As the swirling wind changes direction the shape of the waves change accordingly from off shore to on shore and every variant degree in between. Towering columns of thunderheads roll overhead. Sparks of lightening in the distance, with a curtain of rain in tow, signal the surfers to maybe pack it in for the time being. Surfers wave their boards in the air and a dingy is launched from the stern of the Sumatura Biru to pick them up and surfers wait for the wave shape to return or hoist anchor and move to another break where the winds are going to be more in the surfers favor.
David Klein, otherwise known as DK, aka The Doll, a college friend of mine is a part owner of Nusantara Surf Charters. This was his circle of friend’s surf trip with some good customer friends from Australia. College mates of DK’s and mine included Craig Anderson, Scott Starky, August Higaldo, Lowell Hunter. Everybody gets along great and there a lot of dormant memories which have been brought back to the surface with ever present laughter. This is DK’s fourth successful season and things are going well with the charters and the clientele. Charters fill up rather quickly and if you have any interest check out his website. www.nusantarasurfcharters.com. He’s knowledgeable of the Mentawai Island chain and can find great waves when others seem to be still searching. For instance, Thunders was crowded with three other surf charters and he and Captain Candra picked up the anchor and we went to a place called Buddha’s, a quiet little left and no other people. The water is crystal clear and snorkeling and swimming are great. Buddha’s sits at the edge of a crescent moon cove surrounded by beach and coconut trees. Behind the beach trees is a deep green forest jungle. Monitor lizards patrol the edge of the beach and only leave their tracks and tail line in the sand. They look to reach up to about 2 meters in length. We’ve used Buddha’s twice now when the other waves get crowded. There are numerous places to surf with some descriptive names; Scarecrows, Rags right, Rags left, Lance’s left, Roxy’s, Macaroni’s, Buddha’s, Thunders, and some particular elements of a break such as ‘The Surgeon’s Table’, where skin 'can be' removed by the coral reef. Injuries in the tropics are a constant struggle to keep clean and dry. The moisture in the air keeps everything damp and infections blossom with red and ooze yellow to green.
Nusantara Surf Charters set up a two day reservation at Macca’s. www.macaronisresort.com. Where the boat can tie up to one of two mooring buoys. The moorings are there to protect the coral. There seems to be a small political problem at Macca’s; the owners of Macca’s and the locals don’t want more than two boats there so that Macca’s guests get a good wave without having to compete with a crowd. When we arrived there were four boats there and two of them were boarded by the locals and asked to pay or leave. A letter was sent to the Mayor of the Mentawai Islands in Tua Pejat, capitol of Mentawai Island District and he said, ‘Yes, you can charge for the extra boats.’ Another letter was sent to the Governor of Sumatra and he said, ‘No, you cannot charge the extra boats.’ But they still do and I’ve seen shirts around that say, ‘FREE MACCA’S’. I understand the owners of Macca’s but I also understand that one cannot own a wave. It’s a difficult situation because Macca’s does have a nice set up and there’s a great break and I would be disappointed too if I spent a chunk of cash to come all this way to the Mentawai Islands and had to wait in a line up or cooperate by reserving a slot of time to surf when the weather can change so easily. I went into Macaroni’s to check it out and send my first and only blog of the trip while underway. I saw the damage that the 2010 tsunami had done and I saw beautiful things the owner had done when he rebuilt the majority of the bungalows.
I was impressed to see a ping pong table, pool table, and a swimming pool for guests. Macca’s is a surfer’s oasis in the middle of 100 degree weather.
The bar/restaurant was the only building left standing after the tsunami and had water running through the restaurant area when the waves hit.
http://davidcdagley.blogspot.com
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder