WAVES IN THE MENTAWAI ISLANDS
Since early/middle 1990′s surfers visiting the Mentawai Islands to experience untouched rainforest and superb waves. The Mentawai Islands are such a great place for surf with classic waves breaking in crystal clear and warm water. What more could anyone want. The only way to surf all of the many waves in the Mentawai Islands and stay away from the mosquitos, is only by boat. Boats give you freedom and movability. Hundreds of “world-class” reef and beach breaks exists up here, making it one of the most surf-infested regions in the world. Most spots host mechanical perfection and vary in intensity for all level of surfer, making it an ideal surf vacation location.
Our good friend, the South Indian Ocean, produces the swells that have the islands pumping consistently from February through out November at 3-15 ft, and sometimes bigger! And the cyclone swells keep the surf rolling in throughout the remainder of the year. You come to the Mentawai’s, you get surf! The calm winds ensure that the swells that arrive are always lined up and of a very high standard. To get an idea what to expect just take a look below at the overview of Mentawai surf spots! Looks good, right?
Rifles: One of the best waves in the Mentawais. A very long righthander that wraps around the other side of the same island as No Kanduis. Sometimes makeable from start to finish, but even just from section to section you can get rides up to 100 yards or longer. Nice and hollow once it’s a few feet overhead, but usually more sectiony at smaller sizes.
Bank Vaults: A shorter chunkier version of Rifles. A thick, tricky, shifty right with a fast and intense tube for experienced surfers only, near Nipussi.
Nipussi: A shorter right that breaks down the point from Bank Vaults. Definitely a fun and rippable wave. Usually has fairly deep water from the takeoff to the inside. Ends in a riptide that sucks all the water back out to sea. A good option when there’s not much swell, and usually the most consistent spot in the area.
4 Bobs: A short, fun and mellow right hander for all surfers. Pretty mellow drop with the opportunity for a few good hacks at the lip and then it mushes out into deep water. It can get a bit shallow at low tide so you need to watch yourself but all in all, it’s one of the most rippable alternative’s in the Mentawai’s.
A Frame: A Frame is one of the most consistent lefts in the Mentawai Islands. The peaks at the top can be a bit shifty and require a fair amount of paddling around to find the right area while the inside section is more dependable and offers up a better wall to work with.
Beng Beng: A very consistent world class wave, an extremely rippable left. This spot is loads of fun and probably one of the easiest waves to surf in the Mentawai’s. It’s the deepest and safest wave in the area and also picks up a bit more swell than other locales. There are 5 more breaks in the area, including E-Bay and Pitstops, nestled inside a small bay with one of the most scenic views imaginable all around you.
Burgerworld: This is the most scenic righthand point break in the Ments. Loved by people of all surfing levels. Can offer barrels at times, but usually has long rippable walls to work on your combo’s. Wave magnet, so the less swell the better. Over 5 ft becomes mushy.
E-Bay: This is a hollow left that starts to barrel at the take-off followed by a short wall down the line. A great option when a lot of swell is hitting. E-Bay is world class wave for experienced surfers. Watch out for the two rocks on the inside. The scenery alone will blow you away. Besides its aesthetic beauty, double overhead E-bay is a beast and forces to be reckon with.
Pitstops: This is the right off the peak at E-Bay. A playful right that can offer some cover-ups off the take-off, but mostly a high performance wave with air sections at the end. Ends in a sandy channel.
Hideaways: A very hollow left that can be very shallow at low tide. The waves come out of deep water and then unload on a shallow section of reef before barreling towards the channel.
No Kanduis: A long barreling left that wraps around a small island. Usually very sectiony, but can line up on the largest of swells. Many barrels on offer, but usually only makeable for one or two sections before closing out.
Scarecrows: Another small swell left that can also hold some size. Scarecrows, sometimes referred to as Franko’s or Diablo’s, has the ability to spread out crowds with its several different take off spots. It is not a picture perfect Indo reef break because it shifts around depending on swell direction, size and currents.
Jaraiks: It is nothing more than a bend in the reef and hard to spot until you pull up right in front of it. Surfable on all tides and East – South East winds, Jaraiks actually stops working the moment there is any swell!
Telescopes: Telescopes needs a decent sized west swell to start doing its thing. Though not as consistent as the other breaks in the area, a session at firing Teles will remain imprinted on your mind long after you’ve left the Mentawais
Iceland: Icelands as most of the other waves in the zone is a left and is possibly the most ‘jekyll and hyde’ like wave in the Mentawais. When everywhere in the chain is flat you can still pull up at Icelands and get a head high wave with a lazy but whack-able wall. With a big west swell when everyone is getting excited about Telescopes the Ice turns into a monster with barrels big enough to drive the speedboat through.
Ht’s (Lances Right): A short, perfect barrel complete with the renowned surgeons table which should be avoided at all costs.
Lances left: Long left-hander with two barrels sections. Loves any size swell.
Macaronis: Super mechanical left that barrels from takeoff then provides a long, extremely workable wall. One of the best performance waves in the world.
Rags Right: A hollow right on the southern end of Rags Island. Similar to HT’s but a little longer, and just as good. It can be fickle, but it’s one of the best rights in the islands.
Rags Left: A great lefthander that can hold the biggest swells. It is very hollow and can often dish out some of the heaviest hold-downs in the island chain. Usually a bit more water is moving around so a larger board can be useful.
Thunders: A consistent hollow left and a great option when everywhere else is small.
The Hole: Another very hollow left off a small island in the southern end of the Mentawais. Starts barreling right at the takeoff and never really stops until a closeout section hits the end of the reef.
Lighthouse: A long righthander breaking off a postcard picture island located at the bottom of the Mentawai chain.
** And countless other spots you will surf thanks to our local guide! **
