MENTAWAI ISLANDS - THE UNSPUN CHARTER GUIDE
(the edited and corrected version of Nick Carroll's text we would like to see on Surfline.com. Hey Nick, feel free to use this corrected material for your site )
NEW TOURISM LAWS APPLY IN 2008
Only 30 licensed boats and a few licensed resorts can guarantee you access to the Mentawais in 2008.
There are still some maverick boat owners and camp operators who will take your bookings but you have no chance of a discount with most of these people. Buyer Beware!
See www.mmta-mentawai.org for the list of legal operators
INTRO
Without doubt the most thoroughly publicized, photographed and fought-over surfing area of the past decade, the Mentawai Islands remain a source of intrigue to waveriders worldwide.
The Mentawais (pronounced men-TAH-wee) lie off the western coastline of the Indonesian island of Sumatra -- 150 nautical miles southeast of Nias. They consist of four large islands and numerous smaller ones, some charted and some not, strung out along a line from 3.3S/100.5E to 2S/99.5E. The islands are geographically dynamic, some sinking into the ocean, some rising and all of it happening much too quickly for the formation of South Pacific-style coral-limestone atolls. As a result, most good Mentawai waves break close into the islands along shoreline-based, coral-encrusted limestone/sedimentary reefs, with swells being refracted into these reefs by deepwater offshore trenches. Refractions are so extreme that some of the better breaks in the region face almost directly opposite the open-ocean swell angles, with waves wrapping halfway around islands to strike the reefs on the lee side.
THE SURF
Hundreds of ridable waves dot the islands. Many of them have magic days; many are known to only a handfull of boat captains. Several are way up in the world-class zone. The general tone is typical Indonesia -- powerful but not bone-snapping, with numerous hollow sections and some lengthy waits between bigger sets -- especially on the dying end of a swell. The islands are outside the southeast trade wind belt and susceptible to fluky, stormy equatorial wind shifts. Oddly enough, this suits the wide variety of reefs and angles; it seems as though no matter what the wind's choosing to do, somewhere's always offshore. (Of course, that somewhere might be four hours away.)
Broad exposure to all reaches of the southern Indian Ocean provides the Mentawais with unrivaled swell consistency, well beyond that of Bali. Background pulses keep waves breaking even between the stronger hits, and swells will often arrive over the top of each other in the mid-season boom. Few will push beyond the 6- to 10-foot range, however.
Out of the many, a handful of spots have made themselves the focus of most charters, partly due to their quality, partly to consistency and partly to ease of access.
Here's a look at four of the hot handful:
Lance's Left
Facing almost directly into the prevailing southwest swell, Lance's Left is a "go-to" wave, easily ridden by all but the least competent surfers, yet challenging the skilled to a couple of deeper takeoff zones and accompanying barrels. It's a broad shelving reef that curves through around 45 degrees into an eventual closeout across jagged inside coral, but poses little danger, thanks to numerous easy exit points throughout the ride. When a new swell hits Lance's Left, it can take on the best attributes of Grajagan's Moneytrees section -- slabby, thick takeoffs, broad faces and a nice blend of barrel and rippability. It'll keep up this action into the 10-foot zone on a fresh swell before mushing out wide into the adjoining deep water. On smaller swells, that original takeoff zone mellows into a softer, playful drop and swinging peak that beckons the surfer farther and farther down the line, while a new section -- long, thin and cylindrical -- pops up way over near the outside dry reef. This new section is deceptive and should be left to the highly skilled; it conceals a grand risk of coral burn.
Other than that, it's a great starter wave for a Mentawais trip and often treated as such by captains good and otherwise.
