Mentawai Islands Sumatra: Best surf destination in the world

A Australian friend of mine, who is in the surfing industry in Bali, one told me that the 2 best surfing destinations in the world were Hawaii and the Mentawai islands, of the west coast of Sumatra. An article by one of the guys who discovered the Mentawai’s, backs that up.

Before moving to Bali in 2003, my knowledge of the Mentawai’s, was limited to the 10 day jungle trek I did there in 1993. I spent a week at Lagundi Bay on Nias (not technically part of the Mentawai’s, but close) and was vaguely aware, that surfing was going on in the area. I had no idea that the location was held in such high esteem. Part of the reason for the popularity of the Mentawai’s, is the remote location and lack of facilities. This means the only way to surf there is from a live-aboard boat, with hopefully not too many other boats around.

News.com features an article by Nick Carrol, who found the Mentawai’s to be a magical surfing location. For people wishing to arrange a live-aboard to the Mentawai’s, walk around Poppies II and Jl. Benesari, you see a few places offering trips.