The Good News

Firstly, the skipper of the Santa Lusia posted a bunch of epic shots from the 2010 season, so I can only hope that 2011 is just as good (particularily when I’m there with my other 9 frothing mates!).

Secondly, the much discussed Indonesian flagging laws set out in 2008 are due to kick in in May 2011, a mere 2 months before my trip. This will hopefully mean a year or two of less boats and therefore less crowded waves:

Basically it means that a lot of operators are bugging out, setting the sails and fading into the distance and the past, leaving Indo waters for less expensive seas.  So between now and when a horde of local fisherman catch on there’s going to be a lot less boats floating up and down the Mentawais. The crowds that arrived eager and willing from all corners of the globe to surf the hundreds of world class reefs that litter the region will be culled. Leaving even less crowds!

So that’s the good news.

The Bad News

Firstly the recent earthquake in Sumatra, and consequent tsunami that ripped through the islands taking the lives of 100+ locals and sweeping up a few charter boats along the way. Heavy stuff!

Late last night (25 Oct), shortly after the quake hit a wave came through the bay at the famous Macaronis surf break where Freedom 3 and Midas were anchored close by.  The Freedom 3 was on the outside and hit by the wave and pushed into the Midas.  The Midas burst into flames and all Midas guests and crew had to evacuate and swim to shore. Read more…

SurfAid International are on the case as always, setting up a donation appeal and sending as much emergency relief as they can muster.

Secondly, I’ve ruptured my achilles tendon for the second time, so I’m looking at a recovery time of at least 6 months before I can surf.  At this stage I’m considering buying a couple of kneelos as backup!  The thought of rupturing my achilles for a third time and either missing out on the trip, or doing it while I’m on the trip, would be a bit to much for me to bare since I’m already going to miss the 2010/11 European snow season.

Have you been to the Mentawais this year?  Let me know if you scored…

Came across this fantastic screengrab from one of those GoPro HD cameras, surprisingly cheap considering the quality of video they produce.  This particular image is from Magic Seaweed.

Here’s a few other bits of GoPro footage I’ve seen around the place:

From my favourite break in the whole world – South Straddie on the Gold Coast

Kalani Robb getting shacked silly

Juan Ferdandez surfing in Croyde

(Check out Juan’s blog)

Boarding footage

If you’ve seen some crazy GoPro HD footage, post a link in the comments…

nb. Barney fisheye pic blatantly ripped from Shagga

Taiwanese fishermen run aground at Padang Padang as locals make the best of a messy situation
“It didn’t take locals long to figure out that the Taiwanese boat had been illegally fishing in Indonesian waters. When the boat ran aground (Poor navigation? Too many Arak Attacks? Captain was wearing green? No one really knows why…), the entire crew of the vessel grabbed every bit of documentation they could and booked it on the Bukit. Gone. Audi 5000. Between the fines for illegal fishing and the cost of getting the boat off the reef, they were cutting their losses.”

What next?

Update: The intrigue increases…

“The whole situation got even weirder today when rumor surfaced that the captain may have been murdered by his crew.”

And I’m selfishly rubbing my hands together at:

” … this could make running our events—the Rip Curl Padang Cup & Rip Curl Pro Search—there impossible … “

So maybe me having a bit of a whinge about it here will have some cosmic effect on the outcome.  There’s also the possibility that they’ll move the waiting period forward so it’s smack bang in the middle of my trip!  Blurg…

So, which reporting site do use the most, and why?  Post a comment!

Swellnet is light on content, but fast-loading and makes it simple to get to what most watermen want: quality daily surf reports and long-term forecasts.

Coastalwatch has a lot more content and interactivity and a lot more streaming surfcams, but perhaps all of this is making it hard for users to get to what they really want?  Recent addition of Prototype-driven UI enhancements could explain why they’re so far behind?

Check out more waves of the day on Swellnet >>