◦ Consistency: 8 to 10
◦ Difficulty: easy to medium
◦ Danger factor: low to medium
◦ Barrel factor: medium
Lance's Right
This spot -- just around the headland from Lance's Left -- has been renamed several times (see "History" section below). It's also semi-commonly known as HTs or Hollowtrees, after a typically Mentawaian dead tree trunk that once stood way out on the reef. The trunk is gone now, but the wave hasn't changed a bit. Although the reef faces east, it benefits from the outer-reef refraction theory to draw in as much swell as most other spots in the area. It's basically a squared off slab of lava-coral reef about 100 yards wide, with a rarely breaking cloudbreak outside that peaks waves up onto one of two distinct sections. Deeper and gnarlier of the two is The Office, well over in front of vicious exposed coral heads. A well-struck 6-foot wave at The Office is like flawless Backdoor Pipeline; a badly chosen one is extremely sketchy, with the inevitable wipeout being quickly followed by a pounding way too close to the coral for comfort. Safer, yet somewhat weirder, is The Cage, a wider-swinging walled-up peak that tubes on takeoff, but occasionally pinches shut. Low-tide Cage sports three perky little coral heads on the inside that'll gladly take some skin if permitted. Smaller days are a frolic -- tubes, airs, mad carves, whatever you can think up. Lance's undoubted allure is assisted by the Sumatran mainland's seabreeze, which creates a very light offshore most afternoons.
◦ Consistency: 7 to 10
◦ Difficulty: medium to high
◦ Danger factor: medium to high
◦ Barrel factor: high
Macaronis Left
Macaroni's, more commonly referred to as 'Maccas', has been overwhelmingly voted the world’s most enjoyable wave by 50 of the world’s best surfers and industry figureheads. 76% of all surveyed, goofy and natural footers agreed; Macaroni's is the funnest wave they had ever ridden (refer to ‘Waves’ magazine, December edition 2003).
Macaronis is tucked inside several other reef layers near a lovely green-water bay that makes a beautiful calm overnight anchorage. This, plus the wave quality and ease of riding, makes Macas the target zone for almost every boat captain in the islands. The wave itself is a sectionless left peeling across a curved limestone-coral shelf that slopes up out of the water at an almost offensively perfect angle. An occasionally complex takeoff resolves swiftly into a long hollow wall with curves suited to any turn or tube you'd care to imagine. Theoretically, Macaronis has an upper limit around 6 feet, but has been known to hold bigger in perfect conditions. One drawback for the less-skilled surfer is that takeoff zone: like most excellent waves, Macas is not friendly to people who try to pick up the wave farther down the line, having by then established its dredging flow. Getting in from the start is the key to Macaronis' magic.
◦ Consistency: 5 to 10
◦ Difficulty: easy to medium
◦ Danger factor: medium
◦ Barrel factor: high
Thunders Left
Being broadly exposed to the southwest and a little farther off the Sumatran mainland, it's possibly the most consistent break in the whole chain. It's a left that superficially resembles Lance's Lefts, but upon investigation, shows itself to be a very complicated lineup, with numerous takeoff spots and massive inconsistencies in the reef. Wave choice becomes a very broad and open game, with wide easy faces and tight hollow barrels all over the place. Most waves tend to find their way into a peaky inside section and an eventual collapse onto craggy coral. Thunders shows better form early in a rising swell, when its true nature as one of the better large waves in the region becomes clear -- a solid, slabby wall bleeds quickly into a swinging hollow peak, which reforms on to the inside. Some surfers have been lured way up the line on less consistent days -- generally they've found themselves to have been magnificently sucked in by mirage-like dreams of barrel sections, which don't actually exist.
On the next island North of Thunders lies one of the best rights in the islands, perhaps the world, on its day -- Rags Right, a rifling cylinder across nearly bare coral where 10- to 15-second tubes are a serious possibility. But be warned, this is a place for super-skilled surfers only, unless you enjoy the sensation of being cleanly stripped of flesh. On big days Rags Left rivals G-Land for picture perfect long barreling sections and a wall that looks like Jefferies Bay in reverse.
