Venezuela isn’t typically a country known for it’s outstanding surf. Needless to say, a group of 18 Venezuelans embarking on a trip to Kandui Resort in the Mentawai Islands was nothing short of a complete froth-fest. In all honesty I think this is probably the most surf-stoked group I have ever shot.

As surf hungry as this group was, there was more than enough waves to go around. The first day of the trip started with a good warm up session at Hideaways, giving the crew an opportunity to shake off the flight and get ready for the following day’s forecasted swell. It proved to be a much-needed session as we work to solid, flawless Rifles the next morning, and the crew got their first opportunity to experience one of the world’s most incredible rights at near perfection.

After that first Rifles session the rest of the trip kind of becomes a blur. There were so many waves and we surfed so many spots. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a group surf this much in a trip, and while many in the group were between 40 and 50, they all surfed with as much energy and charisma as if they were 18. It was really cool to see that much hype in the water.
As always, it was another amazing Mentawais trip. I would like to that Kandui Resort for providing us with so much hospitality (and waves), and keeping the group in the water as much as they could. Couldn’t have asked for a better trip.

-Riley

Mentawai Surf Trip July 9-21, 2010 – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

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I jumped out of the dinghy and into the warm Indian Ocean with my oversized pelican case and swam like hell.  I knew I was going to get hit by some overhead waves, but didn’t want to take the full brunt of the set. It may be too late.  All the camera gear tucked inside…How much did it cost?  I wonder if I should do the math as the first wave breaks a few yards away and I catch it laying on the plastic box like a bodyboarder.  “Let’s see the camera bodies are around 4 grand then you have the lenses…”, I think to myself.  I get to $15,000 before finishing the inventory of the contents.

Less than a minute later I am walking on the beach with my ‘briefcase’ on the way to work thinking there’s a guy in Sydney right now doing the same thing.  A moment of gratefulness turns quickly back to the job and I set up a dual camera/video rig whilst drying myself off and keeping sand out of the lenses…I settle in and start shooting all the while thinking – “I love this gig.”

This righthander is one of the few spots where you actually have to swim through the break to get to the beach.  My equipment is dry.  My pelican case holds.  The angle is great from the beach and one can frame palm trees behind the wave while the guests surf.  I don’t have to do this, but I am obsessed with the best angle.  The photos are always stunning here even though the wave isn’t as good as some of the other breaks in the area.

The winds would blow Northwesterly for most of the trip giving the rights optimal conditions.  The regular footers were stoked and the goofy footers just went with it.  How can you complain when there’s so many good waves?

The group is from Ecuador.  We have traveled together on two other Mentawai trips and have become close friends.  I love the energy and the fun these guys have.  It is contagious.  They have been lucky.  Every trip they have ever been on has had a large swell forecasted.  This one was no different.

We surfed some of the usual Mentawai haunts for a few days and then we made a call.  A bold and daring call.  We decided to get away from forecasted stormy conditions and potential crowds by breaking out of the usual circuit.  We would ‘zig’ while others ‘zag’.  We were all excited.

On the way to our new frontier we hooked, not one, but two yellow fin tuna at the same time!  Surely a good omen. Fish will be served . Chef Chris aka ‘The Gibbon‘ would create beautiful lunches and dinners including sushi appetizers from the catch for the next few days.

We would surf more rights on our journey only this time we were alone.  It feels good to surf in a new destination with just your amigos. The pool toys were taken out for a test drive without embarrassment.  The ‘green gecko’ seemed to be the most surf worthy.

The forecasted swell took it’s time and the charts called for waves a day earlier than they actually arrived.  Should we be upset by this? Predicting the conditions of the sea can be a frustrating, maybe even foolhardy, endeavor.  We are a ship of fools. Happy, laughing fools on a surf charter having the time of our lives.  We will look at images on the iPad and not realize it yet. This fact will become more clear as we grow older. These moments will live with us forever.  The details will keep us dreaming.

