Last Blast - Broken Sticks And Blood On The Boat
That Kandui is a real ass-kicker. Overhead, freight train barrels greeted us this morning at what I’m calling one of the best waves I’ve ever seen. When proper, it’s like five Teahupo‘o’s strung together minus the top-heavy lips. While this morning was by no means epic, it was an awesome send-off for our group, a rag-tag bunch of misfits that I’ve come to call friends.
We had kinda offshore winds this morning and the swell was running head-high to overhead by two or three feet. The infamous racetrack sections were in full-effect and we only made about half of our waves, but make it or not, you’re fu--kin’ piped the whole time! My brand-new, 6’0” round pin WRV from Pat Mulhern didn’t fare so well after a shinner that snapped the nose off, and gave me a nice little souvenir to spin yarns with back home, “Dude, I was so deep…until…”
Kandui (the surf break) Observations:
It’s definitely one of the better waves in the world.
There’s a little reef shark that lives out there (saw him last night).
I think it would be easier at six-to-eight foot than three-to-five foot, there’s just more room to weave through the barrel at that size.
Ozzie Wright got an eighteen second tube (captured on video) two weeks before I was here. Longer ones are possible.
After you takeoff, there is absolutely no dicking around--it’s pedal to the metal the whole time.
That said, don’t bother stalling or bringing you’re a-game cutbacks.
When in the barrel, don’t try to squeak out the doggie door, it’s best to go for the high line.
I’ll be back…
Adios
I’ve been on a lot of surf trips (a spoiled rotten dickhead I’ve been called by my friends) and I must say, this trip to Kandui Resort has been one of the all-time, best ever. Between the great surf (even though we didn’t get a really solid swell), awesome staff who cater to your every need in and out of the water, and beautiful tropical island setting, this is the place to bring a crew of bros, your significant other (she’ll love it!), or just yourself on a perfect surf getaway.
Thanks Kandui! Justin Coté
Booked for 2008!
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 29, 2007
Kandui! Or Was It Nokandui? The bar here at Kandui is abuzz right now after our first session at the world-renowned left; Nokandui.
The day started off cold! Ray from the camp here was calling it the coldest day of the season and I almost felt like wearing a wetsuit jacket. Along with the “cold”, Four Bob’s (the spot right in front of the resort) was packed with over twenty surfers from five different boats. To boot, the winds were howling from every direction, and we did a wave check at every spot--and they were all junk. Weird how it can be onshore everywhere even when all the spots are facing different directions. A pretty crappy morning until…
Around noon, the rain let up, we scarfed down some chicken, salad, and potatoes and hit the water in the speedboat blasting Akon (our boat drivers love that shit).
First stop: Beng Beng. It was 2-3 foot, glassy and pretty fun until a boatload of Portagee drop-in artists from Kauai showed up and threw an eggy vibe into the lineup. We blasted out of there and checked Hideaways, which was looking a bit small and inconsistent. After a couple Bintangs, we decided on one last check of Nokandui (leaving tomorrow! Shit!).
We hadn’t even stopped the boat when we saw overhead freight train barrels rifling down the reef. There was no question about whether or not to paddle out, it was on! With just over an hour left of light we got some long, high-speed barrels that had a make-it-to-eat-it ratio of about 1:3.
So what is it? Kandui or Nokandui? Nobody seems to be sure, guess it depends on how many waves you make.
We’ll be out there before light tomorrow going all out in big, grinding barrels!
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 28, 2007
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 27, 2007
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 26, 2007
There’s a new speedboat here at Kandui Resort that is simply badass. It’s a converted military patrol boat with a 200 horsepower inboard motor with tinted windows and dual 50 caliber machine guns that clear lineups better than an angry Hawaiian. There’s not actually guns on it, but, while kickin’ back on the bow as we motored out of the mangroves I felt like I was in a scene from Apocalypse Now and shouted “Charlie don’t surf!” to Heinrich, the hard-charging knee boarder from Santa Cruz who hates knee boarders. Go figure.
After a ten minute recon mission, err, cruise up the reef towards Rifles, we stopped at a seldomly surfed spot, called Pistols. From out the back we saw what looked to be head-high plus rights spinning down the reef before expiring near an exposed rock. After a quick and unanimous group vote we jumped off the speedboat and into the best session yet.
