Ewok 2 1 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 45 pages ..... 45 ? ! thats a lot of reading yes sir mantas i will go through that thread soon waiting for those spooky spook's fa bu pi ku (fabulous pictures) in this thread though, doh =) Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Will have to work on that surfers thread.. might be able to add a few pages of pics soon! Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted May 16, 2008 Share Posted May 16, 2008 Yes. Pics of your favorite SA locales with maps and directions please. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted May 16, 2008 Author Share Posted May 16, 2008 ok, time for another pic. sorry i've been out of the loop on this thread but have got lots of other things going on! e-bay was 4-5 foot last weekend, solid double head on the bigger ones. last wave on saturday i got flogged and dragged just past that second rock and then across the nearly dry end section, and was lucky to come out relatively unscathed. first wave the next morning got slammed on the take-off and my leggie torn off. swam in to find my board intact and headed out for a few more hours. the wave is sort of like scar reef in sumbawa - it just farken drains. there's so much waterushing up the face when you're sitting in the bowl. aaaragh, so so good. the pic doesn't make the wave look too solid, but from the water it is pretty hollow my indo is ok at the moment, my minang is also ok, and my mentawai... well, i know a dozen words. it's hard trying to learn 3 languages at once, plus we've got some java guys out here too, so that's another one! this is a very selfish thread... all about me me me. sorry for that folks, i just don't got much time to be playing round on the other forums... Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Originally Posted By: spook this is a very selfish thread... all about me me me. sorry for that folks, i just don't got much time to be playing round on the other forums... Pfft, don't worry man. This is your thread. We are all very interested/envious of your little adventure. It's good to here from you. When I hear you describe that Ebay and the floggings you got, it brings back memories of the floggings I recieved and the reality of how brutal Indo reef breaks can be. It also makes me wonder whether I;m still up to surfing waves like that. At 42 I think I might be past it. Maybe not. I might feel differently if I was there in the moment, fit as a fiddle and ready to go. Keep the posts coming Spook Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 cool cool, will keep the posts coming and some pics. surf is small out the front at the moment, which is good, as it allows us to focus on work. landscaping is looking sick, as is the main building. when everything is hunky dory i'll post some pics of the finished product e-bay is relatively ok. last weekend kandui and hideaways were pushing 10ft and heavy as hell from all reports. there's no channel or end section, they both just keep getting faster and shallower. eeeeekk! need to build myself up to those. i don't really like wearing booties and can get away without them (as long as you don't wipeout) but for know am playing it a bit safe at the gnarlier breaks. hell, one of our crew got torn apart and even needed a few stiches in his head from a head-high surf out the front at pitstops (one of the most playful waves around and his home break). things go from carefree to serious in an instant and our remoteness makes things a bit more severe Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Stitches are never good in that environment. Or any flesh wound for that matter. Injury and remoteness don't go together. It's all good to have a challenge but at the end of the day it's all about fun. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted May 17, 2008 Author Share Posted May 17, 2008 we were sitting around having a few beers last night and everything looked good for a full moon surf at about 10pm. zero wind, really small swell (about 1 foot) and an almost full moon which was putting out enough light to cast shadows. of course we surfed like a bunch of gumbies and pulled back on tiny waves, but it was a blast! the water was so incredibly clear, with the reef and sand all lit up. stroking into these fun little waves, just me an a mate while a bunch of our crew hooted from the beach. ahhhhhh... sweet Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Frothing Spook.. Living the life.. Glad someone is! Just got back in from a chilly SW stormy.. Know where I'd rather be! Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 I've never done that. Surfed at night. Only when I was late getting in on a late arvo sess. Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 spook, I love night surfing sessions too. Everything feels sooo different out there. I always find myself thinking Im going to be a sharks nite snack or some wave is going to pummel me. Havent done that in a very long time though. BP and I only had nite swims last time we were in Kochi. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Spook- I was talking to the Law yesterday. He just got back from over there. Got good waves by all accounts. He rattled off the names of the places he surfed, some I recognized as your turf. Ebay. He was there for that big swell and surfed Hideaways, if I can get some pics off him I'll post them. The boat was the Pelagic? Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted May 21, 2008 Share Posted May 21, 2008 Luv nite surfs.. Have done a few moonlit sessions and also a few care of our headlights! Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 6, 2008 Author Share Posted June 6, 2008 hey all been away for a few weeks sorting out some things (visas, business stuff etc) and then i've been sick and lying in bed the last few days... mantas, yep that swell from a month or so ago was pretty epic at all the lefts up here. not sure if i mentioned it before but apparently kandui was 8-10 foot and insanely thick and scary. inside kanduis was cleaner. hideaways would have been pretty solid on the first day of the swell, but a more manageable 6 foot the day after. of course for an ex-pro surfer, 'manageable' is all relative a few days ago the rusty guys rocked up and i snapped some pics of josh kerr and jay davies boosting. jamie o'brien was also going nuts but i didn't get many nice shots of him. just before they arrived i had a few hours in the water. fun barrels and smackable walls. i've also included some pics from mainland sumatra. we went up to a plce called the harau valley for a few days - it's a 175m high gorge with only a few hundred metres of flat at the base. sitting in a motorcycle sidecar driving past rice paddies on the way in, the gorge just looms up with all these waterfalls gushing everywhere. very very cool. there's bugger all to do there but it's a great place to relax with the missus for a few nights The best payphone I've ever seen, Bukkitingi Harau Valley homestay and view from the lookout One of our crew with a new pet - Dewik found this python 20m away from our house. All our guys also helpfully reassured us that there's bigger ones out there, and smaller poisonous snakes too. Great. I've also sen a lizard the size of a small dog kicking around too. Jay Davies, mid-wave boost at Pitstops Josh Kerr, air king. This guy was head and shoulders above all the other Rusty team. Pretty phenomenal to watch one of the world's best air guys going nuts out the front Link to post Share on other sites
Ewok 2 1 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Originally Posted By: spook jebus the height. and fabulous timing spook. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 6, 2008 Author Share Posted June 6, 2008 it's massive huh? he's about 10-12 feet above the flats - that's like jumping off a roof the other guys were doing smooth functional airs. on a normal day they'd look awesome, but compared to josh kerr they didn't even rate Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Hey Spook, Nice pics mate. I cant see 2 of them though. I'll bet it was great to escape from Gilligan's Island for a while eh? The boys are still talking about a trip next May. At this stage, that's all it is, Talk. It's getting harder to get frequent flyer trips now. It's all booked up for May next year already. Keep up the good work Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Ahhh....the pics just came through. That is huge (snake and the air) !! Link to post Share on other sites
Yuki's Passion 1 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 wow! Thanks for the spook! That guy has really launched himself - damn! how far offshore is that? Looks really close. What a show going on down there You guys get lots of pros coming through? Next request some more sunset surf sess!! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Just as a matter of interest Spook, how do you get to your island?? If for example we were coming from Japan, where would we have to fly into etc etc Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 TB, Ill try to answer on spooks behalf as he might not be able to post again for a while. This area is pretty remote. almost everyone comes through Padang Sumartra. this I pulled off the Pitstop hill website. Getting to the Hill is really done in two main stages. Once you arrive in Padang, leave the rest to us. Getting to Padang (West Sumatra) Generally via Singapore, Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. Transfer from Padang to Mentawais A choice of 2 comfortable ferries (fast or overnight) Optional upgrade to SMAC Padang to Mentawai (Rokot) flight Mentawai Ferry harbour to Pitstop Hill speedboat ride Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 8, 2008 Author Share Posted June 8, 2008 That's, uh, our website. Nice one Mantas! There's a ferry 3 times a week from Padang to a nearby island. One ferry is quite nice and comfy if you get a cabin, the others are all wooden, rickety and dirty. We just put our guests on the nice metal ferry and make sure they have an aircon cabin. There is also a flight, but unfortunately it doesn't coincide well with international flights arriving in Padang. From your ferry or or airport arrival in the Mentawais, we pick you up in a speedboat and it's a one hour trip to the resort. Jump out at the beach, our crew carry your stuff from the boat and you go surfing and live like a king for 10 days You can also get here independently, and stay at a very basic homestay. It's a bit of a mission but possible. But you get a different experience as you don't have access to boats to go surfing and (as it is very remote out here) you need plenty of time and must bring all your own food and water etc etc It wasn't until I came out here for an extended period that I realised all the logisitcs and costs involved in running a resort, or even a basic camp. It's a nightmare, but the rewards are worth it! Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Originally Posted By: Creek Boy You guys get lots of pros coming through? CB, this time of year ( the peak season) is when sponsors send off their troops in boatloads in search of epic waves for the coming summers advertising and surf mag stories etc etc. When I was helping on a mate's boat back in 97' we were surfing a isolated spot and another boat comes round the corner, zodiac drops off the surfers to where we were.. Kelly, Occy, Dorian, Kalani, Robb, Luke and the list went on! Billabong Challenge in tiny waves.. Still awesome to watch! Spook. Kerrzy going to space on that one!. My bro is up to HT's land camp start of july.. Been trying to scam my way there.. Wife just shut me down! Keep the pics coming... Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted June 10, 2008 Author Share Posted June 10, 2008 was that trip to sumbawa indo? there's also cheap homestays at katiet now - a few bungalows at $10 a night, so no need to go to the flash resort if money is tight. from what i hear off-season is a better bet, so you're not sharing the wave with 6-10 boats Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Yeah the Billy challenge was Sumbawa. They actually surfed off at Yoyo's.. The whole trip for them was a sham.. tiny waves and the boys didn't even want to surf! Kelly wanted to go fishing! I think Katiet is where my bro might be staying. Can't be too many places up at HT's! Link to post Share on other sites
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