Punters
We have moved to a part of the Islands called Lances. The swell is still tiny but there are some fun waves around exposed breaks nearby. We still haven’t seen the real perfection that these islands are famous for. Lances area was badly hit by the Tsunami last year – the Bintang village has now […]
Ombak Kecil
So here we are…drifting between islands in search of good waves following swell charts and good weather. It’s been small so far, 3 to 4 foot – with some really small low tide sessions. Windy too which is not normal for this equatorial surf haven. Early this morning we had some sheet glass but just […]
Mentawais
Selmat Pagi. It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled. Around 8 months to be exact (cause we had a baby). The next two weeks the photos are going to be via satellite as we’re in the Mentawais Islands, Indonesia on charter boat Tengirri. It’s paradise here…the waves are 3 foot today, getting bigger in […]
Rip dip
Greetings. Rolled down the hill to have a look at Bondi and was greeted with some fun 2 footers. Finally some south swell is drip feeding into the bay with the potential of getting bigger as the day progresses. The world’s greatest bank had waves, but the rip switched on putting some chop on the […]
APPA
Good morning. There’s some little waves around the traps, Bondi was 2 foot and fat. I’d surf it, probably on a fat board though…something wider than 19 inches to be exact. Tomorrow should be bigger but it could be a lil’ junkie with a trailing SE wind and short interval (5 secs). APPA Awards – […]
Empty
Good morning. Beach conditions are pretty much the same as the past 4 days. Around 8am there was a short stint of sunshine, but then 20 minutes later it bucketed down (again). Today is the last day of this onshore mess plague. The forecast shows a change in winds tomorrow, so maybe the seas will […]
Friday Arvo Dabble
Hi y’all. We’re back in Bondi now and a few shades darker. After a brief visit to the beach with the camera I’ve defaulted to the safe haven of our recent Mentawai’s imagery. Why? Well…15 knot, sloppy, onshore, 1 footers weren’t my cup of tea. Oh it’s pouring with rain too! Boo! The good news […]
Dozer Dumps
Not a very inspiring morning down the beach. Bondi was 2 foot and messy…the banks are totally shot. I’m hoping that the bulldozer moving sand back in the water may create something…anything…cause surely its gotta be better than what we’ve currently got. The swell is from the ESE, so Tama/Bra would show more size (maybe […]
Tropical thunder
Today’s update concludes our 10th annual pilgrimage to the Mentawai Islands off Sumatra (sigh of relief I hear from some of you). It always amazes me how perfect and consistent the waves are up here. Out of all my travels, not many destinations offer good waves…every day – with such variety. Even when the swell […]
isolation
After surfing a mechanical left all morning the crowds got a bit heavy so we headed north. 1hr of motoring and we came across a remote idyllic paradise island with a 300 metre right hander down one side and a short left down the other. (not a soul in sight). The kind of setup you […]
Back on
The swell came back today up here in the Mentawai Islands. (Thankfully). The 25 boats in the area travelled overnight to their favourite breaks spread out in the archipelago. We arrived at dawn to a 3 foot mechanical left which is so perfect, it’s as if it was engineered specifically for practising your backhand whacks. […]
Intermission
It doesn’t happen often…but today the Mentawais have gone all quiet. After a few days of hollow bliss it is time to rest and watch a whole season of Underbelly. Not much else to do in a 20 square metre cabin with 6 surfers. Swell charts show a small pulse arriving tomorrow…and we’re at the […]
Indonesian Blu
The weather in the Mentawai islands is highly unstable – normally, but we’ve had a good run of clear skies and relatively little wind. This combination makes for clear underwater visibility – great for shooting chargers flying down the line – from behind. It all happens quickly, focussing can be tricky as fins thrash before […]
