About Swell line – Mentawai Charter Boat:
KM SARANYA hull is made of Australian high Carbon Steel L.O.A 18.05 meters Custom Built for offshore Long Range charter, twin Engines, two Genset, designed for surfing, game fishing and eco trips, Luxury open plan licensed for up to 12 paxs live aboard all in air conditioned comfort.
BOAT SPECIFICATION KM swell line
Length Overall: 18.05 meter GRT 41 / Call sign YB 3557
Beam: 4.25 meter
Draft: 2..25 meter
Speed: 10 Knots Cruising Max 12 Knots
Main Fuel: Diesel
Fuel Capacity: Steel Integral Main Tank 4,000 Liters, 4 StainlessTanks Total 1,000 Liters
Vessel Registration: INDONESIAN REGISTERED FLAG
Hull Construction: High Carbon Steel / Sand Blasted paint system to Sa2 ISO 8501-1 (January 2008)
Main Engines: 2 X Hino 320 HP with Twin Disc Gearbox’s
Generators 2: 1 X Mitsubishi 20 Kw 240 Volt Single Phase 50 Hz
1 X Onan 12.5 Kw 240 Volt Single Phase 50hz
Anchor Winch: Maxwell 3500 / 24 Volt heavy duty chain and/or rope
Ground Tackle: 13mm, 2X45 Kg Danforth Anchors, 1 reef anchor S/S, 200 Meter Anchor Rope, 100 Towing Rope &. 1 Sea Drogue Sea Anchor
Electrical Points: 220 Volt, Australian Plug, UK 3 pin, European/Asian 2 pin and USA 110 Volt
Air Conditioning: 12,000 Btu sleeping quarters, 16,000 Btu main lounge, 10,000 Btu Bridge
Walk in Freezer: 4.5 cm3 Capacity, minus 25 deg cent, plus chest Freezer
Water Maker:Capacity 1400 Liters per day, with UV filter and carbon silver filters to USA Standard
Water Tank: 1400 Liter Stainless Steel Tank
Water System: 220 Volt Pressurized Water System 40 psi, Rear Deck Shower
Small Room/ Dunny: Pressurized Shower and Sink 220 Volt and 24 Volt TMC Toilet
Drinking Water: Water Dispenser, Hot or Cold
Safety Equipment
Life Rafts: Life raft Solas “A” 15 man
Flares: Parachute Red, Red Hand Held, Orange smoke floating
Fire Extinguishers: Co2 Sealed Flood System Engine Room,
Co2 Dry Powder Through out, and Fire Blanket Galley
Life Jackets: 15 Adult SOLAS “A” & 4 Children SOLAS “A” with Strobe lights
Life Rings (4): SOLAS, 1Port, 1 Starboard, 1 Rear Fitted with strobe light, 1 with 30 meter rope
VHF: (4 off): IC-M502 : VHF-DSC (ICOM) : 1 Hand Held ICOM : 1 Simrad GMDSS axis 50
Marine SSB: Furuno SSB FS-1503
Satellite Phone: Aces with external Ariel. Have Internet Boat
Grab Bag: Stocked, Pyrotechnics, Mirror, V-Blanket, GMSS VHF
EPIRB:ACR 406MHz Float Free
Bilge Pumps: 12, 24, & 220 Volt & Emergency 4 inch Emergency Petrol Pump
Manual pumps in 4 water tight bulk head’s
Navigation Equipment: Furuno NavNet Black Box system
Furuno Radar: ARPA’S, AIS 48 NM Range, WAAS Satellite Tracking, Weather, Tidal overlay
Furuno: GPS Plotter split screen Cmap NT plus max, 10.4 screen / plus 21 inch screen relay
Galley Misc. Equipment
Galley: LPG and Electric Stainless steel converter Oven,Micro Wave, Toaster, Coffee Percolator, Drinks
Lounge: Hot & cold Drinks dispenser, Pioneer Full Theater Surround System
Flat Screen Samsung USB TV, with facilities for Camera & Video equipment
Large stock DVD & VCD or bring your own plus the Vegemite
Berths: 12 Berths, 2 Doubles, Vee berth 2, 6 large singles, With Smoke Detectors
RIB: 3.5 meter, 1 x 15 HP Yamaha outboard engine
Sports Equipment: Fishing Roads & Reels 5 lb to 50 Lb. class and some light tackle
Snorkeling Equipment, Diving equipment, Tanks & BCD
The Mentawai Islands lie roughly 100 km off of the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. They consist of 4 main islands with many smaller islands scattered throughout. From north to south, the main islands are Siberut, Sipora, North Pagi, and South Pagi. These islands block most swells from reaching the mainland on Sumatra, but they offer some of the most perfect surf in the world. Access to the islands is by sea only with regular ferries to the main trading ports, but by far the best way to access the surf is by charter boat.