◦ Consistency: 9 to 10
◦ Difficulty: medium to high
◦ Danger factor: medium
◦ Barrel factor: medium
The TOP 33 WAVES in Mentawai (courtesy of Wave Finders)
GETTING THERE
The handful of surfers who prowled the chain pre-1990 did it by taking an irregular ferry ride from the Sumatran mainland and hoping they ended up near some kind of surf. Today, almost everyone books a place in advance on one of the surf charter vessels that run out of Padang harbor on Sumatra's west coast. Padang -- a large trading town of more than 700,000 people -- is a short plane ride from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. There are 3 Tiger Air flights per week direct from Singapore and the last option is to fly via Medan. The planes ain't big and experienced Sumatra-trippers almost all have horror stories of board bags that never made in into the cargo hold. It's a 90-mile boat trip from Padang to the island fringes and a day's cruising between the main breaks.
WHEN TO GO
Good swells can hit at almost any time of year and the low swell season can turn on spectacular days for the unhurried visitor. The best and most in-demand timeslot is April/May till August/September, which seem to be most consistent for high quality groundswells.
EQUIPMENT
Boards
The wide range of wave types and conditions give a surfer plenty of opportunity to fool around with a quiver. But the ideal size and wave-weight -- 6 feet, hollow, fast and hard -- suits the competent surfer's magic 6'6" to 6'10" range. A quiver built around these sizes, plus your regular home-brand hotdogger for smaller days, will deal with almost anything you're likely to find. Even the bigger days can be handled comfortably without the need to resort to major gunnage. (Generally in Indo waters, boards over 7'2" will hang you up in the tube.) Expect to snap a board, so make sure you back up that middle range and you won't regret it. Many waves can be comfortably handled on longer funboards and even longboards. Recommended quiver: four boards, one standard hotdog range, the other three midrange and interchangeable. Spare leashes!
Technique
Competent surfers of all stances and styles will find sweet spots somewhere in these islands. One key point: Indonesian waves are best ridden from the deepest possible takeoff spot. Much of the time, trying to pick up a wave from the shoulder will result in failure as the thing steamrolls right by. Stay relaxed and focus on the starting point of the wave, not the halfway point. Antsiness should be avoided. A desperate attempt to catch 30 waves an hour will burn you out by the third day. These reefs provide a God-given opportunity to work on rail-to-rail speed and tuberiding. Take your time and concentrate on clean, carving turns, holding the rail down in the turn as long as you can and breathing out through the end of the turn. Don't hunt the tube too fiercely; it'll find you.
Warning! Not all surf in this zone is suited to beginners. Be clear about your skill level before tackling the heavier, hollower spots.
Gear
This is a surf trip without a land base and well away from any serious medical help or opportunities to back up your surfing equipment. You should be fully prepared for seasickness, minor cuts (up to a few stitches), reef scrapes and sea ulcers, sunburn and surfboard damage. Some boats carry functional first aid kits, but don't rely on it. Also, do not expect to be able to buy prescription medications. The ocean temperature around the islands is warmer than almost anywhere else you'll have been, hovering around 80 degrees. It's a good idea to re-wax your boards with warm-water wax before the trip. And it can be nice to wear a cotton T-shirt instead of a rashguard for UV protection because the T-shirt aids in evaporation cooling (and trust us, after six or seven laps of the reef, you'll be too warm for comfort).
Recommended gear:
- powerful sunscreen, anti-UV rash vest or T-shirts (see above), sunburn relief gel, cap or helmet (optional)
- reef walkers or hard-soled wetsuit boots for possible pursuit of board across reef
- seasickness prevention pills (machismo is not an antidote)
- easy to use UV resin ding repair kit/s
- small medical kit including antibacterial wash (i.e. Betadine), antibacterial powder, minor protective bandaging, painkiller and anti-inflammatory (i.e. Motrin), suture kit
- effective tropical insect repellent (not vital on board, but good if you're going ashore for a visit to one of the island towns)
- warm-water wax/waxcomb
HISTORY
As with most remote surf locations worldwide, we'll probably never know who first surfed the Mentawai chain. One story has a Californian shaper, name unknown, surfing the area in 1944 while stationed on a US patrol boat. People were consistently riding Lagundi Bay on Nias, not far to the north, in 1975, which may be some guide. A group of Australian surfers claim to have visited Macaronis in 1980, after a ferry trip across from Padang. Strangely, they never went back -- which perhaps says more about the rigors of overland travel in Sumatra than it does about the wave.