Without a cloud in the sky (SPG 15 sunscreen doesn’t cut it out here by the way), our crew ripped apart Pistols. Brudda Zack from the Big Island was doing his best Taylor Knox impression while me and Pete (F.B.I. as well) did our best to stay out of the sun and in the barrel while going backside. It sounds cliché and dorky but everyone yelling for others to go, slapping fives in the channel, and Heinrich the knee boarder even threw me a shaka from the barrel!
The surfer I was most impressed with was one of the guys who work here at the resort, Andy. Born and raised here in the Mentawais, he was ripping a new Orion Surfboard that Eric Geiselman recently left for him. After some prying, I learned that he’s 21, been surfing for seven years, and “sort of” has some sponsors. He was popping airs, doing 360s, and got a sweet barrel right in front of me that he finished off with a double claim. It’s really cool to see kids like Andy and other locals ripping their own waves and becoming a part of the worldwide surfing brotherhood.
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 21, 2007
If anywhere has been mislabeled out here in the Mentawais, it’s poor Burgerworld. I remember rocking up to Swamis one day years ago and sighing, “Fu--kin’ Burgerworld” as I watched a typical set mush on down the line. Rob Keith, a photographer for Surfer Magazine, was nearby and shot back at me, “Hardly, you couldn’t get out there quick enough if this was Burgerworld.”
Rob was right. While not a particularly hollow wave, it’s the go-to spot out here when the swell drops below four feet as it has today. Over four foot and it should be called “Duckdive World” or “Paddle World” but yesterday and today were optimum conditions out there: two-to-three foot and really fun. The takeoff is right next to little patch of reef where it doubles up and spins down the line offering up several sections that just beg to be abused by your best shortboard. A big channel and beautiful backdrop make it a favorite for photographers, which is why you see it in mags so often. So, why the name? Pretty spot on actually; over four foot and it breaks too far out, and in too deep of water, resembling a big fat Mentawaian cheeseburger.
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 20, 2007
We finally made it! After two days of traveling, my girlfriend and I have settled into our own uma (bungalow for those of you unfamiliar with the Mentawais dialect), and to say the least, are frothing!
Yesterday was our first full day and we got two super fun sessions at a spot called Nipussi in the morning and 4 Bobs in the afternoon. “Nipussi” (yep, that’s what it’s called) was kinda crowded, but a good way to rinse the airport grime off and warm-up for hopefully more challenging waves to come. We (me, Zack, and Pete--two bros from the Big Island who are also staying here) surfed “4 Bobs”, which is right in front of the resort, all to ourselves well into dark and had a blast trading off waist-to-chest high rights that were super rippable.
Today we checked Nipussi again, but it was smaller and still crowded so we blasted up to Burgerworld and scored head-high rights with just our crew from Kandui Resort out. After less than two days here, I’m already planning to book a trip here for next year--between the plethora of waves, wonderful hospitality, great food, and top-notch accommodations--this place is amazing!
That’s it for the day, I’m off to get a $20 massage while this little rain squall passes, then it’s off for another surf with perhaps a Bintang mixed in there somewhere.
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This report has been brought to you by special guest reporter, Justin Cote from Transworld Surf Magazine from Kandui Resort: August 19, 2007
No southeast winds today. But the forecasters are getting closer. The winds were out of the north this morning and pretty strong at that. The swell was looking a little smaller. We headed over to look at a little secret spot we know of, but the swell was not getting in there too well so we took a look at Beng Beng to see if it was a little bigger in there. It was. The waves were really the perfect size for Beng Beng. It was just a foot overhead or so on the sets and the winds were alright with side-offshore winds. There was nobody out and our crew had a great time. The winds backed off and conditions got even better. They surfed until they were spent and then headed back for a late lunch. The winds went northwest in the afternoon. A few of the guys gave Rifles a try, but it was a little too mixed up. So we ended up at old, dependable 4 Bobs. No one was out and it was glassy and overhead. We all got some good ones before dark. Hoping our swell will put out for one more day.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 17, 2007
This has been the third day in a row that the forecasts have been calling for southeast winds and the third day in a row that the winds have blown out of the northwest! But I’m not complaining because Rifles is alright on a northwest and we had a big south swell running. We were in the water pretty early. The waves were double overhead plus on the sets at Rifles and the winds were howling offshore. There were some sick ones coming through, but it was really disorganized. Shifty and waves coming in sometimes with only about a 6 second period. Weird. But there were still barrels to be found, and find we did. Everyone got a few nice ones. The guys that did not want Rifles surfed 4 Bobs and Karambat left. It was well overhead at both spots and the guys had fun. In the afternoon we did a repeat of the morning and got similar results. Weird Rifles and the other had fun at 4 Bobs and Karambat Left. They are calling for southeast winds again tomorrow. We will see. Pretty much a certainty that the waves will still be pumping.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 16, 2007
