It seems that Telescopes is a softer version of either SCAR or ONE PALM and in some cases a little more playful that G land BUT hey those conditions were absolutely awesome well done to those guys who scored such a s great day. Well the DRONE sure makes up for some great footage anyway, bloody zodiac would surely run out of fuel doing those long hauls, huh and the smell of two stroke in the water. chakas to you all bro !

Hmmmm...this is the best telescopes gets? Overcrowded 3-4ft? Granted the arvo glass off looks nice but they can have it and their mediocre waves of their lives.

I love Telescopes one of my fav lefts in the Mentawai's but it's really sad to see it with that many people on it.

It's understandable though after Macaronis it's possibly the most user friendly world class left in the Mentawai's no where as perfect as Maccas or as consistent but it's a wave anyone can surf, take off is pretty easy, very little reef factor as quite deep and a flat safe reef, and no crazy end sections.

It can get bigger than this, but doesn't line up much better than that.

Far from mediocre.

Have to agree on the crowd though.

Agreed, great fun wave.

every piece of footage that has come out of Indo and especially the Ments has looked insanely crowded this season.
Anyone who has been this season confirm or deny?

Is it just peak season that is so crowded in the Mentawais, or is March-April the same? Looks crazy busy, but conditions look dreamy .
Where I usually go in Indo, I can get my favourite spot to myself a good deal of the time. Not all day, but at least a few hours a day.

Mentawai's are no different to say Bali

For example: If you want to go surf Bingin or ullus or Padang Padang or Canggu its going to be crowded 99% of the time, but if you sneak off somewhere with less quality and think outside the box you can find uncrowded waves.

Same deal in Mentawai's if you want to go surf Maccas or HT's or other well known waves it will be crowded, but if you know where to go and when and willing to surf waves of lesser quality, you can get uncrowded waves.

But yeah there is a very large number of resorts and camps and losmens in the Playgrounds and Telescopes area and every year more and more are getting built.

Then off course a large number of charter boats in the mix.

Been looking at a land camp in the playgrounds area...a all inclusive 4 person share losmen with fan with local boat trips [basic indo boat] they are asking $180 per day
Bit pricey
M.I.A. surf camp ...anyone stayed there ?

The B-Grade Indonesian waves are still better than most A-Grade waves in other places. Hit the B-Grade waves, avoid the crowds and have more fun. That's my theory anyway.

Hello Udo,

I have not stayed at MIA but I heard on the local grape vine that the owner might be on the piss! It's right in front of Nipuusy and of passable quality but certainly not Kandui or the likes. Why don't you do what Indo-dreaming and I did in the earlier days and just stay with one of the local families at E-bay. Pak Jamal, Ibu Temi and Pak Bonard or Pak Anti, Pak Jam, Valarius, Emanuel, LeBidet, Mateus and others. All these local families are super nice and there are others but their names just slip my mind right now. They will all strike a reasonable deal for you under RP300,000/night with food, or you can bring your own and share it around. I had the time of my life doing this for months (at the historic lower rates) and surfed, snorkelled, learned about the local culture, carved out canoes, cut down rainforest trees, built houses, hunted fish and collected wild food, ate crabs, turtle, wild pig, squirrel, sting ray, sagu grubs, learned the language (Mentawai and Indonesian) and fell in love!.
You could also pioneer and see if you can stay for much less than this with a family in Masoseo (wrong spelling) on the way to Nipussy, and there are many other little villages dotted around that have had far less exposure that should be happy to have you stay. (A bit of Indo lingo is necessary for these options).
I'm so glad I got to experience the place right on the cusp of change! If you want one of the best guides around then find Doddy and his father Bang Deddy in Muara Siberuit and see what they can offer you for an all inclusive trip with boat etc. They speak English, Spanish and Portugese! Don't forget your mask and snorkel, a smile and an open heart. P.S. Don't bother with flashy gear etc, keep it low profile and you won't have any trouble worrying about stuff being pinched etc. There is a road now right up to Madobag in the centre of SIberuit, why don't you go for a few days up to the forest as well! There are also potential hidden gems surfing and otherwise all over the chain for you to explore. Don't miss the Tuak and snorkelling/spearfishing in Tua Pejat!
After that why don't you do the same at Lances Right, stay there for a month and get it wired so when it's pumping and the crowds show up you will be on top and dominating with the regulars! Barrels of your life mate if you're on it, unhindered and fancy free!

That place looks cool, lots included..24hr wifi....RLZ is $7 per hour !
Something like 25,000 seats ? @ $500 return for the brazzos

Nice timing.

I've had a gutful of my steamer.

Or more accurately , due to my recent East coast piss intake , it's had a gutful of me.

anyone been on the ments charter boat tengirri?

If it is pumping wifh light winds there are lots of options in the ments. Bad winds or small swells can mean only a few spots are good across the whole chain. Swells from way down low can mean 20 minutes of flatness and then three 5ft waves appear. If there are 20 people on the peak the maths means 17 miss out.
Surfed telescopes alone for hours a few years ago at 4ft when the wind was affecting it a bit. Looked so so from the boats but was amazing fun to pick any wave i wanted. Then the wind dropped and boats appeared from the resorts in a flash. Late evening was like the video - perfect but a bit too busy.

To get the full on, lots of waves surfed out sort of dream trip some luck is needed. Peak season crowds with poor winds and or small swells could be very frustrating. Shoulder and off season with some swell and light winds and youll be very happy.

Northwest is the worst wind but is fine for a few spots. Pointless worrying about it before you go as wind are fairly hard to predict and can change all over the place. Hope for swell and light wind. Most of all hope for swell to create options for all to spread crowds and have lots of sets. Always exciting. You will surf amazing waves. Only question is how many, which depends on crowds, your ability to take off deep, your skipper and using some intelligence timing sessions.

Drink lots of water, wear a surf hat so you can surf though midday when the heat and lunch thins the crowd, dont waste time watching videos or sleeping when it is pumping. Take a punt on wind affected line ups when the crowd thins - can be your best sessions. Had one point/reef with two people like jbay last trip where the low tide made it amazing but with some cross chop making it look unappealing to 3 boats with full bellies after lunch in plain sight. Sneak out quietly, look like you think it is a bit crappy and get an hour or two empty before you get spotted.

Groundswell sasareu comment above re MIA camp
Check out The Shadow surf camp website ..sounds gd value and Indo owned

Hey sasareu

You never replied to my E-mail :(