The islands were -- and still are, in places -- home to extraordinary bands of Sumatran-origin tribesmen, who lived high in the rain forest areas of the larger islands. Indonesia's governing authorities have shown somewhat conflicting attitudes to the islands. They sometimes appear to be concerned with preserving their natural state and, at other times, open the door to giant tropical hardwood logging corporations and relocating thousands of mainland Javanese people to the area's small port towns.
Kiwi salvage diver Martin Daly had a chance to scope the area in 1989 when he won a contract to drag a timber barge off a reef in Pagai. He was soon back with a group of mates all sworn to secrecy.
In 1991 Dave Plant ran a charter for Rip Curl top brass on his steel ketch Whaima to Enganno …. The guys loved it and they were back with Dave in 92 on his classic timber schooner Sirius . David was based in Bali and had teamed up with Indo veteran and keen surfer, Rick Cameron, to run surf charters to Lombok, Sumbawa and the Eastern Islands.
In 91-92 Daly also ran several low key charters for surf industry heavies on board his 75-foot steel-hulled Indies Trader. The first magazine photo trip was in 1993 for Surfing magazine and Rip Curl, with surfers Tom Curren, Chris Davidson, Brock Little and Frankie Oberholzer, and photographer Jeff Hornbaker.
In May 1993, Cameron arrived in Benkulu on the West coast of Sumatra in his home built wooden yacht “Electric Lamb” with 6 months of solid bookings lined up. Guests onboard included well know Nias surf pioneer Reevso and a contingent of Margaret Rivers top surf identities… Rick Gath, Rob Conneelly, Terry and Gary Keys, the Jakovich family and Taj Burrows parents, Nancy and Vance to mention a few. After a month exploring Enganno, the Electric Lamb sailed North into the uncharted Mentawai surf zone.
Although the islands remained unnamed in the surf press until 1994, they hardly remained unknown and the shroud of secrecy only made the area irrestistable to insiders who could figure out how to get out there. (One odd offshoot: since it was all so new, rival captains started renaming spots in an effort to claim them as original, new spots. In this way, Lance's Rights earned the secondary name Hollowtrees)
The torrent of images from pro surfers and photographers made waves like HTs into something of a surf media cliche. Yet, despite the occasional crowding, many spectacular Mentawaian surf spots remain barely ridden and out of range of standard charter boats, and few surfers will regret their visit to the islands.
MEDICAL
Sensible precautions to avoid exposure to insect life is the main issue. The real risk of catching malaria, dengue fever, hepatitis and other tropical diseases is generally well understood by surf operators but it makes sense to ask for their specific advice . For regular updates on travel disease warnings, see the federal government Center for Disease Control web site (www.cdc.gov) or similar sites such as www.medicineplanet.com.
The greatest health risks are injury resulting from surfing accidents, heat stroke and dehydration. A chronic risk is sheer exhaustion from over-surfing -- a real threat for the average surfer, whose general fitness may be OK but not up to eight hours' powering every day.
Small cuts and scrapes will rapidly fester in the tropical climate if not treated swiftly and smartly. Wash them right out, clean with antibacterial wash and keep dry using an antibacterial powder. Do the routine after every surf, and you should at least keep infection at bay for the rest of your stay. You should also be prepared for onboard suturing of bigger cuts if necessary, with or without local anesthetic.
A few general tips:
To combat dehydration and exhaustion, limit your surfing time to mornings and afternoons, stay the heck out of the midday sun, stretch, sleep, drink a lot of water and eat plenty of the available carbohydrates -- rice, noodles and vegetables.