Last night we were thinking Hideaways for the morning session because of the southeast winds that were forecast, but the winds were out of the northwest early and that quickly moved our attention to Rifles. It was very clean early, but the swell was still just filling in so the sets were only a little overhead. As the morning wore on, the waves were getting bigger but the tide was dropping so fast that the waves got kind of weird and the current was ripping up the reef. Most of us got out. But the ones that stayed scored! The current stopped and the swell continued to build and there were only a handful of guys out. I wish I could say I was one of them! (Blew that one!) They surfed uncrowded barrels until the winds came up. The rest of the guys that were not into Rifles had a great time surfing clean 4 Bobs and Karambat left. In the afternoon we thought we would get a few at Hideaways like we did yesterday. The waves were not as big as yesterday and it had a little funk on it. But there was no one out and it was pretty glassy. The winds came up a little out of the west while we were still looking at it and it was a tough decision to go for the sure thing, doable Hideaway with nobody out, or head back and hope that Rifles had cleaned up with the west winds. We chose the later and were glad we did! It was lightly offshore there and overhead sets were rolling through. There were a few guys on it, but we all got a few waves before it was too dark to see. Hoping our swell will fill in a little more for the morning session.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 15, 2007
It rained all night and when we woke up the winds were pretty much non-existent, but the ocean had a good amount of morning sickness left over from the storm. We took off in search of something that looked clean enough to have fun on. The first stop was Bankvaults. It was showing a little size, like just about always, but it was far to mixed up to surf. So we went around the corner to E-Bay and Pitstop. Most the guys went out at Pitstop where it was overhead and the conditions were alright. The rest of us went out at E-Bay. There were a few overhead sets there too and the conditions were fair, but after an hour or so the new swell started to show and some really good sets started to roll through, probably like 2 or 3 feet overhead. As luck would have it, the conditions had cleaned up nicely by then and a few of the wave that came through were about as good as E-Bay gets. We stayed out as long as our bodies had energy and then went back for a late lunch. Late afternoon we went to Hideaways to catch the incoming tide there. The winds were just a little side-onshore (south-southwest), but light and the waves were plenty good with no one else was around. The waves were 3 or 4 feet overhead on the best sets and there were some barrels. Surfed until dark. The swell is forecast to increase overnight.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 14, 2007
When the day started off, it wasn’t looking too promising. The waves looked as small as yesterday out in front and the winds were blowing pretty strongly out of the east. Our only hope was that the little forecasted bump up in the swell was so west that it wasn’t showing in front of the resort. We loaded up the boat and took off to see what was going on on the west facing reefs. As we rounded baby Kandui we could see lines coming from the top of the island and we knew we would be in luck today. There were a couple of boats at E-Bay so we kept going on to Beng Beng. There were only 3 people out there and the waves were looking good. It was the perfect size for Beng Beng, a foot or two overhead on the sets, and the winds were straight offshore. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day. The 3 other guys got out after a while and we surfed it by ourselves for hours. Exhaustion eventually got the better of us and we headed back for a late lunch. Some of the guys headed out just after that and they surfed Nipusi. It was pretty good size, double overhead or so, but the winds were onshore so they didn’t last long out there. The rest of the guys surfed 4 Bobs. It was a little bigger than this morning but was still only about chest high on the biggest sets. The guys all had a good time though and surfed until dark. We are hoping our swell will hang in there for another day.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 12, 2007
