Kandui Resort - Mentawai Islands :::::.. Surf Report by Ray Wilcoxen

We woke up to what we thought were north winds this morning, but a quick Bankvaults check with our new jet ski brought back news that the wind had some west in it and it was junk over there, so we hovered around the resort and surfed 4 Bobs and waited for our new swell to arrive. As the day wore on, the winds lightened up and turned more west, and our swell filled in as forecast. By midday we were surfing Rifles. It was a little crowded, but the other guys in the water were glad to let Kelly, Andy, Ross, and Potts have the set waves they wanted. There were sick barrels, sick snaps, sick airs… Everyone was quite content to become spectators when those guys got a wave. I’ll post some pictures soon. Ours swell is predicted to pick up more overnight and winds are predicted to be light. Shane Dorian has flown in and he is coming out on a ferry tonight to join his friends. We are hoping for a special day tomorrow!

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 30, 2008

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It wasn’t looking very promising this morning surf wise. The winds were blowing at a pretty good clip out of the southeast and the swell had dropped off. We hung around eating breakfast and drinking coffee. Around mid morning we had an abrupt wind switch and it started blowing out of the north, so we rallied for an assault on Bankvaults. Unfortunately, by the time we got there the wind had switched again so and started blowing out of the southwest so conditions were not that great, but a few of us went out. It was probably 3 feet overhead on the sets and ended up being pretty glassy, but there was just a bunch of bump from the south that was making things disorganized. For us that live here it wasn’t very good, but some of the guys commented how it was better than home! In the afternoon, some of the guys went out at Rifles although it was really small for that spot, maybe shoulder high or so. Andy was feeling better today so he and Kelly finally were able to surf to surf together at 4 Bobs. It was only chest to shoulder high, but it was pretty clean and they put a show on for us! There were a few of us that were the literal peanut gallery, including Ross and Potts, sitting on the restaurant porch eating those good Garuda peanuts and drinking beer, watching history in the making with those guys ripping the hell out of each set. I’m sure it was just a taste of what is to come when our south swell starts to hit tomorrow afternoon.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 29, 2008

Our swell dropped off a bit overnight. The winds were blowing out of the south. The gang headed for Hideaways where we knew the south winds would be offshore. It was a little smaller, but still overhead and fun. The guys surfed it through high tide and got back for a late lunch. We had more guests arrive midday and they went straight out to 4 Bobs. The winds were sideshore, but it was head high plus and no one else was around so it was a good first surf. Andy was still feeling a little under the weather today and didn’t surf, but he’s much better. We are probably looking at smaller surf tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 28, 2008

Our swell was a bit bigger this morning. But Mother Nature made it tough on us with the winds she was dishing out. All eyes were on Kandui with the East winds we had going first thing. We waited a bit for the tide to come in, then some of the guys went out at Kandui. It was well overhead and barreling, but they were probably not out 5 minutes before the winds started to clock to the northeast. Everybody scrambled and headed to Bankvaults. By the time they got there, the winds were north and it was looking good. It was double overhead plus and throwing! The guys got out quickly and Kelly got a nice barrel right off the bat. Unfortunately, they only had about a 20 minute window before the wind clocked again. A nasty storm was brewing to the west of us and it wasn’t long before the wind went northwest, then started galling out of the west. We hightailed it to Rifles! But it was not getting a lot of swell and Wavepark showed up, so the guys went to the next reef up from Rifles. It’s pretty much a no name spot that I hadn’t seen anyone surf successfully sense the last time Kelly surfed it during the Young Guns 2 filming. The wave jacks over shallow coral, barrels, then ends up on almost dry coral! But if you surf like those guys, it’s a walk in the park! The winds were howling, but they got some nice ones. In the afternoon, Wavepark left and suddenly and we had Rifles to ourselves. The winds began to die and bigger sets started coming in! It was a good 3 feet overhead on the sets and conditions couldn’t have been better with the moderate offshores. We surfed it the rest of the afternoon with just us out. Everybody got great barrels, Ross probably getting the sickest one on his way to about a 300 yard ride, but our boatdriver/photographer hit a setting on the lens and just about all the pictures are blurred. Bummer! We have the memories in our heads though. Andy was feeling a little under the weather this afternoon, but we’re hopeful he will rebound tomorrow. We are expecting smaller surf, but there is a swell on the horizon.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 27, 2008

