Mentawai Spot Observations - HT's (Lance's Right)

HT's is less mechanical and more moody than I thought it would be. It's consistently rideable but to get quality HT's you just have to sit there until the tide height, tide direction, and wind direction come together, and then pick the right waves.

Tide Direction.

With an outgoing tide, all the water in the Mentawai channel behind Sipora and North Pagai is gushing out the straits between Sipora and North Pagai. Swell on it's way to HT's has to push in through there, and when the swell slows down relative to the bottom it has more time to feel the bottom and lose energy. I should have figured this would be the case a la Desert Point but it just never occurred to me. When the tide starts coming in hard, on one session we observed a lot of chop coming through the lineup. It was like a continuous boat wake for 15 or 20 minutes, unexplainable considering it was glassy and no boats were going anywhere.

Our last day there we saw consistent overhead sets predawn, and very very few overhead waves for 9 or 10 hours until the tide started pushing in and then suddenly the sets were double overhead with overhead waves just pouring through. Considering the 180 degree swell wrap at HT's, tide push is the only possible explanation for regular overhead waves there.

Tide Height

High tide seemed much softer. A lot of barrels would pinch shut. Some waves didn't really barrel. There was water on the reef but with a little less danger but a lot less wave quality I'm not sure it was worth it. I steered clear of this condition.

At the lowest tide incoming we saw the set waves barreling on the outside, pinching off, doubling up and barreling really hard again through the middle. This lasted about an hour or so and by the time more water had filled in the sets weren't really doubling up any more.

Wave selection

Wave selection is absolutely crucial at HT's. We'd be sitting for the wide ones and then really wide ones would come, throw a closeout barrel all the way to the channel, then mush on the shoulder. Those waves just aren't rideable. Saying you are sitting for the wide ones was also kind of a misnomer, waves would peak or wall up all up and down the line. It's not just one boil of peak on the wide ones.

Up at the Office we saw total closeouts, smoking down the line barrels makeable only by the fastest guys, and slower bowling barrels with drawn out bottom turns, stalls into the hook, and lots of arm dragging. All in the same session at the same spot. The best guys would sit out there for 30-45 minutes with a couple other guys on the peak just waiting for the right wave. It was not a crowd factor, just waiting for the right one.

Crowds

People often quantify Mentawais crowds in increments of "boats", as in "We had south wind and small waves and there were seven boats at Thunders. It sucked." However HT's breaks not too far off the beach in front of Katiet Village on the well-connected island of Sipora. The opportunities for budget-minded surfers to stay with an enterprising hut owner in Katiet for $2 a day are nearly unlimited. In past years up to 60 guys might be staying on land in peak season. The high end resort at Katiet Villas was totally empty when we were there, but the manager and a handyman working there were both out surfing, along with 15-20 guys in Katiet.

The bottom line here is that even if the swell is pumping and the winds are perfect all day, the tide conditions are going to cause big intraday quality fluctuations at HT's. It's definitely a place to sit and watch for a while before having a go, and if you've got your eye on it you can be first out when it turns on.

The second wave in this video is one of the best waves we saw at HT's, rider unknown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnsiYs_sgoo

Mentawai Boat trip bookings bouncing back after slow 2007

It's the beginning of what the cruise industry calls "Wave Season", the first 5 months of the year when the majority of cruises, the majority of leisure travel, and the great majority of indo boat trips get booked. From what I've been hearing Mentawai bookings for the 2008 season have been pretty strong. The 2007 season had slow bookings because of the strong, consistent SE winds in the Ments during July-Aug-September of 2006.

These winds didn't really affect Northern Sumatra but they caused bad word of mouth for the whole area. It's not hard to imagine why - with strong SE wind you blow out all the rights that typically need some combo of N or W wind. When most surfers are regularfoot and HT's, Bank Vaults, and Rifles are blown out for the better part of 3 months, you're going to have mostly dissatisfied guests. If they wanted windy lefts they would have gone to Fiji.

The bottom line is if you've been thinking about a boat trip this year you should book early, especially if you want a specific boat, need specific dates, or want to go off the beaten path. Many of the most popular boats/guides are booked out a year or more in advance by repeat customers. Boats going to more obscure areas like Northern Sumatra or the southern Ments need longer trips, which means fewer total trips to choose from on top of fewer boats that run those routes.

Surf video reviews: Young Guns 3, Absolute Mexico, Aquatic Dreams

Since the great majority of surf videos are not sold or reviewed by mainstream media companies I thought after I bought a handful of them I'd post my thoughts. Here's what I care about in a surf movie, in the following order:

• great waves
• great music
• cinematography/photography/aesthetics
• great surfing with a healthy mix of maneuvers
  

Young Guns 3 disappointed after YG2 had set the bar so high ON MY CRITERIA. I acknowledge that the younger Quik guys are growing up and pushing the limits more and more. The aerial maneuvering is mind blowing. Having said that, probably 20-25% of the DVD is 1-2 maneuver waves at a wedgy closeout beachbreak left. A long long way from the 4-6 maneuver linkages at Maccas or Rifles in YG2, each shot from shot from 3 or 4 different angles and accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack. I liked the fact that G-Land had its own section in YG3 and it's about time someone went back there and shot the new school on that wave. It takes a lot of water photogs/boats/skis to get the shots at G-Land because of the huge playing field, tide changes, currents, etc, and they got the shots. As a surfer who likes going left and getting shacked G-Land is the end-all, be-all wave. As a photographer it's a pain in the ass. Front-lit morning G-Land is onshore, rarely glassy or offshore, and by the time the 10am offshores pick up the harsh midday light or sponsor-unfriendly back lighting is a factor. Never mind the other hassles of currents, distance from shore, and lineup size. Safe to say it ain't HT's.
Absolute Mexico looks great, the surfing is much more on the WCT guys at La Jolla with only a smattering of big-wave Puerto Escondido. It is a great companion to "A Fistful of Barrels", which I also recommend. The music is latin but lively, and thoughtfully selected. You also get a healthy sense for what's IMperfect about the wave at La Jolla when pros are complaining about the swift current and the heavy drops.

Aquatic Dreams looks low-budget but delivers a pretty high action quotient. It's not groundbreaking in any way. The WA barrelling right sequence gets repetitive (Gas Bay?) but the waves are sick and it's not the Box. Expectations were fairly modest for this one and in my opinion it over-delivered.