 2011 04:26 PM            

As discoveries of secret surf spots go, the incredible find by Rip Curl team members during a recent "Search" expedition in the jungles of Indonesia may be unrivaled.

What makes this latest wave discovery so fascinating is that it was made not on a coastline or island shore, but on a remote jungle river that gets pounded by a powerful tidal bore. But unlike other tidal bores that produce relatively small, mushy waves, this remarkable phenomenon pushes swells upstream in dream-like fashion at heights of 8 to 10 feet.
"This was our biggest score in twenty years of exploring," says Tom Curren, a former three-time world surfing champion who has been roaming the world's coastlines scouring for the proverbial perfect wave ever since winning his last world title in 1990. Because the soft-spoken champ has never been one to boast, his stories of this new spot called Seven Ghosts (named after the nearest jungle village) has his fans reeling. Interest surrounding the expedition is hitting a fever pitch as rumors of their score leaked out

What's so stunning about this find is the wave's coffee-colored walls break from top to bottom, similar to the hollow powerful waves that peel over coral reefs. But the riverbank refraction of the primary wave sends rebound wedges perpendicular across the river, carving the secondary wave into a line of spinning peaks with cookie-cutter perfection. These mirror-reflection spinners appear choreographed, with all the symmetry of a Rockettes' leg kick, the likes of which has never be found in the ocean...at least not yet.

These are some of the first stunning images of this amazing discovery. Rip Curl will surely be releasing more in the days ahead as they ramp up for the 50th Anniversary of the Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest running professional surfing contest, set for later this month.