Crowds gathered on the banks of the Kampar River, Indonesia, to watch surfers take on the renowned tidal bore.

The footage from November 2020 shows the spectacular bore speeding down the river as surfers attempt to stay upright.

The phenomenon is called "Bono" by locals and the waves can reach up to 20 feet (6 metres) with speeds of 40 km/h.

Spectacular moment caught on camera when several meter high waves are speeding up to 130 km inland through the Kampar River in Indonesia. The phenomenon, called "Bono", is feared by the locals to sink ships, as at full tide during the rainy season the waves can reach a height of 20 feet (6 meters) and a speed of up to 40 km/h. The wave also attracts surfers who attempt to surf the tsunami-like wave, but as the river is also inhabited by crocodiles the surfers need to be escorted by rescue boats!

A tidal bore is a tidal phenomenon in which the incoming tide forms waves of water that travels upwards against the direction of a river or a bay's current. Tidal bores only occur in a few locations worldwide with a large tidal range. Some of the most famous locations for these waves are the Kampar River in Indonesia (seen in video) and the Qiantang River in China, at which the world's largest bore is reaching heights of up to 9 meters. Unfortunately several people die each year in connection with these tidal bores (also find more information about a tidal bore here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_bore).

The Bono wave is not just one, but a series of multiple waves. Although surfing the Bono waves can be very difficult due to the extreme currents and large amounts of mud brought up with the waves (besides the crocodiles), it remains a popular destination for surfers from all around the world. The Bono is very powerful if there have been heavy rainfalls before, so especially in the rainy season (also check here for more information about the Bono: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampar_River).

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