Surf wrap-up

Well, by Mentawai standards we got skunked. Strong South swell and relentless South winds were the ultimate crap combination in this part of the islands. This weather pattern had been around since July and it hasn’t ceased since with the exception of a couple days here and there. They’ve not seen a weather pattern like this since 1997. Such is the nature of…well, nature. If you could predict the surf in advance there would be no fun in being a surf explorer. You should go play racquetball or skateboard if you’re looking for a more predictable environment in which to exist. Now, don’t think there’s a tear in my beer. Notice that I mentioned “by Mentawai standards” not by my standards. By my standards it was phenomenal. We never surfed less than 3-4’ and most days were more in the 5-6’ range with a few 8’ days thrown in for good measure and the water was in the mid-high 70’s every day. The shape wasn’t perfect since we rarely had an offshore wind and only a few glassy sessions, but for all intents and purposes it was great shape; far better than the above average days here. Every session was fun, challenging and sometimes downright scary. Surfing reef is a very new and different experience and an exercise in patience, confidence and pain. I took my lumps, that’s for sure and I never backed down and let my inexperience and injuries sideline me; I went on every boat ride to every break. I’m still nursing several cuts on my feet and back and hands and I have bruises on my back, feet, legs and arms. Conversely, I also caught the wave of my life, the biggest wave I’ve ever surfed, I got my first legit barrel and oh yeah: I never surfed with more than 5 other people in the water at any time, all of whom were happy to share waves and hooted and hollered you onto every wave. I guess in the end the pleasure was worth all the pain. All the above mentioned perks are practically non-existent in SoCal, so even though a few guys were bummed we didn’t score huge death barrels we all had a great time in fun waves, every day.

Would I travel back to the Mentawai’s again? You tell me after reading through this blog over the last couple weeks! I’m considering going back to Kandui next year around the same time or maybe a little sooner to try and avoid the really dry season so I might see a little more sun and maybe avoid the South winds. In fact, a few of the other guys are talking about heading back so maybe we’ll try and coordinate our own little sequel.

I will admit that the surf was much more challenging than I expected and negotiating the reef was far more than I was prepared for and I was put in my place early and often. However, it’s made me a better, more confident surfer and I’m stoked to get back to surfing at home to see what kind of improvements I’ve made that will transfer to my usual haunts. You get a little spoiled when every wave has a definable shoulder and take-off zone and they rarely close-out but rather just section out, iff anything. I was surfing in ways I didn’t know I could, performing turns and maneuvers I didn’t know were in me and learning more about my craft due in large part to the optimal surfing conditions. It’s a fun feeling to see changes being made right before you and your growth as a surfer noticeable each and every day. I know I never would have been able to learn the things I did in Indo back home and it feels like my surfing has advanced much more than the 2 weeks I was away and it’s probably more like 6 months of experience and knowledge; a wise investment, indeed.

Next post we’ll get all philosophical and wrap this blog up with some final thoughts on how this experience affected yours truly…