Mentawais
Introduction
Located about 80 miles west of the Indonesia's largest island, Sumatra, the Mentawai Islands are the home of some of the best, most consistent surf on the planet. Because of their exposure to swells in the Roaring 40s, the sheer volume of surf spots in the region, and the remoteness of the islands (some of which are uninhabited), the Mentawais have become the premiere surf destination for hard-core surfers looking to escape the real world and surf eight hours a day.
While land-based surf resorts at Macaroni's and a few other popular Mentawais spots have started to spring up, the most popular way to surf the Mentawais is still by "boat trip," in which a group of surfers charters a boat for ten to twelve days. Scores of these surf charter boats patrol the area from March to November every year, each boat containing an average of eight frothing surfers, and the result is often crowded lineups at stand-out breaks like Lance's Right, Macaroni's, and Thunders. But because the Mentawais offer nearly limitless waves, good boat operators will know of uncharted surf spots to sneak off to when crowds at other spots start to build.
The reason for all the hype: simply, the surf. Rights, lefts, big waves, playful points, open shoulders, and racing tubes ... from three feet to twelve, the Mentawais has it all.
Charter prices range from $2,000 to $5,000 for a ten- to twelve-day trip, but those who've experienced the surf in the Mentawais say it's worth every penny.
Click here to download Surfline's Mentawais Surf Guide pdf.
The stand-out spots like Lance's Right and Macca's have perpetual crowds on them from March to October, but the beauty of the Mentawais boat trip is that if you don't want to battle three dozen guys at Lance's Right, your captain can probably lead you to a little gem nearby with one tenth the crowd. The busiest months are May, June, and September.
Hazards are similar throughout much of wilderness Indo: razor-sharp coral reefs, heavy sun exposure, and rough open-ocean passages when storms arrive. If you've go ashore on any of the islands, it's also advisable to bring mosquito repellent.
Very little, as the Mentawais are nowhere near a population center.
Summer (December - February) is downtime in the Mentawais, when most the boats go in for repairs and rest. While there are still waves, the winds tend to be less than favorable, and much of the Indonesian surf community relocates to Bali.
Fall (March - April) is when the big weather machine at the bottom of the world switches on and starts showering the Mentawais with south and southwest swell energy. Though fall isn't the most popular time to charter your boat trip, each year it gets busier with surfers looking to avoid the winter flood of frothers.
Winter (June - September) is go time in the Mentawais, and from June to September it's very hard to get skunked. The source of the surf is low-pressure systems in the southern Indian Ocean when send ground swells thousands of miles across the open ocean. Summer is the not only the most consistent time but also the most crowded.
Spring (October - November) still packs a punch in the Mentawais, and October is typically considered a consistent month. But as November matures, swells die off, and by December most boat charters are in dry dock getting repairs and readying themselves for the following fall.
Here are some very reputable boat charter and travel companies who can help you plan and execute a trip to the Mentawai Islands:
Saraina Koat Mentawai
Indies Trader Marine Adventures
Wave Hunters
World Surfaris
Related Videos: | |
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SURFAID:
GET ON BOARD 2013 (11/13/12) An inside look at the Get On Board sustainability campaign on the Mentawai islands |
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OAKLEY
DISPATCH: INDONESIA (10/03/12) Adam Melling and local ripper Lee Wilson get shacked and shacked again on Sumatra |
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GOING
LEFT (08/21/12) Wilko spends some time between events going looney in the Mentawais |
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EUROS
INDO A GO-GO (08/03/12) After scoring heavily all over the globe, "Where's Sancho?" does the sure-thing trip |
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SurfingList Travel is now ofering surf charters to the Mentawais on four different surf boats
The Mentawais offer some of the best surf anywhere on earth. The Mentawai Islands attract swells year round with the most consistent season generally being between March and November. Waves vary in size from 2 to 12 feet with the average wave height being about 6 feet. The region can also get large swells up to 15 feet+. The islands have some of the most consistent, user friendly surf in the world. There are a broad variety of waves from waves good for all levels to the perfect barrels breaking over shallow reef. Some of the most famous surf spots in the Mentawais include Macaronis, Hollow Trees (also called HTs or Lance's Right), Rifles, and No Kanduis but there are many other world class waves to be found here.
- All transfers to and from Padang Airport
- Transfers to and from the Mentawai Islands
- Full catering, snacks, tropical fruit juices, and sodas onboard
- Use of onboard equipment
- Use of smaller boat for photography
- Two cases of beer per person - extra beer available upon request.
Adventure to mentawai island
Hidup ini begitu singkat jika tidak
kita isi dengan hal-hal menarik, dan harus di isi dengan hal yang
bermanfaat. Bagi saya hal yang menarik itu salah satunya adalah
pertualangan (adventure), untuk melihat, merasakan, dan melakukan hal
baru. adapun perjalanan rutin itu antara lain, mendaki gunung, lintas
alam, camping, dll, namun itu semua saya lakukan masih di wilayah pulau
sumatera, dan kebanyakan di hutan gunung. sehingga akhir tahun 2012
saya merencanakan perjalanan pulau dan pantai di luar pulau sumatera.
Bagi saya pulau Sumatera ini begitu
luas, selama 20 tahun hidup, saya
belum bisa keluar dari pulau ini.Namun kata orang nun jauh diseberang
laut sana masih banyak tempat yang lain dan lebih memukau. Menginjak di
umur ke 20 ini aku mulai melihat keluar mencoba meninggalkan pulau
sumatera yang merupakan pulau yang tak pernah ku tinggalakan selama
lebih dari 20 tahun hidup ini. Dan tempat pertama yang aku kunjungi
meninggalkan pulau sumatera adalah Kepulauan Mentawai, tepatnya Pulau
Pagai
.
Peta : Kepulauan Mentawai Sumatera Barat
Peta : Jalur Lintas Kapal Ambu-Ambu Padang - Mentawai
Akses kapal umum ke mentawai ada 3 buah yaitu, ke Siberut, Sipora dan Sikakap. karena kami mau ke Pulau Pagai, maka memilih rute ke Sikakap. Dan dari padang kita naik kapal feri bernama AMBU-AMBU di teluk bungus, teluk bungus terletak disamping teluk bayur (arah ke Painan) atau sekitar 40 menit pejalanan dari Pasar Raya jika menggunakan angkot (ongkos = Rp5000,- per orang).Kapal menuju Sikakap hanya beroperasi setiap hari selasa (berangkat dari bungus padang selasa jam 17:00 WIB). Lama perjalanan yaitu sekitar 14 jam atau kita sampai di Pelabuahan sikakap kepulauan mentawai pada hari Rabu jam 07:00 WIB. Harga tiket ekonomi untuk orang dewasa yaitu Rp.95000,-, sedangkan untuk Anak-anak Rp 75000,-.