Our current swell, which was pretty much coming from the straight south at this point, was still pumping onto our side of the island this morning. The winds were light out of the south and conditions were looking good so we ran up to Rifles. It didn’t take long for the winds to come up a little stronger, but the waves were still 2 or 3 feet overhead on the sets and we were connecting a few for some long rides. We surfed until the wind got too strong and the tide got too low. Around midday we had the First Annual Surftech/Bintang, Shaper/Rider surf-off out at 4 Bobs. It was a good day for it. The sun was out and we had a bucket full of cold Bintangs in the boat. There was no one out and the waves were a overhead on the sets. It was a little side shore, but still clean. In the first heat, Pat O’Connell and Timmy Patterson were edged out by Greg and Eric Geiselman, Timmy getting his best wave after the buzzer which gave the Floridians the break they needed. The second heat pitted the Australians Phil Byrne and Phil MacDonald against the Hawaiians Mikala Jones and Glen Pang. It was a super close one, but Phil Byrne’s unlikely 4 Bobs barrel pulled them ahead by a slim ½ point. The final was a little short on sets, but it was the Geiselman’s consistent snaps off the top that finally pulled them ahead and gave them a ½ point victory! It was a lot of fun. I hope we have a Second Annual Surftech/Bintang surf off in our future. In the afternoon we headed out to Beng Beng in our new speed boat. The conditions were good over there, but the steep south swell was not getting in there very well. It was shoulder high at best, but the guys had plenty of fun. We are hoping against hope that our swell will hang in there one more day.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 10, 2007
Our current swell was winding down, but there was still some fun surf today. Waves were a little overhead at 4 Bobs and Rifles this morning and the winds were blowing out of the southwest making both spots clean and fun. As the day wore on, the winds got a little more south making the waves a little crumblely at both spots, but it was still plenty of fun. We stuck close to home the whole day and surfed both spots until dark. Not an epic day, but plenty of fun. The swell looked like it was hanging in there all day so we are hoping it will keep sending us some waves tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 9, 2007
It rained all night, and that’s what we were hoping for because we were tired of the howling southeast winds we’ve had lately and a storm usually means a wind switch. It was fairly calm as the sun came up. The whole ocean had a bit of morning sickness on it. We had 3 new guests arrive yesterday and they were frothing so they took off for Beng Beng to get an early surf in while the rest of us waited for the tide to come up a bit and to see what the winds were going to do. The winds came up out of the east and some of the guys went to Kandui’s. It was not nearly as big as yesterday, but there were still some overhead sets rolling through and they managed to get in some tube time before the wind started to turn a little north and mess the barrel up a bit. It wasn’t long after they had returned to the resort that we had a Bankvaults boat gearing up and most the guys on the island were on it. The waves were still a little bit sick when we got there, but it was side-offshore with the northeast winds and it was cleaning up fast. The sets were still pretty big, double overhead plus, and there were only a handful of guys out. We surfed for a couple of hours with those guys, then they left and we had it to ourselves. We spent the whole afternoon there and scored countless waves. Super good conditions the last couple of hours of the day. Only a few other guys paddled out late afternoon. It was a good session. Expecting smaller surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 8, 2007
The swell has increased overnight. Me and a couple of the guys went to give Kandui’s a look. There were some screaming barrels coming through, but the tide was still a little low so we headed back for some breakfast, then loaded up the boat and went for another look. The tide had come up some and the swell was even bigger. The wind had increased, though, and turned a little more south. A few of the guys paddled out to see if it was doable, but it wasn’t. Too lumpy. So we headed off again, this time to Hideaways. The swell was pumping into there as well with sets going easy double overhead and bigger sets rolled in more often as the day wore on. We surfed for hours and I’m sure Nate and Duke got tons of good video and still shots. It’s great being in the water with guys that can surf as well as our current Surftech group does. Lots of good surfing going on. In the afternoon, the tide was too low to surf Hideaways so we headed for E-Bay. It was double overhead there as well, and they got a window of good conditions late in the afternoon that made the journey there worth wild. Some of the guys surfed the spot just up the beach from E-Bay. It’s rarely surfed, and for good reason, but our guys have the talent to pull it off and so escaped with only one broken board and, I’m sure, a lot of good memories. They surfed until dark. We are expecting the surf to fade a little tomorrow, but still be solid.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 7, 2007
The winds were blowing again this morning out of the southeast. We headed for Hideaways, hoping the swell had increased overnight. It was a little bigger than yesterday and it was handling the winds well so we went out. We stayed out for a few hours and the swell was slowly increasing the whole time we were out. It was at least 3 feet overhead. Everyone got some good waves before coming home to a nice shrimp lunch. The winds go even stronger in the afternoon so we spent the rest of the day having a photo shoot on “Snake Island”, a little sand mound with a half a dozen palm trees on it near the resort. And, of coarse, it has plenty of sea snakes too! It was fun and I’m sure Nate got some good pictures of all the shapers and team riders we have here right now. Coming to a mag near you, no doubt. We are expecting a bombing swell to hit tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 6, 2007
