G’day everyone! As of the time of this update, we’re now about halfway through our 13th season in 2010, and we’ve had lots of amazing adventures as usual. Overall, it’s been a very good year for surf so far. We haven’t had too many HUGE swells, but the surf has been very, very consistent with the more exposed spots been consistently in the double-overhead+ range on a regular basis, and with every good quality.

Scuzz reported that, like the last couple years, the crowds stayed pretty quiet up until the end of June, and even though the typical summer crowds have started to fill in, we’re still scoring lots of quality sessions either alone or with just a handful of other guys. Our guides have had some time now to really do some exploring up in North Sumatra, and they feel the reefs have definitely experienced some slight sinkage. It’s not as dramatic as some people initially estimated, but Scuzz feels there’s an overall improvement in the surf, with some spots being significantly better. All our boats and crews are doing extremely well, including our newest boat Mikumba 2. For a more complete update, you can check out our current newsletter. If you’re not currently receiving it and want to, just fill out the form or drop us a line and we’ll make sure you’re included next time.

We’re turning the corner into that magic quiet time that we really love, and we still have some availability to book trips that still have quality waves with a fraction of the crowds. So, be sure to check our schedule page and contact us if you have any questions.

And now to our company spiel…

Welcome to SumtranSurfariis.com, website to one of the longest running and most successful independent surf tour operators for the islands of Western and Northern Sumatra. For over 12 years, we’ve continually brought surfers from around the world the adventures of their lives, and this has been done almost entirely without the use of outside booking agents. This allows us to have maximum control over the trips we deliver and the promises we make, as well as pass on savings normally spent on these agents to our guests. We are confident that pound-for-pound we deliver the best surf trips on the planet for the best price, and we hope you’ll come join us.

We are the sole operators of three charter boats: Southern Cross, Budyadahri, and Mikumba. All our boats are built in a traditional Indonesian style, which adds to the authenticity of your adventure. But they are also large and roomy, and well equipped with all the modern amenities. You'll very comfortable and very well looked after by our crew. In addition to our three core boats, we also help book a few trips for our mates' boats, such as D'Bora. The crews on these boats have many years experience running trips in these waters, and know how to put together a top charter for your group.

So, why Sumatran Surfariis instead of other fancy power boats marketed on websites and magazines around the world? Above all, it’s our experience. You can’t buy experience with a flat screen TV, imported ice cream, or the often false promotion of a 20 knot boat. Experience is over a decade of surfing and checking the waves more than others, knowing what happens on neap tides as compared to springs at certain waves, knowing where the majority of boats will head when a certain forecast comes out and heading to somewhere else without others. Experience is understanding that even though the forecast says one wind, the clouds and the sky are saying another, and it’s going the extra mile to be at the right place at the crack of dawn. And experience is knowing that most people would prefer to surf alone at a lesser known wave, than compete with 25 others at a magazine wave. After literally hundreds of charters, we obviously have our ideas about what makes the best trips, but we still ask for your feedback throughout the trips and come to group decisions about the best places to surf every day.

Our boats travel to two main areas: the Mentawais and Northern Sumatra. Feel free to check out our Trips page to find out a little bit more about what separates these two very different yet equally amazing areas. The page also provides a good example of what a trip might look like from start to finish. We have also recently begun exploration to areas of Southern Sumatra as well, and though we don’t want to divulge and information at this time, suffice it to say there’s more out there. There are still many secrets to be found, and we never rest on our laurels as we continually push the boundaries of exploration. Many of our trips are booked over a year in advance, so be sure to check our latest dates and prices to make sure you get the perfect slot for your dream trip.

In April of 2006, we also expanded our services by opening the Aloita Resort and Spa. Situated on beautiful island just north of Tua Pajet, near Telescopes, Aloita is far more than your standard surf camp, and offers several options not available in any resort in Sumatra. The resort is ideally suited for couples, as each roomy air-conditioned bungalow provides your own private access to your own mile of private beach. The Aloita Dive Center has a full range of well-maintained, top quality dive gear, and you actually have the opportunity to get certified if you stay long enough. Or, if you just want to relax, you can always take in our spa treatments or just relax with a cool drink at our waterside A Bar. But, of course, surfing is always our core business, and Aloita is well equipped to cover you there. In addition roughly a dozen waves in the immediate area, we've got access as far North as the Playground area and as far South as the Lance's area, a zone that covers about 70% of the overall waves in these islands. Aloita stands out its quality, luxury, and variety of its amenities, yet is by far the best value of any resort in the Mentawais.

For over 10 years we ran our operations out of the lovely and legendary Hotel Batang Arau, which sat right along the Muara River Harbor. This was our home and headquarters, and the watering hole for more captains, industry moguls, and traveling surfers than any other place in Padang. Countless stories were told and experiences were shared at the B.A., and as such we’ve become well known and well respected members of the local business and social communities. June of 2009 brought an end of an era for Sumatran Surfariis as we moved out of the Batang Arau to our new offices just a short distance away. Now that we don’t have allocate part of our time toward the entertainment and accommodation of our patrons, we can focus our entire attention on delivering our guests the best possible surf trips in Sumatra. Of course, we’ll still have beers, snacks, and a comfortable place for our guests to hang out before their trips.