The wave. We found our wave. It is beautiful.  Spectacular.  No one on the Indies Trader 3, including myself, had seen anything like it.  It is as if god himself had sculpted it with his own hands. There it was right before our eyes.  Like a breathtaking woman seducing us with its curves.  We were in love.

Alas she was mysterious too.  Always teasing and playing with ones emotions.  Deceptively easy to ride. The tapered wall. The perfect barrel. It all left you wanting. More. But others had found her too and getting satiated was elusive.  Always wanting more. More. She played with our hearts and when we sadly left her it was with hunger and passion.

To ease our broken hearts we were given a gift.  A wave so unique in its shape that we knew we found one of our favorite waves in Indonesia.  It was a tricky righthand tube with two sections that could be linked to one perfect tube ride.  If you had tube riding skills you could look around inside and enjoy the view.  If you were new to the cover up, it was like a barrel riding basics class.  Wonderful.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is that of being ‘surfed out’.  Taking a nap on the Indies Trader 3 is bliss.  Except, of course, when there’s pranksters about.  Almost everyone got an unwanted permanent marker pedicure before the trip was over.  I can’t remember when I laughed so much.

The tropical scenery is always there in the background.  I try to take photos and capture the scent of the island flora or the sight of a butterfly languidly hovering above a beach or the way the sun glints off of palms, but I always seem to come up short.  One can lay in the warmth of the Indian Ocean and say ‘ahhh, that feels amazing’, but try to capture a picture of that feeling.  My work is never done.

We said our goodbyes to Captain Joel and his crew and then to each other.  I will see them again in a year or two for another trip. They walk away into the Padang airport with sunburn and black sharpie painted toenails.   I miss them already.

-Dave Collyer

Mentawai Islands Surf Trip- May 2010 – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

I love shooting groms. Seriously, no matter what the conditions, and especially on a trip like this, they were perpetually amped. While this trip was a little lacking in the swell department (and it was still great by anyone’s standard, just a little slow for the Mentawais), it was the kids’ energy alone that made the trip. To be that age and surfing perfect waves in the Mentawais is a dream come true, and you could tell by their expressions they were loving absolutely every minute of it.

The first couple days started off as a good warm-up swell. As most of the kids had yet to surf waves like this, it was a perfect opportunity to get suited to the Mentawais. A few days into the charter our forecasted swell arrived and everyone was more than ready. The greatest part was that everyone’s energy seemed to feed off each other, and they pushed themselves into waves I think they would have otherwise thought twice about. It was a great progression to watch, and I think everyone got waves that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

For these guys, it really was a trip of a lifetime, and I feel fortunate to be there to document it. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen that much stoke!

-Riley

Mentawai Islands Surf Trip: May 1-15, 2010 – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

Want more photos? See the slideshow at the bottom of this post or check out the Photographer’s Light Table in our Archive at SaltyCamera.com.

“Your Going to Indo… Yeah… I’m going with 8 guys from Texas! Well actually 7 and one is living in the OC now… They can surf?… Yeah, they actually surf really well!”

That is basically the dialog i’ve had with friends and family for the last few moths leading up to this trip.  I had the opportunity to join the Texas crew for another amazing 12 days in the Mentawais’.  This trip was all time! Despite the slight lack of swell in the Indian Ocean for the last month, including these last 2 weeks, captain Joel was able to find some really good waves with no other boats around for this crew of Texans to enjoy.

I pretty much knew the trip was gonna be all time when I met the guys in the airport, then once they officially took over the boat by flying the Texas Flag in place of the Australian Flag I knew it was gonna be the best 12 days ever, filled with plenty of laughs, lots of surfing, and heeps of fishing.  What these 12 days lacked in consistant swell it, made up for with great fishing.  Almost every night we were starting our gourmet 3 course meals off with fresh sushi prepared by one of the best Chefs’ in Indonesia, Chef Chris!

