3 posts tagged “telescopes”

First of all I don't have any information now, but will post any I receive as I hear back from friends or contacts with first or second hand experience.  The only people who know the real scoop are out on boats now or will be going out over the next month or so.

I realize it is a bit crass to be discussing surf spot changes when there has been loss of life and much loss of property in the area, but if you can take a longer term view the world class spots offshore from Sumatra are some of the most consistent in the world and are one of the best chances to bringing low-impact, high-dollar tourism and development to this area.  Ask yourself, would Dr. Dave Jenkins have started Surf Aid to prevent malaria in a group of rural, undeveloped islands on the _eastern_ side of Sumatra?  Surf spot changes (which are bound to be mostly negative) will impact the long-term growth prospects of this region.  I hope there were no negative effects on spots and that the word gets out that Macca's is still working while people are still thinking about where to go for next season.

Generally speaking it usually takes an 8+ earthquake to materially deform the earth's surface, and the 8.6 that hit North of Nias in March of 2005 has had a big effect on spots in Nias, the Hinakos, Simeulue, and the Banyaks.  I did some imprecise Google Earth measurements and Lagundri Bay on Nias is about the same distance from the 8.6 Northern Sumatra quake as the southern end of South Pagai in the Mentawais is from the recent 8.4 quake.  I realize the most recent quake may or may not have created much uplift but just on distance alone it still could affect Thunders, The Hole, and other secret spots in the southern Ments.  Waves on Enggano or mainland Sumatra could be more significantly affected.  Finally, Northern Sipora (the telescopes area) suffered a direct hit from a 7.2 aftershock.  That's almost as big as the Loma Prieta earthquake that hit the Bay Area in 1989.  Even if there was no effect on local surf spots it might be a bit harder to find a family to stay with if you want to go feral in Tua Pajet.

Did I already mention I love surfline?  If you're a premium member they do these long-range forecasts and show you what's coming up in the next two weeks.  These things are great as you get closer and closer to the date of your trip.  Me, I don't have a trip this year, so this is pure vicarious viewing on my part.  If you're heading to indo any time this week, you're scoring.  Note that the swell will basically never drop below head high for two weeks.  Even if the macker swell for 5/16-5/18 turns out to be a little overstated it will still be plenty big.  The only variable now is between two and three times overhead.  By the time these things get to 5-7 days out the swell is basically already in the water and the forecasts are pretty solid.  I've been watching these charts for a couple years and Indo has two week runs like this fairly often during the season, which is why I devote so much real estate to talking about it - it's pretty much a sure thing with respect to consistent clean swell and benign winds. 

Note also the nice SW swell direction, great for some spots in Northern Sumatra and sure to light up spots in the Mentawais that need a strong SW push like Telescopes.  If the swell actually comes through at 11 ft 19 sec that is tow-in city.

All across Indonesia local farmers, merchants, and fishermen live in front of world class surf breaks.  For a very small fee, you can probably get a place to sleep and eat some local food.  I'm not going to talk about these options in this post, because first of all, they are rarely marketed on the internet, so I can't help you find them.  Second, I've never stayed in one, so can't make personal recommendations.  These arrangements are generally referred to as "feral", and I use the term with no disrespect.  It's just not for me, not right now.  What I've got listed below are non-feral options on Sumatra and the offshore islands.  Some have A/C, some have internet access, some have a speedboat, but all have non-exclusive access to 5-star waves straight out front.

I may get around to discussing non-feral options in Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara in a later post, but for now, this is just Sumatra options. 

Northern Sumatra (ex-Lagundri):

Baneng Island Resort Simeulue

Asu Paradise (formerly "Gangster's Paradise")

Hinakos Hideaway

Telos Lodge

Mentawais

Playgrounds surf camp (playgrounds)

Wavepark (playgrounds)

Kandui Surf Resort (playgrounds/Kanduis)

Macaronis resort (North Pagai/Macaronis)

Aloita resort (Northern Sipura/Telescopes)

Katiet Villas (Southen Sipura/HT's)

Eco Bay (playgrounds/e bay)

links and more camps coming soon...

Check out this site for a reasonably good listing of global surf camps, that includes some of the indo camps I mentioned above.