Selamat pagi. Bondi has probably been ‘best ever’ in my
absence…I bet. Well we’ve been scoring a few waves in the Mentawai’s
over the past couple of days. Most breaks suffer from early morning
sickness, wind chop affected and not really lining up. But by about
lunchtime it completely cleans up into 3-4 foot bowly heaven &
sunshine… The last few spots have been mostly rights with minimal
crew and a couple tube sections. By about 2pm a vicious storm will
hit for about an hour (standard down pour and 50 knots squalls)
whilst the mother ship (Indies III) ducks for cover behind islands
the size of your backyard. Tonight we drive all night to reach a
world class right at sunrise (yeah, most of you know it…), probably
one of the most photographed waves in the world. Can’t really tell
you much weather specific info as I have no idea about tides or
winds (not that it’s relevant to you all) – it changes every hour.
Bit of info about Mentawai Islands; They’re a remote
archipelago of islands that hang off Sumatra, Indonesia. Swells
pump from the south along the west coast of oz traveling through
deep water (its 5500 metres deep just along side these islands)
smashing into a network of shallow coral reefs at huge intervals
(you get 22 sec periods here). 30,000 people live on these islands
and they have a unique language, religion and culture as they have
been pretty much untouched due to their geographic isolation from
the mainland and inaccessibility. Most of the population live in
small villages… some still in loin cloths, filed teeth and tattooed
from head to toe.
Enough Captain Cook rambles…typing on a rocking
boat makes dinner come close to the surface. Selamat tinggal, ::Uge
PS – we’re not getting email on the boat (Satellite
connection = mega $$$)…so if you have questions or reply to this
email it won’t be read until later this month. Have a good week…
