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Most of the spots over there were really
shallow and the reefs were very sharp.
Hawaii has similar spots, but over there I felt
as if I had to be way more careful because
there’s little/no medical services and I didn’t
want an incident with the reef to ruin the rest of my trip.
Overall, I think that surfing in the Mentawais
spoiled the &%#$ out of me because the
waves were just so… perfect.
Sometimes as I was surfing on a wave I would think to myself that
I was dreaming. It sounds so cliché, but it’s so true!
I had no idea that waves could be so perfectly lined up, with the
most perfect shape and speed. Not to mention that the water was
so clear and turquoise with so much colorful marine life right under
your toes.
LOCAL VIBE
It seems as though the locals are really happy with the effects
that surf travel has
had on their lives. One of the local guys who worked on our boat
told me that he felt so lucky to have such a highly desired job.
At
any given time of day or night, local Indonesian people would paddle
their canoes right up to our boat and just climb aboard unannounced.
They came with crafts, jewelry and clothing that they made to sell
to us. I later found out that they basically work all year making
this stuff just to sell to the people on the surf charters…
how could we not buy some?! We brought things with us to give to
the local people and they were all very appreciative. They especially
love surf shirts
and surf stickers. The little kids went wild for
balloons and Bazooka bubblegum!
LONE SURFER GIRL AMID MEN
Honestly, it didn’t really phase me that
there were no other girls around. All of the
guys were super fun to be around and even let me have some of their
waves which is always a bonus. The only bad thing is that I learned
is that boys can be really dirty and stinky when living on a boat
without their wives/girlfriends!
Oh, and they can pee off the side of the boat which I was secretly
jealous about since I had to use the real toilet below deck.
My boyfriend Todd was there with me and it
was so great to share the experience with him.
LAND EXCURSIONS
I wish I had a chance to find out! Besides
our in-transit time, we spent the whole trip
on the boat. If I had a chance to do it all
over again, I would spend a day or two on land.
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 NON-SURFING
ACTIVITIES
Not much! This sort of trip is definitely geared towards the serious
surfer. As much as I wanted to surf constantly, there’s inevitably
some downtime to watch movies, read a book, or my all-time favorite:
take a nap!
STACIE GLASS’’S
“Top 10 Essentials For A Great Boat-Surf Trip”
10. Comfort items – while on a boat for so long, it was nice
to have things like snacks from home, extra sets of clean clothes,
and I brought practically my
entire medicine cabinet “just in case”
9. Lots of sunscreen – even if you’re not as fair skinned
as I am, the Indo sun is stronger than Hawaii
8. Good movies and music – I brought my iPod speakers which
could plug in on the boat
7. Leave in conditioner with UV protection – without a real
shower and with minimal water supply on the boat, this was the only
way to keep my hair tangle free and soft
6. Extra towels – be sure to pack them in a separate plastic
bag, all our board bags got soaked during the overnight crossing
from Sumatra and so the towels
in them were nasty and moldy by the morning. Someone gave me this
advice before my trip so I was the only one with clean and dry towels!
5. A surf photographer – thanks Silas, your work is amazing!
Contact Silas Hansen at http://primophotos.com
4. A great group of people who all get along ...with no wave hogs!
3. A captain who knows all the surf breaks and a chef who can cook
well – fortunately we had both!
2. Good surf/weather conditions
1. Your father and your boyfriend aboard the boat with you to enjoy
this unforgettable experience with!
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