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.

Fortunately for him, and for us, Evan mostly stays behind his computer in our office where he is safe.  He may not rip, but he sure knows how to take care of our guests.  Tip: Listen to Evan’s travel suggestions, but not his tube riding advice!

Want to Meet our Photographers?
Dave Collyer
Riley Cooney
Sean Davey
Sean Gilhooley
Zak Noyle

Dave can’t remember how many surf charters he has been on (50+?), but we know he has probably taken more photos of the Mentawai Islands than anyone. Dave speaks Bahasa Indonesia in bursts, loves spicy Padang food and is well known in the Mentawai’s as ‘ikan’ or ‘fish’ due to his long sessions swimming with his camera.

He now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son where he runs his busy photo studio. Dave is known as ‘The Surf Photographer to the Stars’ around Hollywood and is frequently hired for personal sessions and surf trips by Celebrities, Models and Business Executives. His blog/website, SickShots.com, is somewhat famous in the surf world, but he also works on commercial projects including TV and magazine advertisements with clients such as Hurley, Toyota, Ford, GM, Geico, Palm, Got Milk?, ESPN and Citibank.  Dave’s work has appeared in everything from the Surfer’s Journal to the Wall Street Journal.

Surfing and photography have taken Dave to Australia, Africa, Central and South America, Europe, South East Asia, and the South Pacific over the last 20 years.

Check out Dave’s website: DaveCollyer.com
Dave’s Club of the waves Portfolio
To hire Dave, or for more information about his fee, please complete the Reservation form

One of our top rated and most experienced Mentawai photographers, Riley is hard working and talented.  His low key style and compelling surf images make him a guest favorite and the recipient of tons of ‘fan email’ back to our office. We hear again and again how he captures the ‘experience’ and we think that says a lot about a photographer’s versatility.  From moody portraits to stunning landscapes to beautiful images of the ocean, Riley does it all.  He can easily swim with his camera one session and then shoot from the dinghy the next, and then be on the beach shooting another fresh angle – all in one day.

An avid free diver and ocean waterman, Riley’s is more than comfortable in big surf and his work with a fish eye lens swimming with his waterhousing is the highlight of guest’s portfolios. If you want a workhorse that gets the shot in a no nonsense sort of way, look no further than Riley Cooney- Don’t take our word for it, just talk to our guests.

Check out Riley’s website: RileyCooney.com
Riley’s Club of the Waves portfolio
To hire Riley, or for more information about his fee, please complete the Reservation form

This was my third trip to the Mentawais with this particular group, all of whom are seasoned Mentawai veterans. I know that there is someone in this group that must have some extremely good Karma, because the prior two trips were absolutely incredible. Needless to say we were all looking very forward to the trip, and consistent swell in the forecast, everyone was buzzing with excitement.

After an easy crossing from Sumatra out to the islands, we awoke at daybreak to clean, fun, head high Maccaronis. Widely regarded as the most playful, rippable wave on the planet, it was a spectacular way to start the trip. And as an extra treat, we had the whole place virtually to ourselves. All around it was a spectacular day, and with 11 more days to go, it was only the tip of the iceberg.

This would be the story for basically the rest of the trip, flawless waves and hardly anyone else around.

After a brief session at another left, we motored to another spot hosting fast hollow right and an equally jaw-dropping left. Hardly anyone got out of the water that day, it was just too good to leave. I think Brad totaled over 8 hours in the water. After too many barrels to even remember, we finished the day with an incredible meal and some well deserved sleep.

After a few days the trip started to blur together as if it were a dream. Between surfing epic rights and lefts, along with the company of good friends, Mark’s consistent humor, Captain Joel’s expertise, plenty of fresh fish caught by Bill, and the luxury of the Indies Trader III, the trip went by much faster than I think anyone anticipated it would.

Toward the last couple days of the trip the surf started to slow down, but nobody seemed to care. Everyone was more than content and pretty much surfed out.

The only downside to the trip was on our second to last day was the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit near Padang. While everyone was fine on the boat, and we all made our flights and left the country with no issues thanks to Martin’s help. But being witness to the devastation and destruction of the event was quite saddening, and a bit of a rude awakening from the dream we had all just been living. Unfortunately it was time to head back to the real world, but there’s always next year. Cheers!

