Ray Wilcoxen's Surf Report from Kandui Resort (Click here to view surf report pics):The winds were blowing out of the north again this morning. We headed for Bankvaults again and it we were happy to see that it was a little bigger than yesterday. There were only 2 guys out as well, so we got out there quickly. There were some double overhead sets. It had a funky west bump, a clue of what was to come, but it was offshore and there were some good barrels. We got some nice waves and took a few beatings. After that, we were looking for something a little more mellow, so we went around the corner to Beng Beng. It was looking pretty epic when we arrived. Only one guy out and overhead waves peeling down the reef. 8 on a scale of 10 for Beng Beng. But not 20 minutes into the session, the winds suddenly began to blow out of the west at about 20 plus mph. Within minutes, the place was a blown out mess. It blew that way the rest of the day, but that was good for 4 Bobs so we surfed the shoulder high waves out there until dark. We are expecting smaller surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 26, 2008
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The swell was looking a bit bigger this morning. The winds were out of the north so we headed for Bankvaults. Conditions were really nice and no one was out. Waves were a few feet overhead on the good sets and our guys were on it quick. The sun was out and we surfed for hours. It was the best session of this trip. Our second boat went to Beng Beng where they surfed shoulder high waves for hours with next to no one out. We got back for a late lunch, then headed back to Bankvaults, but the wind turned west on us so we did a 180 and ended up surfing 4 Bobs. It was shoulder high or so with offshore winds and it was just our crew out there so it was fun. We are hoping for a same size waves tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 25, 2008
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It was pretty glassy our front this morning and it was looking really small as well, so the call was Burgerworld. It’s not often we surf Burgerworld in August because the swell has to be almost flat, for Mentawaiian standards, to be good and there is usually a lot of swell in the middle of the season like this. So it was nice to get to surf it. It’s an easy, long wave. We packed some food and stayed pretty much all day. It was crowded at times because a few boats were on it, but there were a lot of waves to go around so everybody had fun. The winds were light and variable all day, except late in the afternoon when it came out of the southwest pretty hard and that’s when we headed back to the resort. We are expecting bigger surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 23, 2008
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It started out not looking like a good day again today. The winds were blowing pretty hard out of the northeast, which is onshore in front of the resort, and it was cloudy so it just didn’t look like much was happening. Eventually, after a fair amount of coffee, we rallied a few people and our boat headed off to Nipusi. Over there is was glassy and a little overhead, and our timing was good because what people were there had surfed during the high tide, morning hours and they were done. Our guys went out and got it on the better tide with only a handful in the water the whole time. The came back stoked! After that, it was easier to get an afternoon boat out. Again, it didn’t look too inviting with the now southeast, onshore winds and a slight crowd, but our guys got lucky again! A couple of boats left and the winds turned offshore and they ended up surfing fun, uncrowded waves again! Not a bad day of surf. We are probably looking at a smaller day tomorrow. Burgerworld?
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 22, 2008
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The Billabong crew were leaving today. It was great having Rasta and Andy Irons here again, and having Parko and Taj visit our place for the first time. It’s too bad the waves were not better, but maybe next time… The plan this morning was to get an early surf in, but the surf had dropped even more and the winds were only good for the spots that do not pick up the brunt of the swell so we decided to take the morning off. After saying goodbye to our departing Billabong friends around midday, some of the other guests took off and surfed Beng Beng and some even surfed some small Kandui’s. Both spots were fun with no one out, so they had a good afternoon. Our new guests arrived in the late afternoon and got some small 4 Bobs in before dark. We are probably looking at some smaller surf tomorrow. Wade Goodall and Granger Larsen are here and they are hoping we can find some barrels somewhere before they have to leave on Tuesday.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 19, 2008
We got out a little earlier this morning, trying to take advantage of the AM high tide at Hideaways. It was smaller, but there were still some waves that got your attention. As the tide dropped, so did the swell until there was just about nothing to left. Lunchtime! In the afternoon, the winds had turned and was coming out of the east, with maybe even a touch of north. We headed for Bankvaults, hoping it was north enough to clean up the surf there. The wind was just good enough and there were some good size sets. It was pushing double overhead on the biggest ones. Everybody got a few before the winds turned back and came a little more from the southeast, then the party was over. That wind switch was good, though, for our guests that had gone to Kandui late in the afternoon! Conditions were good and there were some overhead waves once in a while. Good fun for them. We’re probably looking at some smaller surf tomorrow. The surf had a little more punch today, but not by much. Some of the guys surfed Kandui’s. There was no one out and it had an occasional head high set. I’m sure it would have been an epic day at your local beach break, but it was pretty average for around here. The other guys surfed Hideaways. It had some head high sets and the conditions were good, so the guys were happy. We did some more whip ins and stuff at 4 Bobs in the afternoon. Fun, but we really need some swell. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’s coming any time soon.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 12, 2008
