Listed below is an in-depth look at the TOP 33 Mentawai surf spots:
4 Bobs4 Bobs Right. One of the best warm up waves in the islands. Great fun and totally protected from most wind directions. Not a long wave but usually clean with a potential coverup on takeoff and a nice wall for limbering up and getting ready for the next level.
7 Palm Point7 Palm Point. A fun left-hander with a decent wall to carve. Most boats pass it by but it can deliver fun sessions.
ArikArik's Right. On a big west swell Arik's produces a spectacular high-speed barrel that barely backs off before it throws out again. The wave starts breaking way out the back with 500m rides possible. Needs a north or north east wind and a bit of tide. The coral here is unlike any in the Mentawai with deeply divided living reef that lurks very close to the base of the wave. Get over that and hold your line and make sure the camera is ready.... ... images unlike anything else in the Mentawais
Bank VaultsBankVaults Right. The name says it all.. once you are in one of these perfect beasts it is pretty hard to get out! The bigger it gets the better your chances of making the wave and over the years BankVaults has featured in a lot of magazines and videos. Body boarders love the wave.
BechongsBenchongs is an impossible right handed sucking thing on the south end of Devil's Island. It is somewhat of a secret and the only surfer to ever make it all the way is Anthony Marcotti. He gets naming rights to this one for sure. He claims he first heard about Benchongs in a bar in Jakarta... He was drinking too many bloody mary's and had forgotten to wear his contact lenses. Anthony claims that it was the ride of his life. "Benchongs is a bucking, heaving, husky brute with a climax like a bear trap" he told our doctors. Anyone who messes with Benchongs should be prepared to bleed a bit.
Beng Bengs or KeyHoleBeng Bengs Left is an extremely good left that cranks on a mid size or bigger west swell. A 10 minute boat ride from Eco Bay Lodge. When E-Bay is out of control, Beng Bengs can hold the size. When E-Bay is a bit small or the tide too low, Beng Bengs pumps out mellow speedwalls and the occasional cover-up. A walk along the perfect white sand beach is well worth the effort.
BintangsBintangs Right delivers more fun per meter than most waves you will ever surf. It is short and sweet. On days when the hell north winds blow everything out, Bintangs shines.
Koroniki (Burger World)Koroniki Right or Burgerworld is a great alternative when everywhere else is flat. Anything bigger than 4 feet here flattens out into a giant speedwall.Burgerworld is very consistent and it has produced some epic images over the years. The setting just meters from the jungle is to die for.
E-BayE-Bay Left. E-bay is a spectacular fast, barreling left that is best when overhead or bigger. Jack McCoy named this place "Paradise Point" and it features heavily in some of his best known surf movies. Mulitple coverups are common at mid tide and the wave can turn fun and slashable on full tide. A favorite with the pro photographers.
IcelandIceland is a gut churning left wedge that sucks out of deep water and blasts down a very live reef in super clear water. The name relates to the water color after the wave breaks leaving a fizz of air bubbles in the water for far longer than other places. The peak shifts and getting caught inside is just part of the fun. North to North East winds or flat calm are the only times you will see the best of this wave but it can turn on some incredible sessions.
Kandui LeftKandui Left ranks as one of the fastest left-hand barrels in the world. Most waves are just too fast to paddle into and some of the biggest bombs can only be ridden with a tow-in from well out the back. In a couple of sections the wave backs off just a little and that is where the brave sit. Epic rides reward those willing to take the drop. Punishment is mandatory and it is a long walk back to the keyhole once you get washed inside.
Kandui Right (Rifles)Rifles or Kandui Right is all about straight line speed. When the wind goes west and eases off, Rifles starts firing. Dead straight barrels for several hundred meters with clear glassy walls that will leave your head spinning. The take off area is intense and forget about shoulder hopping. The danger here is that someone is already in the barrel and you cant see them when you stroke in so take your medicine and wait your turn out the back. On its day there is probably no wave than generates more speed in the Mentawais yet is still makable and escapable.
Lance's Right (Hollow Trees)Lance's Right or Hollow Trees, more commonly referred to as "HT's" has been voted one of the top ten waves in the world. Mentawai veterans call it the office... they like to park in the keyhole and surf all day... and call that a job! The wave wraps 180 Deg and actually breaks almost due south after bending, warping and amplifying around the south tip of Sipura. A freak of nature and a very special place. Wide sets can be fat and easy to make but everything else is fast hollow and almost mechanically perfect. The screamers across the reef can reward and they can punish. A wave to elevate your surfing skills if you can face the drop and believe in yourself.
Lance's LeftsLance's Left is one of the best known destinations in the Mentawais. It is world famous for consistency and quality combined with variety. Three main take off zones can be working on the same day with as many sections that barrel and on the best days connect all the way through. The end section is so inviting that almost everyone gets tempted to try it. Dont. The canyons will get you on low tide and you can end up in a washing machine on high tide.
An easy to navigate keyhole makes it easy to recover from the inevitable reef inspection and pretty often you can wait for a chance to paddle out through the lineup to save the long way round.
On the big days, the wide sets make for a majestic sight with a relatively easy entry wedge and plenty of room to pull out before the wave goes manic on the inside.
LighthouseLighthouse Rights can turn on an incredible spectacle when the winds drop out and the swell cranks from the south. Huge wedges seem to hang in space for ages as the lines march towards the lighthouse. Climb the tower to take some amazing shots of the lineup.
