June 2nd 2026: Indo time

You lose track of time in Indonesia. Things work on their own schedule, and rushing seems to be a problem only for visitors. Chasing surf in the Mentawais is a bit the same. You quickly learn to surf what's in front of you and make the most of any opportunities. 

We were a few days late for the first mega swell of the year to hit the Ments, but still managed to surf some fun and uncrowded waves right to the end. The looming swell was too much for Dave Lyons – guided by a serious case of fomo – he leapt overboard at one spot that features a world-class left and a world-class right – and locked in for three more weeks. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who had a pang of envy as he headed to the beach.

But my journey was not over yet – I tacked on an extra six days to explore the jungles and volcanic peaks of Northern Sumatra. From forests seemingly dripping with orangutans and other wild animals, to exploring villages ruined by volcanic eruptions and even climbing the 2212m peak of the active Mt Sibayak, my bookend to this year's Ments trip was pretty insane. I'll bring you more on that next week, but here are a few balls of orange fluff to tease you. Next week, I'll bring you the full jungle story from my adventures in Northern Sumatra. 

See you at the beach, Derek

PS A huge shout out to the team at Sumatran Surfariis for delivering another banger and to all the lads on this year's trip – what a great bunch of humans. Stoked to share the adventure with each and every one of you.