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The surf was smaller this morning. Winds were out of the southeast. The crew searched high and low for a good wave, but everywhere that had good conditions was too small to motivate anyone to jump off of the boat. It started looking like a beer afternoon but, after a couple of Bintangs sitting on the porch, 4 Bobs started looking better and better. Before we knew it, Andy and Parko were whipping in and doing sick slashes and airs in the occasional head high surf. Then Rasta joined the party with his little wooden board with no fin. It was pretty cool to see the contrast of modern ski surfing and surfing the way the ancient Hawaiians must have done it hundreds of years ago. Rasta and Parko even surfed a wave together. That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Andy gave the wood board a try and pulled off a nice ride on his first try! That’s so hard to do. Everyone in the water had fun and the rest of us had fun watching! We are hoping for a little bump up in the surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 11, 2008
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We have some really good surfers on the island right now. Rasta has already been here for a week or so, now Andy Irons is with us again with his wife Lyndie, and Parko is here as well. The winds were semi light out of the north this morning and Parko went up to Rifles on the jet ski to get a couple head high plus barrels in before breakfast. The north winds were better suited for Bankvaults so we picked up Parko and headed there. It was pretty much going off when we arrived. Double overhead plus sets were coming through and conditions were very good with the light offshore winds. The guys were out there and scoring some good ways right off the bat. There were more people on it than usually surf Bankvaults at that size because there was a boat with a bunch of young, but talented, surfers charging it. Andy and Parko took the ski and were doing jump offs up the reef where the take off is hazardous to your health, and they were getting some sick shacks. It’s always cool to see surfers of that caliber surfing a wave you usually just watch and mind surf! After a while, the winds went east and that chopped the waves up a bit, so we packed it up and checked out Kandui’s. It was only a little overhead on the sets, but clean and no one out. We surfed it for a few hours and everybody got a couple funs ones. It was a 4 Bobs afternoon. The east winds were still blowing so it was a little onshore, but 4 Bobs is always fun!
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 10, 2008
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The winds started our north this morning. We had some guests leaving today so they got an early boat together and headed for Bankvaults. The winds suddenly turned east so they settled for Nipusi instead, but it was overhead and fun so there were no complaints. The winds went dead, then came up southwest. That is good news if you like 4 Bobs! It became super clean with the offshore winds and that was the spot to be. Sets were a little overhead. It was a little busy with a couple of boats around, but the guys had fun. Some surfed Rifles, but it was just semi clean and only head high or so. We are hoping the swell picks up tomorrow. It was super glassy this morning. Rifles wasn’t showing much, so we sent our first boat to Bankvaults. It was a few feet overhead with clean conditions, but it was a bit lined up. The guys had fun though, and they had it to themselves. As the morning wore on, Rifles started to show some signs of life. The guys that did not go to Bankvaults went up there and ended up having a great session! It was glassy and the swell just kept building until there were sets 3 or 4 feet overhead my midday. We had it to ourselves pretty much all day with only 3 guys or so paddling out for an hour or two. The winds came up out of the east around 4 o’clock, but we had already had our fill. It was a really fun day up there. We are expecting a decent southwest swell to fill in tomorrow afternoon. Southeast winds were blowing this morning at around 10 mph or so. The swell had dropped just slightly out front. Some of the guys opted to surf at 4 Bobs rather than take the small but clean Beng Beng or big but bumpy Nipusi options. It was still overhead there and the guys had fun. Later, some of the crew surfed Nipusi. Big and bumpy. Around early afternoon, a storm blew in and then the winds clocked around until they were blowing north. We waited for a bit to see if it would keep clocking and blow offshore at Rifles because we could see sets coming through up there that were well overhead. But it didn’t quite do it, so off to Nipusi again we went. It was clean and double overhead. A bit fat, but fun. We are hoping the winds will blow all night and Bankvaults will be the call in the morning with a decent southwest swell due to arrive then. The wind was still blowing hard this morning. Our guys on this trip are really frothing so the wind didn’t stop them from looking for surf! And they didn’t do too bad for themselves. Hideaway’s was shoulder high or so and handling the winds, so they surfed there and had fun. The second boat went to Ebay and Beng Beng. Both were small, but fun