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. We were hoping the waves would be a little bigger, but it was only a few feet overhead on the best sets at Hideways this morning. We got there pretty early. Conditions were good and no one was out. We surfed it to ourselves until Andy and his posse got there, then got out and watched the show. Those guys rip! They surfed it until the tide got too low. In the afternoon, most the guys surfed 4 Bobs. Kelly arrived and got his board out to join his friends before he ever set foot on the island! They had a good time. The waves were a little overhead and fun, but the winds were sideshore out of the south so it wasn’t epic. The rest of us went to Ebay and got a few to ourselves. It was clean, not as big as yesterday. We are hoping the forcasts are not a hoax and that we will be looking at substantial swell in the morning.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 26, 2008

Surprise, surprise! We figured the swell would be smaller today, but it was as big or bigger this morning! People were out quickly at 4 Bobs and Rifles where conditions were near perfect with light west winds. It was even more clean than yesterday, and that meant better barrels at Rifles! No boats around again, so it was just us in the water. Whether they were hitting the lip at 4 Bobs or getting shacked at Rifles, everybody was having fun! A few of the guys even went out to John Candy’s for some good waves as well. We surfed Rifles pretty much until we couldn’t paddle again today. It started to get inconsistent in the early afternoon and the sun was blazing so we headed in for some lunch. A light southeast wind started to blow a little later and a couple of boats showed up as well (Ha! Too late!) , so most of us recharged our batteries for the rest of the afternoon. The few with some energy went out to 4 Bobs. We are probably looking at smaller surf tomorrow in the morning and building surf in the afternoon. This next week and beyond looks really good on the forecasts! The Indian Ocean is absolutely on fire!

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 15, 2008

A quick check at dawn showed that the swell had faded a bit, but conditions were really nice with a light west wind blowing. We were quickly on a boat and took off for Rifles!

There were waves coming through that were 2 or 3 feet overhead. No boats were around again so it was just Kandui crew out. As much as I hated to get out of the water, I went back to the island to say goodbye to the departing Rusty group, but I got right back out there as soon as they left! And, of course, I had to hear about all the sick waves I missed! No worries, there were many more, although the sets got less consistent and smaller as the day went on. Finally, a boat from Wavepark showed up and that was the excuse we needed to go in and rest up. Late in the afternoon, a little weather came through and the winds blew north. Not good for Rifles, but good for John Candy’s, so that is where most of our guys headed. It was overhead and fun with good conditions. The rest of the guys surfed 4 Bobs.

Thanks to Team Rusty, Jamie O’Brien, Josh Kerr, Marlon Gerber, Jay Davies, Granger Larson, Jayke Sharpe, and Ricky Rifici for hanging out and surfing with us for a while. And also Ryan, Nugget, Bosko, and Tim as well. Hope to see them all back here again.

Probably looking at smaller surf tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 14, 2008

Our swell was looking a little bit bigger out front this morning. The winds were blowing out of the southeast at about 10mph. The Rusty team surfed head high Pitstop’s first thing in the morning, then went over to Kandui’s after the tide came up. Kandui was a little inconsistent, but there were some well overhead sets and the guys got some good barrels. They were stoked to finally get some waves with teeth! Our second boat looked around, but ended up at Beng Beng. We were looking for something a little bigger and more punchy as well, but there was no one out and the conditions were perfect! We surfed the overhead waves until early afternoon. In the afternoon, one of our boats went to Pitstop’s while the other headed to Hideway's. Both were clean and fun, but smaller than this morning due to either the lower tide or the swell turning a little more south. The rest of the guys surfed 4 Bobs. It was onshore, but well overhead on the sets. We are probably looking at fading swell tomorrow, but possibly the swell will turn more south so there will still be so hopefully there will still be some good size in our area. We are still hoping for Rifles!

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 12, 2008

The winds switched overnight and were blowing lightly out of the northeast this morning. That was good news because the swell was looking pretty small and that wind would be good at the south facing, swell magnet reefs. Our guys headed over to Bankvaults. No one else was out. Waves were still a little overhead there and the conditions were excellent. The guys had a lot of fun! Our late morning boat followed suit and went to Bankvaults as well. Still overhead and great conditions for them with no one else out. In the afternoon, we headed back there again but the tide had really gotten low and the waves were only hitting about chest to shoulder so they decided to head back and do some snorkeling instead. We’re probably looking at small surf tomorrow morning, then things are forecast to startlooking up.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 8, 2008