- Don't drink tap water, either onboard or in any hotel where you might be spending a night in transit. Stick to bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth, or be prepared to suffer the runs.
- Don't be a fricken tough guy about seasickness. If you've never been on a boat in rough water, let us tell you: Real Manhood has nothing to do with it. Just be smart and take Dramamine during a rough crossing and save yourself a lot of punishment.
- The average boat charter is between 10 and 14 days -- a long time to be out there on a boat with limited company, space, etc. Take some good books and be prepared to put up with less personal space than you may be used to. A good attitude to this will help preserve your mental health.
TRAVEL TIPS
Politically, Indonesia is a democratic republic. The capital is Jakarta, at the northwest coast of Java. The major religion is Islam. Despite recent political upheavals the country is considered relatively safe for travellers. Indonesia now requires a paid visa on arrival for tourist travel, and some nationalities must obtain a visa from the Indonesian embassy before arrival. Check with your travel agent.
Indonesian people in general are very polite and dislike confrontation. If faced with aggressive demands from noisy Westerners, they'll tend to smile on the outside but view the noisy one with distrust and uncertainty. Try to remember that you are a guest in their country. Your problems won't get solved by head-on collisions. The island people are super mellow and really enjoy the interaction with surfers and charter boats because it occasionally results in some income from the sale of fish, crabs, bows and arrows, and the like.
The local currency is rupiah. You can find ATM machines and numerous moneychangers in the Jakarta airport. On the boat, you won't need cash for much, apart from a farewell tip for the boat's crew -- highly advised, especially if you're planning on coming back. (A total US$100 tip will work fine.)
An important item to note is that of surf etiquette. On board a boat, a group of surfers will tend to form a "wall" against other boat groups and grow territorial over spots. This is completely inappropriate, as is trying to dominate your fellow crew members in the lineup. In the Mentawai chain, only a handfull of young surfers are local -- amost all are tourists. Under these circumstances, the water vibe should never degenerate into jockeying, wave-stealing and other unseemly actions. Surfers are best advised to take turns in wave selection, give the lesser skilled riders a break and treat the amazing opportunity to surf the islands with the respect it deserves.
NEW VISA REQUIREMENTS
On 1 February 2004, the Indonesian Government implemented a new visitor visa regime at Immigration check points throughout Indonesia. Only 11 countries and territories are still eligible for a "Visa Free" facility, they are: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Chile, Morocco, Peru and Vietnam. All other nationalities must pay for a visa on arrival or arrange for a visa from an Indonesian Embassy or Consulate before arrival.
You are strongly urged to seek advice from the nearest Indonesian Embassy or Consulate before departing for Indonesia.
The key features of the new visa system regime are as follows:
- visas on arrival can only be obtained at the following international airports: Polonia, Medan; Sultan Syarif Kasim II, Pekan Baru; Minangkabau International Airport, Padang; Soekarno-Hatta, Jakarta: Juanda, Surabaya; Ngurah Rai, Bali and Sam Ratulangi, Manado.
- visas on arrival can only be obtained at the following seaports: Sekupang, Batu Ampar, Nongsa and Marina Teluk Senimba, Batam; Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi and Bandar Sri Udana, Tanjung Uban; Belawan; Sibolga; Yos Sudarso, Dumai; Teluk Bayur, Padang; Tanjung Priok, Jakarta; Padang Bai, Bali and Jayapura.
- Visitors arriving at any other border entry point (including land borders) will require a visa from an Indonesian diplomatic post.
- a visa issued on arrival can only be extended in circumstances such as natural disasters, accident or illness.
- Two visa types are available to passengers arriving at a point of entry where the visa on arrival facility is offered. These are:
30 day visa for USD25.00
Payment must be made in US dollars on arrival. It is recommended that travellers have the exact US dollars cash available as not all entry points will have full bank facilities in place until sometime later in the year.
The current cost of a tourist/business visa provided by the Indonesian missions before departure remains at about US$100 (for a sixty day stay).