with ok conditions. The afternoon was all 4 Bobs. We have a southeast swell building and 4 Bobs was catching it pretty good with some overhead sets coming through, although it was a bit bumpy with the south winds. The guys had fun. Forecasts are calling for diminishing winds tomorrow so we are hoping for some better surf soon. The wind was blowing out of the southeast at a pretty good clip this morning. The swell was looking pretty small, but some of the guys went over to Kandui’s to surf some small, high tide waves. No one else was out so it was ok. The second boat went to Beng Beng. It was small, but clean and no one out so the guys there had fun as well. The wind really picked up in the afternoon so we stayed close to home and surfed some pretty bumpy 4 Bobs. Better than nothing, but not by much! Probably looking at another lack luster day of surf tomorrow. The swell was looking smaller this morning and the wind had picked up. That was a good enough excuse for the boys to sleep in a little today. Eventually, some of the guys rallied and went to Ebay. It was around head high on the sets and only a couple other guys were out, so it was fun. Our second boat went to Beng Beng around lunch time. It was the best wave going today with slightly overhead sets and offshore winds, so it was a bit busy. But the guys still got some good waves. The wind really picked up in the afternoon out of the south so no one wanted to travel very much. The guys that wanted to surf went to Kandui’s to surf some shoulder high waves, while the others snorkeled or just hung out. Rasta took his old Hawaiian style board and got a few at 4 Bobs before dark. By old Hawaiian style, I mean basically a wooden plank with the nose end rounded off. No fin, no rocker….. He’s been surfing on it almost everyday and you wouldn’t believe how good he can do! The thing is faster than shit and he can do these big cutbacks, even with no fin! Amazing. I’ll have to send pictures. The next time you hear someone complain after a fall that it was because his rails were this or his tail was that, just show him a picture of Rasta ripping on a piece of wood that you could have tore off the side of your house! Unbelievable. We are probably looking at another forgettable day of surf tomorrow, but things should start looking up soon. We got up super early this morning to see if we could catch Rifles before the wind came up. There was a light bump on the water when we arrived, but it was doable and some solid sets were rolling through. Probably double overhead on some of them. No one was out. It was a little tough with the bump and the crumbling lip, though, but we got some fun ones. The guys on the longer boards seemed to be fairing the best. It got busy fairly quickly. The wind came up a bit stronger out of the southeast and the current was in full force with the big tide swing today, so we headed in around mid morning. After a little rest, we went to Beng Beng. There was no one out and it was just about as good as Beng Beng gets. The tide was low, the winds were offshore, and it was at its optimal size, which is a little overhead. The guys got some good ones, then we headed back. After a late lunch, we headed for Rifles again. The winds had died a bit and it was simi glassy. Only Rasta and his brother in law were out. They had had an epic session in the middle of the day while everyone else was eating lunch or avoiding the midday sun and low tide. It’s good to go against the flow sometimes, because it got crowded quickly and they had it to themselves for hours! But there were enough to go around and everyone had fun. We are looking at dropping surf tomorrow. Everyone was pretty tired after yesterday’s marathon surf, so the restaurant was looking like a ghost town until close to 8 o’clock. Eventually, people got moving and we sent a boat to Ebay. It was a little smaller than yesterday, but still fun. In the afternoon, we went over to Beng Beng. It was head high of so and clean, but it ended up getting a bit busy so we packed it up and went to Hideaway to see if any of the new swell was filling in there with the incoming tide. We were greeted right away by a head high set and no one was out so we quickly dove in and surfed there the rest of the afternoon. It was clean and fun and some overhead sets came through. Surfed until dark. We are expecting the swell to fill in more and be substantial by tomorrow. The swell was obviously smaller out front this morning. Winds were light out of the southeast. We headed over to Ebay to see how much swell was left over there. Conditions were super clean, but it was looking a bit small so we moved over to Beng Beng. No one was out and it was a little overhead on the sets with good conditions as well. We surfed it for a good while before some others paddled out. We were on our way back to the resort but Ebay was looking pretty fun with only one guy out so we headed back out for which ended up being a fun session. There were some head high plus waves and conditions were good. We seemed to hit a little pulse in the swell which lasted a couple of hours, then it was done. The guys were pretty tired and hungry by them anyway so we headed back for a late lunch. In the afternoon, we went to Nipusi for a little surf before dark. It was well overhead on the sets, but a little bumpy with the south winds. We are hoping a south swell will start showing tomorrow afternoon.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 1, 2008
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Archived Surf Reports
Helpful Hints
Surf Etiquette
Your trip to the Mentawai's should be the best experience possible. The very nature of the way in which waves break in the Mentawai's lends itself to an even higher degree of order and cooperation. Follow these rules and everyone will have a better session, especially you. Remember, you're on vacation!