Other highlights of the trip included hunting for a 6 meter Crocodile at 11:00 in the PM and surviving to tell the story after someone decided to go for a swim, Midnight squid boat runs, all nighters with the chef, snorkeling the reefs, humanity work in the villages, dinning on some of the fine cuisines of the sea (Legal or not legal), Climbing Trees, More Redneck jokes than you’ve ever heard in one lifetime, learning that Hot Tub Dear Blinds really do exist, “Bintang Time!” and chicken wings, “Australian Nachos”, clean towels, Emergency first aid tutorials from an ER surgeon on a left over piece of Pork, and last but not least getting attacked by a sea snake and living to tell the story!
All in all this was a trip of a lifetime for myself and the Texans’. I would just like to thank them again for giving Mentawai Surf Photos (and me) the opportunity to join them on this adventure to Indonesia.

I would just like to say on behalf of me and all the Texans, Thanks to the Entire crew of the Indies Trader III for making this trip all time.  Y’all are truly a professional, hard working group of guys that keep an amazing boat running and looking great.  The food and service was top notch, and everyone was as nice as could be!

If your planning a trip to the Mentawais’ I would really recommend doing it proper and spending the few extra Million Rupiah and doing it proper by booking your trip on the Indies Trader.

Until next time,
Sampai Jumpa-
Josh-

P.S. Bintang, Satu Lagi!

By The Numbers

Fish Caught:                15
Fish Lost:                10+-
Sea Snake Encounters:        4 (Including the one in Chris’ Bed)
Bintangs Consumed:        36 Cases +- 10
Waves caught:            2,160 +- 2,000
Amazing sunsets:            13
Outstanding meals:            234
Photos Taken:            11,128
Bull Sh!t Being Called:        48 +- 12
Rupiahs Spent:            1,253,436,972 +- 1,000,000,000
Hours Traveled (individual):    120
Hours Traveled (Cumulative):    1,064
Good Times:                1,755

2010_April_Grim – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

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The first trip of the 2010 season started with a series of small Southerly pulses with great conditions.  The guests surfed themselves silly for four days straight. Our group was made up of fathers and their sons.  The ‘kids’ were absolutely ripping apart what would be a ‘day of the year’ swell back in Huntington, while the ‘Dads’ showed that wave knowledge and patience earns the larger sets.  I was stoked to watch as they all shared waves, laughs and stoke together (I hope to do the same when my son gets older)!

Unfortunately, we had a few smaller days after that.  We did have rideable surf everyday, but even better, we never saw another boat.  Martin Daly has a knack for doing that.  He has been around the island chain longer than anyone and always seems to make the right call.  Big props goes out to his adventurous spirit in not only finding us swell magnet locations, but discovering the spots in the first place!

We also wiled away the time by catching more fish than we knew what to do with (we threw back what we couldn’t eat), Paddling the SUP, and watching reruns of the hilarious show ‘The Office’. Meanwhile Chris the cook was absolutely killing it in the kitchen with his fresh baked goods and gourmet cuisine.  After dinner he often serves homemade ice cream- are you kidding me? – I’m a stone’s throw from the Equator and I am eating homemade ice cream!  Good on ya matey!

You can see from the photos we still got great waves.  Was it all time?  No. Was it enough to get our surf on and leave us begging for more? Yep.  Are we coming back for more with good wave karma on our side? YES! We earned it.  Next trip will be insane!  Sampai Jumpa Legi!

-Dave Collyer

Special thanks to the Guests, Huntington Surf and Sport, Surfline, and Indies Trader!

Mentawai Islands Surf Trip- March 2010 – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

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Most recently their scope of operations increased with the devastating earthquakes in Padang.  When this disaster occurred, Surf Aid was there to provide help.

If you have been on a Mentawai trip or plan on going, a donation is not only appropriate, but highly suggested!  We don’t just ask you to donate, but give our own money as well!

Pictured here is Dave Collyer with some Happy groms from the village of Katiet (where Lance’s right a.k.a HT’s is located). Dave has contributed dozens of images to Surf Aid for their use in Promotional materials as well as a portion of his trip revenues.  Please contribute generously.