Tuesday Spot Check: A-Grade Advice For Booking A Mentawai Boat Trip
From Steve "Sooly" Sewell, a 25-year veteran boat skipper and owner of The Huey
The Mentawais, The Indonesian Archipelago off the coast of Sumatra, is the gold-plated standard for surfing boat trips. You can go on charters and score epic surf in other parts of the world, but no other location has the extensive mix of quality and quantity surf this chain has. There’s never a guarantee of waves on any surf trip, and I've been skunked in the Ments before, but Mentawais is the one location where the cards are most stacked in your favour.
Of course, they ain’t cheap. Prices can vary from $US2,500 to $6,000 for a 10-12 day trip, depending on the level of luxury. So whether it's the trip of a lifetime or an annual pilgrimage, you want to get it right. And in terms of advice, it’s hard to beat Steven “Sooly,” Sewell, the owner of the Mentawais boat The Huey and Huey Surf Charters.
The Huey is an 82-foot, aluminium-hulled converted Japanese Government Customs Patrol Vessel that Sool bought in 2005. In over two decades of Mentawais seasons, he proudly boasts that the Huey has never missed a day’s surfing due to mechanical failure. Regarding the Mentawais and boats, (and Holden Sandmans and Toranas) Sool knows his onions. So the Bugle asked him for his best tips for booking a boat trip. Follow his advice, and you’ll go a long way to ensuring you’ll have the trip of a lifetime.
Do Go With Experience
“Experience is a key. The longer a boat has been operating in the area the less likely things are going to go wrong. Because when things go wrong that jeopardises your time in the water. Be that breakdowns or fuel issues or whatever, you’ll find the most experienced crews are better prepared and will max your time in the water.”
Don’t Fall For Discounted Trips
“Beware of cheap trips or heavily discounted trips. If they are discounting, they will discount your trip. They will cut down on fuel, meaning you can't go to all the places you want to go. They’ll have less money for maintenance, which will affect reliability. Beware of the too good-to-be-true price, because they usually are.”
Look At The Shoulder and Off Season
“At last count, there were around 50 or so charter boats in operation in the Mentawais in peak season. Yet in the shoulder and off-season, that number drops dramatically. You might not get the thumping waves off the traditional swell season of June to September, but that is offset by lower prices and fewer crowds. And we’ve had some truly magical charters in those later months.”
Do Ask Questions, Lots of Questions
“Email the owner and ask the hard questions. Do you travel at night? Do you have all the safety equipment? When was the last refit done? Also ask for recent photos, not old ones on the website. Pics of the engine room, beds and kitchen will give you a good indication of the boat.”
The Tender (or small speedboat)
“The tender is a big thing. Everyone has one, but some are those little plastic things. Make sure you look at how big the tender is and how big is the engine. Can it get you back to Padang in an emergency? They are also great for splitting up the pack. If you have six kooks and four shredders it causes tension on a boat. With a good tender, half the crew can bolt ten miles up the coast and score waves that suit their ability.”
Size Matters
“The size of the boat is a big factor as it relates to personal space. After a week on the boat, if you are constantly having to brush past people and side slip to get past, the boat shrinks, every day. Cabin fever doesn't come in if you have space and different chill-out areas. If you need to get away, you can. Check out the square footage as that’s so important.”
All You Need To Know
Type of waves: The Mentawai Island chain boasts over 100 recognised surf spots. While 99 per cent break over coral reefs they vary from big wave bombies, perfect point breaks and fat, slow rollers. Think of a type wave and the Ments has it.
Best conditions: Peak season is the Southern Hemisphere winter from June to September, which provides the most consistent swells. Increasingly though the shoulder and off seasons are becoming popular with small swells, but less crowds.
Nearest town: The mainland Sumatran port of Padang is an overnight sail from the closest wave or five hours by a faster speedboat.
Getting there: Charters leave from Padang, which is accessible from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta and Bali international airports.
Where to stay: There are more than 50 charter operations offering boat trips with accommodation and a dozen or so land camps with more traditional full board options. Prices range from around $2,500 to $6,000 for a 10-12 day trip depending on the level of luxury.
Helpful links: https://www.indiestrader.com provides a list of all the reputable charter operators
Things to know: The first leg of the charter is an overnight journey. If you are prone to sea sickness this is when it will happen. However, for the rest of the nights you’ll be sleeping in calm anchorages and sea sickness is rarely a problem.