1. Don't think you own the place.
When you arrive at a new spot and there is already a group surfing the worst thing you can do is to send out every surfer on your boat in an all out assault. It's just not cool. A good surf guide will show you how to strike a perfect balance by sending out a few surfers at a time and making the transition as subtle as possible.
2. Take your turn.
The majority of waves in the Mentawai's break like a classic point break. The most discouraging thing in the world is to have some clown paddling past you after every wave. For this rule, think assembly line, take your turn, go in order, and everyone will get their fair share of waves.
3. Hands up if you don't want it.
When it's your turn and you're waiting for the set of the day it always helps to let other people know your intentions. Most people will expect that you're going to be going on the next decent wave that comes through but by no means does that mean you have to go. When a wave is approaching that you are not interested in all you have to do is hold both of your hands up and out of the water to send a clear message to everyone that you're not going. This will eliminate any ambiguity and there will definitely be more waves to go around and a clear line of communication in the water.
4. Let it go.
It sucks to get burned on a small, weak day so you can imagine how much worse it is on a big, scary day. If you see someone paddling for a wave, even if they look like they aren't going to catch it, let it go. Getting stuffed on a double overhead grinder with the reef lurking a few feet below the surface and the possibility of getting stuck inside isnt worth the potential conflict.
5. Pick me up.
When you're ready to get picked up all you have to do is wave your board in the air from the channel. If there is someone injured, everyone in the line-up should wave their boards at the same time.
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Surfline is the most comprehensive surf forecasting and reporting website on the internet. They have a great tool called LOLA which is remarkably accurate in it's wave height, period, and wind direction models. This link will take you to their comprehensive "forecast" page. Surfline is the most comprehensive surf forecasting and reporting website on the internet. They have a great tool called LOLA which is remarkably accurate in it's wave height, period, and wind direction models. This link will take you to their comprehensive "LOLA" page. Brand new website with a tremendous wind, wave, and period forecast for Sumatra. Very high tech, easy to use, provides a fantastic visual display for many areas including Sumatra. This site is not over technical - Wavewatch is very easy to navigate, understand and has some great features! Magic Seaweed maintains a remarkably detailed surf report for the Mentawai Islands region. Out of all the sites at our disposal we'd have to recommend Magic Seaweed as a close second behind Surfline in terms of features and overall accuracy for their swell forecasts and more importantly wind predictions!
This is a very accurate and easy to read 4 day forecast measured by the most relevant Mentawai buoy. An extended 7 day forecast is available on a subscription basis. This site also boasts great local wind information. 168 hour forecast covering the entire Indian Ocean in a spherical format. This is what all of the other websites use for their data, just not as fancy. If you want a quick, easy to understand link, this is it. 168 hour forecast covering the entire Indian Ocean. This link provides a simple to understand wave period animation. The longer the wave period the more spots waves can sneak into, especially in the Mentawais. This is one of the most impressive, free Indonesian surf reports on the internet. It's got accurate wave height, period, wind, and tide information in an easy to read format.
A remarkably detailed satellite animation of the Indian Ocean region. Make sure you check out the "zoom" feature. This will show you basic storm patterns and wind shifts along the Equator. Practically the same animation as # 1 but in an easier to read enhanced color format. This satellite enables you to see clouds and precipitation a lot easier than the original. Mark Sponsler at Stormsurf has put together an extremely comprehensive list of swell and weather links for the Indian Ocean region here. The link above offers a graphic format for wave heights. Stormsurf has created a number of great wave height models for the Indian Ocean. The link above is a fantastic overview for the entire Indian Ocean - check out Stormsurf for all of your forecasting resources!