Riley Cooney

Mentawai Islands Surf Trip- September 2009 – Images by Salty Camera Surf Images

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Unlike many in the sport that have been shooting for decades, Sean’s work continues to evolve using the latest technology.  He is near nerd like in his computer abilites and downright geeky when it comes to his mastery of processing photos. Technically advanced with a camera, his fingers fly around the controls without looking and the next thing you know, ’snap,’ he took anther epic shot.  The results speak for themselves and his images are sought after the world over for their artistic approach and technical quality.

Guests that have hired him always rave about his stoked ‘as a grom’ attitude and his ability to capture magic moments that symbolize the feeling of the adventure. They also never forget his thick Tasmanian accent and easy going travel style.  Sean is not just talented, he’s a lot of fun to hang out with.
We liked this bio/story from his blog so much we posted it here:

Sean Davey first picked up a camera back on the 20th of October in 1977, approximately round  4.30pm.    Like most surf stoked grom’s in those days, Sean surfed his local every afternoon.  This particular afternoon though, the surf was perfect, but tiny.  Unsatisified at being not able to surf these micro waves, he ran back to his house and grabbed the old Kodak Instamatic from the back of his wardrobe. Ran back to the beach, composed the frame and squeezed off one image. That was it.  The stoke was there right from the very first frame. This is the actual first print, he ever photographed and got back from the store.
Fast forward some 30 years and Sean is now a veteran of the surf scene.  Widely published in several countries, a career that has spawned more than 100 magazine covers along the way.    When not in Hawaii, shooting the north shore, Sean often leads exploratory photo expeditions to many of the worlds more “out of the way”  surf zones. An amicable character, Sean is well liked by his peers and widley respected as a creator of innovative, ocean inspired imagery. Style is a large factor in Sean’s work and often is what sets it apart from other shooters. Sean spends much of the Hawaiian summer, photographing turtles, dolphins and fish, along with whatever else happens along the way. Water is a major theme in Sean’s work and he does his best to capture it’s many different moods.

This is a rare opportunity to hire one of surfing’s best photographers in one of surfing’s best arenas that is sure to result in a lifetime of memories.

Check out Sean’s website: SeanDavey.com
Sean’s Club of the waves Portfolio
To hire Sean, or for more information about his fee, please complete the Reservation form

Early in Sean’s career, Jack McCoy imparted some wisdom to him, “..the best way to learn about making surf movies is to go out and make surf movies.”  Sean took the advice and turned it into an obsession (which was easy because he loved it so much).  It was in the Margaret River area that Sean first entered the water to film (this is like learning to drive in the Daytona 500). He admits his early work was rough, but it came on strong and quickly improved as his equipment got better and experience increased.

Fast forward years later and Sean is Bali’s premier surf videographer with hundreds of short film titles to his name, clips in Surf Videos and TV adevertisements.  His footage of Uluwatu and Padang is incredible and when there is swell you will usually see his head bobbing around in the lineup. The locals Pros love to stand up tall and get their video footage and Sean loves to get in the tube with them. He still shoots just about everyday (summer in OZ and ‘winter’ in Bali).

Sean’s films entirely in broadcast quality HD (1081i for you techies out there). He has several camera configurations and can easily transition from the land with a telephoto lens to the water with a fish eye and back again. He is a master editor and can cut a personal movie of you or your group to his massive sound collection or the music of your choice.

Sean knows that video can be harsh and that often ‘the camera doesn’t lie’. “Initially when people see themselves on video they are often shocked at what they thought felt like a massive hack is actually more of a speed bump”, Sean says. “This is good and the camera can be used as a training tool especially in the nightly slideshows on the boat.”  But sometimes the camera does lie. Sean continues, “With the right angles and some magic editing I can make the average surfer look better than average, often greater than that…”  This is the challenge he loves the most and it is not such an easy job. It is one thing to make the local Balinese Pros look like they are going off, but quite another to take the traveling surfer and create footage worthy of a premiere party when they return home.

Sean makes it all look too easy.  He really has learned how to make surf movies by making surf movies. Good on ya matey!

To hire Sean, or for more information about his fee, please complete the Reservation form