Things were not looking so good early this morning. It was looking small and the winds were blowing pretty strong out of the south southeast. The crew was happy to wait out the wind considering all the spots that would have any size would be onshore. In the afternoon we had a few more guests arrive and they were frothing of course, so they went to Nipiusi. It was onshore, as expected, but they got lucky and the winds slowly backed off and it ended up being pretty glassy and fun. Our second boat of the afternoon went there as well, and Bankvaults was even clean by then so they split up and surfed both spots. It was still overhead on the sets with only a few guys out at Nipusi. We are expecting smaller surf tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 7, 2008

There wasn’t much sign of swell out front this morning, but the wind was out of the northeast so we knew our swell magnet, Nipusi, was going to be clean. Our boat headed over there and the guys ended up getting some fun, occasionally overhead, waves. There were only a couple of other guys out and they didn’t last long, so crew Kandui basically had it to themselves. The winds got lighter as the day went on and our second boat went to Burgerworld. The swell was still a little too big for it to be optimum Burgerworld, but it was fun and super glassy. In the afternoon, we went back to Nipusi. It was still clean and overhead. A few of us went up to Bankvaults and got a couple of fun ones as well. We are probably looking at dropping swell for tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 6, 2008

It was pretty glassy this morning. There was some morning sickness going on at Rifles and 4 Bobs, but there was some overhead sets coming in as well. A lot of our crew hit 4 Bobs early and got some fun waves. Later, we sent a boat out to Nipusi. It was overhead and fun as well. In the afternoon, the wind came up out of the south at about 10mph or so and our boat headed for Pitstop for the Team Rusty Air Show, headed up by Josh Kerr. Good surfing! Probably looking at dropping surf tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 4, 2008

It was super glassy early this morning. The surf looked like it came up a little, but not as much as we were hoping for. Some of the guys ran over to Kandui’s to get a few while the tide was high. There were a few sets, but the wind came up out of the northeast and the window closed for that spot. 4 Bobs became the morning favorite, and it was pretty fun with overhead sets coming in once in a while. At low tide our boat went to Beng Beng. The waves there were head high plus and clean. There were only a handful of other guys out so it was nice out there. The ocean glassed off nicely in the early afternoon and 4 Bobs looked really fun. We surfed that all afternoon. It was really good 4 Bobs with overhead sets and great conditions. Lots of waves too. A couple of guys went up to Rifles. There were a few overhead sets and a couple of legitimate barrels, but all in all just a tease. We had a bunch of Rusty guys arrive this afternoon and they surfed Pitstops, a favorite spot for photos, and it was checking in at shoulder high plus and was rip able. We are hoping for the swell to hang in there another day.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 3, 2008

We got a respectable rain last night and in the morning the clouds had disappeared, leaving behind a near perfectly glassy ocean and dead winds. The sun rise was spectacular. All we needed was a pumping swell, but alas! It was still pretty small. Our first boat went to Beng Beng. It was a little bigger than yesterday, but pretty inconsistent. The guys only lasted a couple of hours, then headed back to wait at the resort for the swell. Our second boat went to Burgerworld. There were some fun waves there, but it was a lot of work finding one because the swell was a little big for that spot and clean up sets were not rare. It was low tide about midday, and it was obvious as the tide filled back in that the swell was filling in as well. The afternoon boat went to Hideaways. There were some overhead sets out there by then, but the wind ended up turning west and that made conditions less than ideal so they headed back to the resort area which has 4 Bobs and Rifles taking that wind well. 4 Bobs was super clean and fun, and was checking in at around shoulder high plus. Lots of fun. Rifles was about the same size and clean as well. It doesn’t really do its thing at that size, but it gave our guests a taste at least! They were still stoked. Hoping for increasing swell tomorrow.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 2, 2008

Wow, smallest day we have seen in a while. 4 Bobs was looking too small to surf this morning. That would mean Burgerworld, except that the winds were blowing out of the southeast at about 10 mph plus so no one was interested in surfing it with onshore winds like that. Some of the guys surfed Beng Beng for a while. Conditions were good, but it was only checking in at about chest high on the sets so they did not last long. The winds backed off in the afternoon and 4 Bobs started to show a little size. A few of the crew surfed it with some success. We are hoping a new forecasted swell will be in the water in the morning.

This report has been brought to you by Ray Wilcoxen from Kandui Resort: June 1, 2008

Read Kandui Resort's surf report on Baliwaves.com!

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.
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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.