From up north to down south the following is a list of better known spots from which to choose (leaving out some semi-secret and un-named spots):
Ebay – A perfect barreling left that needs a bit more swell. Very scenic.
Kandui – A very fast, challenging, barreling lefthander that breaks from 3 – 12 feet, but is Triple Black Diamond over six feet.
Nokandui – A long, hollow freight-train left hander, that needs size and perfect conditions to be makeable.
4 Bobs – Short right well protected from most winds, shallow reef.
Bank Vaults – Right hander that can be a little shifty, but serves up backdoor barrels. Very heavy board snapping power with size.
Nipussi – A very consistent short fun easy right.
Scarecrows – Just another world-class lefthander that will satisfy your wildest dreams – and occasionally match your worst nightmares.
Telescopes – A long, beautiful lefthand reef pass that is out to sea and exposed, so prone to the wind. A spectacular wave.
Lance’s Left – Quality fun long left, very consistent, best with southeast wind. Can be a series of lefts if you want to push further up the reef.
Lance’s Right (HT’s) – One of the best right hand barrels in the Mentawai with a couple take off zones. Best with no wind or Northwest wind. Be careful of the “Surgeons Table” and inside area of shallow sharp reef.
Macaronis – Voted the best wave in the world by Tracks Magazine and “funnest wave” by Waves Magazine, this left hander is the star of countless surf videos. A hollow but manageable take off followed by a long wall that is often workable, or hollow. Makes the average surfer feel like a super star!
Rifles – One of the best rights in Indonesia, a long hollow wall with multiple tube sections. To make the length of the wave you must commit to riding the tube, likes the south swell and light northwest winds.
Thunders – A swell magnet and “go to” spot when the swell is small. This can be a fun long walled left with multiple tube sections, but when big provides a “Sunset” like drop that sometimes gets a bit fat and shoulders off down the line.
Rags Left – A long barreling wave that turns on during large southwest swells and has been surfed up to 15 feet.
Rags Right – This wave has been described as “a formidable opponent to your health, safety, and well-being.” Low tide is out of the question, but on a high tide and the proper swell, this is one of the thickest, hollowest tubes in the Mentawai’s.
The Hole – A fast hollow left with quick take off and hollow end section. Ends in very shallow water, better for advanced surfers.
Seasons & Weather
The Mentawai are in western Indonesia, just below the equator, so these islands are generally wetter and more lush than Bali and the islands further southeast.
The Indonesian archipelago stretches along the equator between the hot, dry Australian land mass to the south, and the hot, wet Asian land mass to the north. Indonesia’s climate is tropical and in the Mentawai there is little difference in the length of a day year around; but because of those land masses lurking above and below, Indonesia’s seasons divide in two: wet and dry.
The wet season begins in October and lasts until March, with the peak rainfall measured January and February, when high pressure flowing south from the Asian mainland combines with humid air from the Indian Ocean to bring rain throughout the archipelago – although the northern and western islands get more rain than those in the south and east.
March/April is the beginning of dry season, when high pressure over Australia pushes air north to blanket Indonesia with warm, dry air. The dry season peaks June through August, which is also in the heart of surf season.
Prime season for swell in Indonesia is the southern hemisphere winter – March/April through September/October – when low pressure systems off Antarctica and the Indian Ocean pulse ground swells toward the equator. These ground swells travel for thousands of miles, allowing them time to “unwrap,” organize and march onto the reefs of Indonesia as perfectly groomed lines.
Winds are also a factor to be considered. May through Aug/Sept typically sees easterly trades which are favorable for many of the main breaks. November through February generally sees northwesterly winds, which may not be favorable for the big name breaks, but there are waves that favor this wind direction. The shoulder or transition months of March/April and September/October will experience light and variable winds due to the changing of seasons. These months often experience glassy conditions and can be the best time to sample a larger variety of waves.
Although most of the rain falls during the wet season, rainstorms can occur at any time of year. Air temperatures range between 75° and 85° year around and water temperatures are always in that same range.
So, when is the best time? Like with so many questions the answer is: “It depends.” It depends on your desires. If you want big surf with favorable trades, May to September is probably best. If you want to experience some glassy conditions and get a few more rights and less people (but possibly sacrifice some swell size) March/April or late Sept/Oct is probably best. If you don’t mind rain but good surface conditions and smaller, clean surf with nobody else around: give the off season a try, from November to February.
Contact me
handraharbi@gmail.com
+6281374006060
