Intermediate: Hideaways (Epic, 1.8 m, offshore around 18:00), Beng Bengs (Good, 1.0 m, offshore around 10:00), Nipussi (Good, 1.1 m, cross-offshore around 07:00)
Beginners: Beng Bengs (Fair, 1.0 m, offshore around 10:00), Nipussi (Fair, 1.1 m, cross-offshore around 07:00)
Advanced: Icelands (Epic, 1.6 m, offshore around 10:00), Macaronis (Epic, 2.1 m, offshore around 07:00)
Forecast updated 20 Oct, 01:03 UTC.
The spots
Scarecrows · reef break, advanced, best on SW/W/S swell with SE/E/NE wind, mid to high tide. Left-hand reef south of Telescopes on Sipora, with a hollow take-off and a long wall; best around high tide on a falling tide.
Telescopes · reef break, advanced, best on W/SW/S swell with SE/E/NE wind, low to mid tide. Powerful left over coral reef in the northern Mentawai chain, working best on low to mid tide and a west or southwest swell.
Icelands · reef break, advanced, best on W/SW/S swell with SE/E/NE wind, low to mid tide. Well-known left reef break in the Mentawai islands that handles large swell; it is among the most frequently surfed lefts of the area and gets busy with boat charters.
Rifles · reef break, advanced, best on SW/SSW swell with ENE/E wind, mid to high tide. A very long, fast right over shallow reef in the Pagai Islands, with several tube sections. Described as one of the longest waves in the region on a good day.
Lance's Left · reef break, advanced, best on SW/S swell with NE/E/N wind, mid tide. Quality left across the bay from Lance's Right near Katiet on south Sipora, a long wall with hollow sections.
4 Bobs · reef break, intermediate, best on SW/WSW/SSW swell with N/NNE/NE wind, all tides. A right-hander on the Playgrounds side of Nyang Nyang that starts working around 1 m and holds to about 2.5 m on a southwest swell. Gets less traffic than the…
Playgrounds Left · reef break, intermediate, best on SW/S/SSW swell with NW/WNW/W wind, all tides. The left that gives the Playgrounds area its name, breaking from under a metre to about 3 m on south to southwest swell. Works at all tides but draws a boat-load of…
Kandui Left · reef break, advanced, best on SW/SSW/WSW swell with NE/ENE/E wind, low to mid tide. The left across the Kandui pass from Rifles, best on low to mid tide with a clean southwest swell and northeast wind. It is one of the busiest waves in the chain, so…
Lance's Right (HTs) · reef break, advanced, best on SW/SSW swell with NW/WNW wind, all tides. A hollow right-hand reef wave off Sipora, often called HTs, known for fast tube sections over shallow coral. Surf it by boat or from a nearby resort.
Hideaways · reef break, intermediate, best on WSW/SW/SSW swell with SE/SSE/S wind, mid to high tide. A left on the Kandui side of the Playgrounds chain that likes mid to high tide and holds a lot of size, up to roughly 3.5 m. Small days are fun, big days get serious…
Nipussi · reef break, intermediate, best on W/WSW/SW swell with NNW/N/NW wind, all tides. A right over a rocky reef on the Nyang Nyang side, working on west to southwest swell with north-northwest wind. It starts around a metre and works at any tide, and is…
Bankvaults · reef break, advanced, best on SSW/SW swell with NNW/NW wind, all tides. A heavy, ledgy right on a large reef in the Pagai Islands, with a wide barrelling inside bowl. It is uncrowded because it is only reached by boat.
Pitstops · reef break, intermediate, best on W/SW/NW swell with E/SE/NE wind, all tides. Friendly right on the same reef system as E-Bay in the Playgrounds zone, a busy all-tide option for resort and boat guests.
E-Bay · reef break, advanced, best on W swell with SE/E/NE wind, all tides. Hollow left over coral reef off Sipora that holds a big range of swell, with a shallow take-off and a fast wall.
Beng Bengs · reef break, intermediate, best on WSW/SW/SSW swell with E/ESE/ENE wind, all tides. A soft-shouldered left that works from under a metre up to about 2 m on southwest swell with light easterlies. It breaks at pretty much any tide and draws a crowd…
Macaronis · reef break, advanced, best on SW/SSW swell with NE/ENE wind, all tides. A world-class left reef wave in the Mentawais with perfect shape and long barrel sections. It works on all tides and is usually surfed from a resort or charter boat.
Greenbush · reef break, advanced, best on W/SW swell with SE/E/NE wind, all tides. Left-hand reef wave at the southern end of the Mentawai chain, mostly visited by boat or from nearby camps; works on all tides in clean conditions.
Rag's Right · reef break, advanced, best on SW/S swell with NE/E/N wind, mid tide. Hollow right-hand reef near Thunders in the southern Mentawais, a boat-trip wave that stays uncrowded.
Thunders · reef break, advanced, best on SW/S swell with N/NE/E wind, mid tide. Remote left-hand reef in the southern Mentawais off Pagai, mostly surfed from charter boats and rarely crowded.
When to surf in Mentawai
Best months for intermediate surfers: April to October. For beginners: April to July, September. The water goes from about 29 °C in January (Boardshorts / rash vest) to 31 °C in June (Boardshorts / rash vest). Best-known spots: Macaronis.
Days per month at the best third of the 19 spots for each level, from three years of wave and wind model data.
Questions
What are the best surf spots in Mentawai?
The best-known are Macaronis, Pitstops, Icelands, Playgrounds Left. In all, 19 spots lie within 119 km: 19 reef breaks.
Where can beginners surf in Mentawai?
Mentawai is mostly for intermediate and advanced surfers: reefs, points or powerful beach breaks. Beginners should take a lesson and stay on the smallest days.
When is the best time to surf in Mentawai?
For intermediate surfers April to October. For beginners April to July, September.
What wetsuit do I need to surf in Mentawai?
The sea goes from about 29 °C in January (Boardshorts / rash vest) to 31 °C in June (Boardshorts / rash vest).