We were looking at southeast winds again this morning. The swell was only a bit smaller. Eventually, the boys got inspired and took a couple of boats over to Pitstops. They surfed the head high, fun waves there and then a few of the crew took one of the boats over to Beng Beng. The waves there were a little over head and the conditions were good. They surfed until they had no arms left, then returned to the resort for a late lunch. In the afternoon we all hung around the resort. The angle of our swell is pretty south and it was still pumping some sizeable waves into our area. If the winds were better, we would have been surfing Rifles everyday of this current swell. Damn! Anyway, we settled for fun, overhead 4 Bobs and John Candys, and some of the guys even gave a little ridden wave called Little Nias a try today (it’s a fast, shallow right off of Karambat Left) and were pretty successful. Our group right now is super talented and could surf anything, anywhere I am sure! We are hoping a little medium interval swell will roll in tomorrow and keep us in fun surf until our macker swell starts to show on Monday.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 4, 2007
The winds were still pretty strong out of the southeast this morning. The swell had turned a little more south and it was still pumping out front. Rifles would have been so good with a better wind! Plan B again today. We headed for Hideaways to see if we could score it as good as it was yesterday. The waves were a little smaller with the swell turning more south, but there were only a couple of guys out and the conditions were ok, so it was a go. We surfed for a few hours and got some good ones. The conditions got better and better, but the tide got lower and lower until we decided it was a good idea to head home to our safe restaurant for some lunch. In the afternoon, some of the crew surfed out front at 4 Bobs where it was well overhead but a little bumpy with the south winds. The rest jumped in the boat and went to Pitstops. There was some head high sets there and on one was out. Some of the guys used our Dingy and made the short trip over to Beng Beng where it was a little overhead and only a handful of people out. Everybody had fun and surfed until dusk. Looking for smaller surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 2, 2007
The waves were looking pretty big out front this morning. Unfortunately for us Rifles lovers, the winds were out of the southeast. When we saw this south-ish swell coming, we were hoping for some Rifle’s winds. So plan B was the call and we headed out to E-Bay. The guys had such a good time there yesterday and they were hoping for a repeat. The swell was about the same size as yesterday over there, but it was not quite as clean with the strong winds this morning. The guys had a good time though, and it was the last surf of their trip as they were leaving today. Our new guests were arriving today as well. We have “Team Surftech” here, shapers and riders and photogs, and it looks like we will have plenty of swell on their trip so you will no doubt be seeing pictures of their time here at Kandui in the future. We have Timmy Patterson, Pat O’Connell, Josh Kerr, Greg and Eric Geiselman, Nate Lawrence, Travis Ferre, Duke Brouwer, Patrick Shanghnessey, Glenn Pang, Mikela Jones, Phil and Parrish Byrne, and Phil MacDonald here right now. It should be a fun trip. They got a great first session too! They went to Hideaways late morning and the waves were double overhead on the sets. The conditions were getting cleaner as the morning wore on and they were getting shacked! Great way to start the trip. I the afternoon the guys wanted to do some turns and airs and stuff, so they went to Pitstop’s and got some overhead, fun waves. The crew was stoked again and surfed until dark. Looking for a little drop in the surf tomorrow.
This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: August 1, 2007
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Archived Surf Reports
Swell and Weather Links
- Surfline
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.
* Subscription required
- Wavewatch
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.
- Buoyweather
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.
- NOAA Wave Height Animation
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.
- NOAA Wave Period Animation
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 Mentawai's.
- Wetsand
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.
- Oceanweather
A series of in depth graphics covering wave height, marine observations, and even sea temperature across the entire Indian Ocean. Takes a little longer to load than the others but is definitely worth the wait.
- METEOSAT-5: Satellite Image
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.
- METEOSAT-5: Enhanced Satellite Image
Practically the same animation as above but in an easier to read enhanced color format. This satellite enables you to see clouds and precipitation a lot easier than the original.
- Stormsurf
Mark Sponsler at Stormsurf has put together an extremely comprehensive list of swell and waether links for the Indian Ocean region here. It seems as though he's covered everything we have times 2.
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