May 7th 2024: West Sumatra

We arrived in West Sumatra just a few days before the first swell of the three we had on the radar for our trip. That’s a nice few days to feel out the reef and acclimatise to the 30°C-plus temperatures and the pace of life aboard the Mahogany.
 
Our first day froth stretched across a few days as we surfed some magnets and explored a few dive spots around the islands. When the swell arrived, we had a wonky right to negotiate with the odd barrel section for those with the ability to sniff out the hollow sections. By the next day, a few of our team took on a beastly right that broke right onto the reef. Within a few sets, most of the lads had blood leaking out of them somewhere.
 
We relocated to a deep water left that was soaking up the power of the long-period swell. The occasional giant set would pour through to keep us on our toes. A couple of the boys took a few beatings, and we damaged a few boards.
 
Life on the Mahogany is a bit like a dream. Juli makes amazing meals, like gado gado, rendang, and soto ayam, that keep our energy levels high. Breakfast is broken into two: fresh fruit salad at 6am, then omelettes and pancakes at 10am.
 
My old mate Sugud and Uncu, with groms Reo and Risky, ferry the lads into the lineup and look after us for any running repairs needed. Angga is our skipper and Bangbud is our engineer and ding guru. Our guide is Scuzz – he’s been surfing in these parts for almost 30 years and knows every little nuance of swell and wind. He’s a great surfer with a smooth style that has been shaped by years of surfing Indian Ocean swells. He’s always in rhythm with the sets – like he has some sort of otherworldly connection. That makes him a great guide for us as we explore the Telo Island group.
 
Right now, there is a bright green island with native trees on it, and a fun lefthander breaking into some ridiculously blue water. So, I’m signing off.
 
See you at the beach … Derek
 
PS We had the option to head to the Mentawai Islands, or Telo Islands and we chose the latter with the size of the swell in the forecast. Part of that decision was to avoid crowds and we have certainly nailed that. Including Scuzz, there are 13 of us and we have had every break to ourselves so far. It kind of makes us a little complacent without the crowd pressure, or threat of crowd pressure. It feels a bit like you’re discovering and surfing waves for the first time. And for most of us we are.