We all love Sumatra and this is our home. We aren’t new guides after all the waves ourselves – we are all SURFERS with an extensive background in creating the most amazing trips to these areas while being respectful to everyone we come across. Aki and Scuzz on Southern Cross have 25 years plus experience in these Sumatran islands between them. Yu and AK on Mikumba have 16 years experience between them in these islands. Bevo and Josh on the Budyadahri have 6 years between them in these islands, plus all the knowledge that the other 4 guys have given them over the years during trips together. All of our guides have been trained by a full accredited trauma surgeon, so they know how to take care of you if you’re having too much “fun”. Each of our charters has a world class photographer, and as well as our ttwo wonderful masseuses Keiko and Miwa that move between our boats to bring a relaxing massage in the evening, and serve up the night’s food with chopsticks and a smile. Behind the scenes, we’ve got Christina who was the president of the Batang Arau for 10 years, the founder of our Indonesian PMA Bevy’s Sumatra, and the heart and soul of the business side of things. And then of course setting it all up is Slayer, who has been traveling with us since 2000 and doing our bookings since 2002. He virtually never leaves his computer, and can answer any and every question related to a trip in this area you could imagine.

This is THE family of the Sumatran surf community. We are proud to say that we employ an entirely local Indonesian crew of 30+. Most of our staff lives in Padang year round, so we are here to oversee everything, to strengthen our business relationships, manage our contacts and inventory, and do everything necessary to constantly improve your surf trip. We also care deeply about the local culture, and we are constantly looking for ways to give back to the community that has unselfishly given us so much. We were the first charter company to provide relief to the locals after the devastating quakes and tsunamis (you can read about all of our efforts starting here), and we have “adopted” the island of Bawa, where our new sustainable fruit and veggie garden is flourishing.

Sumatran Surfariis has lived and grown by word of mouth, and it’s only by delivering excellent trips that we will continue to succeed in the future. Please feel free to read what some of our past customers have said about us on our Testimonials page. Also be sure to check out some of the photos from past trips, as well as some of our Skipper Stories to get a better idea of what we’re all about. We hope to share this wonderful experience with you. Please feel free to contact us for any information.

Seize the day - you won't regret it. Terima kasih!!

© 2002 sumatransurfariis.com. All rights reserved.
Address: Hotel Batang Arau - Jalan Batang Arau #33, Padang 25118 - West Sumatra, Indonesia

 


mentawai, mentawais, surf, surfing, charters, boat, boats, simuelue, sumatra, sumatran, indonesia, Indonesian, safaris, travel, tours, maccas, macaronis, macaronies, maccaronies, ht, ht's, hts, HTs, the hole, rag's left, lance's left, lance's right, lance's, ebay, e-bay, rifles, nias, telos, hinakos, indo, telescopes, thunders, surfaris, surfing mentawais, mentawai surf, sumatra surf charters, mentawai surfing, surfing the mentawais, surf mentawais, surf trip, mentawais surfing, mentawais boat trip, mentawais boat charter, mentawais surf charter, mentawais surf trip, boat trip mentawais, boat charter mentawais, surf charter mentawais, northern sumatra, asu, bawa, north sumatra, indonesia, surf indonesia, surfing indonesia, indonesia surfing, indonesia boat trip, indonesia boat charter, indonesia surf charter, indonesia surf trip, boat trip indonesia, boat charter indonesia, surf charter indonesia, hinakos, surf hinakos, surfing hinakos, surfing the hinakos, hinakos surfing, hinakos boat trip, hinakos boat charter, hinakos surf charter, hinakos surf trip, boat trip hinakos, boat charter hinakos, surf charter hinakos, surf telos, surfing telos, surfing the telos, telos surfing, telos boat trip, telos boat charter, telos surf charter, telos surf trip, boat trip telos, boat charter telos, surf charter telos, surf nias, surfing nias, nias surfing, nias boat trip, nias boat charter, nias surf charter, nias surf trip, boat trip nias, boat charter nias, surf charter nias, surf asu, surfing asu, asu surfing, asu boat trip, asu boat charter, asu surf charter, asu surf trip, boat trip asu, boat charter asu, surf charter asu, surf bawa, surfing bawa, bawa surfing, bawa boat trip, bawa boat charter, bawa surf charter, bawa surf trip, boat trip bawa, boat charter bawa, surf charter bawa, islands, asia, afrika, southern cross, japan, padang, treasure island, bay of plenty, bengkaru, bangkaru, banyak, banyaks, banyak islands, afulu, enganno, sumatran surfaris, sumatran safaris, sumatran safariis, hinakos, surf simeulue, surfing simeulue, surfing the simeulue, simeulue surfing, simeulue boat trip, simeulue boat charter, simeulue surf charter, simeulue surf trip, boat trip simeulue, boat charter simeulue, surf charter simeulue, indo, indo boat trip, indo charter, indo surfer charter, indo surf trip, boat trip indo, surf charter indo, surf indo, surfing indo, telos lodge, telos camp, camp telos, lodge telos, batus lodge, batus, telos island lodge, island lodge telos