Macaroni's (Macas)Macas Left, voted the most fun wave in the world. Macaroni's, more commonly referred to as "Macca's" is one of the best lefts in the tropics. Consistency is Macas middle name. The wave looks more like a machine than a natural reef formation. If you could design a wave, Macas is about the best thing one could imagine putting together.
Tom Carroll set the record for taking off deepest. So deep that the wave he pulled into has only been ridden a handful of times since. Most surfers head for the boils that mark the take-off zone and about half of the team in the water will get the drop, turn, tuck sequence worked out on the first day. Not up to that? pick off the dregs. An hour surfing the inside bowl is amazing and more fun than most surfers will have in a year at home.
Macaroni's RightMacaroni's Right breaks when the winds turn north or north east. A fun wave when 4 ft or more, it produces long speed walls and a lot of down the line barrels.
Mainu (Hideaways)Hideaways Left or Mainu throws a heavy left barrel over a very visible and very shallow reef. Far less consistent than other breaks in the area, it is best on a fresh west swell with a 14+second period. When it gets good it can be very very good. Other times it can be pretty gnarly. Low tide is for lunies and pros. SE winds or none at all suit it best.
NipussiNippussi Right picks up all the swell and turns on more consistent performance waves than any location in the north Mentawais. Winds often go north and Nippussi is offshore while everything else gets blown out. Wide wedges hold up to 5m while the reef runners can produce barrels on much very little swell.
PlaygroundsRubber Duckies Left or Playgrounds produces long and clean walls for mal riders or anyone looking for a mellow experience with little or no fear attached. On bigger south swell days this wave can stand up into the west wind and produce very long speedwalls.
PitstopsPitstops is a predictable right-hander which breaks a few hundred yards from E-bay. The take off area is about the size of a billiard table on a small swell, it moves out predictably on mid size swells but goes mutant and wide when the swell picks up. Best at mid tide or lower and 3ft, the wave throws a nice cover-up on the take-off, backs off into a bashable lip and then reforms over sand all the way to the beach. A perfect set up for beginners and kids with huge trees shading the white sand amphitheater and a sand bottom blue hole for swimming. Watch the rip on bigger days... it will cycle you back to the lineup in no time but swimmers can find themselves out in deep water pretty fast. Relax and call a boat or someone on a board.
PromisesPromises is seldom ridden by anyone who is not at pro level. Great for photogs looking for wide open right hand barrels in but very close to dry reef so no room for error.
Rag's LeftRag's Left is an absurdly long left with a dependable barrel. It is best on a huge southwest swell when it is breaking four feet or bigger at the top of the reef. The walls stand up for ever and the spectacle of Rags at 6ft is something you will never forget.
Rag's RightRag's Right is still working on high tide but it is no less intimidating. The lip throws out so far because the reef ledges up fast and mistakes are not good for your health. Awesome on its day, Rags Right needs light NE or N winds to fire.
Satan's Left (Discos)Disco's is a fun mellow left when the wind goes NE or flat calm. Long walls and a couple of coverup without the gut tightening side effects of the Hole make it popular with the older crew.
ScarecrowsScarecrows - Pitojat Island. Scarecrows Left is always a bit larger and a bit more exposed than Telescopes. Scarecrows is best on an incoming tide and very light east or south east wind. It handles stronger south winds at low to mid tide and the take off is either a deep instant coverup or a big wedgey ramp and an insane inside bowl.
SilabulabuSilabulabu is a fun left speedwall when everywhere else is out of control. South east to south winds best.
SuicidesSuicides is seldom ridden simply because it sucks almost dry from the drop till the closeout. Strictly for thrill junkies with gigantic gonads. Or pros with manic photogs in charge.
TelescopesTelescopes Left - How deep do you want to paddle? One of the world's most perfect left barrels once the swell hits 4ft or more. A tide gate holds back the swell on the outgoing and for an hour or two after low tide. Then the fun starts and if you are on the spot for the afternoon offshore your tropical fantasies will all come together in front of your eyes. The wave looks easy from the anchorage but it is always bigger and faster than you think on the drop.
Thunder'sThunders is named for the goosebump raising noise it makes. Dropping pick at the place causes a rush to the head. Always way bigger than it looks from the boat, Thunders is easily the most consistent left in the Mentawais. SE to SW winds are more or less off shore with South being the ideal wind direction. Waves wrap from several different directions so you are always on the look out for the most feared wide sets in the Mentawais. Caught inside at Thunders is something to avoid.
Six wave sets and a lot of water rushing over the reef make you feel like an old sock in a washing machine. Injuries are actually pretty rare on the bigger days but beware when the swell drops below 4 ft. The small days always seem to hammer you harder and after the recent uplift there is no more washing in over the reef to the keyhole. Most surfers agree the wave is actually better since the island jacked up about 40cm in the quakes last year.
Thunder's Right
Thunders Right is a so-so right next to Thunders. If you decide to surf here hopefully you'll have a northwest wind and medium tide to make it halfway entertaining.
The Hole
The Hole is legend in surf videos and for good reason. Some skippers regard it as the most perfect Left barrel in the world and the photos say it all. The clear blue water and perfect polished glass walls are so beautiful that you are likely to forget that the reef is so close.
Turuns
Turuns is an underrated left breaking round a picture perfect tiny island. Most boats pass it without stopping. Wait for the mid tide and the glass off and be rewarded surfing alone in paradise.
Koto Gadang is a Kenagarian (village) in Agam regency which produced many national leaders, from politicians, scientists until the literati. At a time of former President Sukarno came to Koto Gadang and said, "Koto Gadang, a small town, but his large sieve (large)".
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