Aquabumps.com - where the waves live

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

After traveling 600 nautical miles, burning 6000 litres of diesel, sipping on 300 Bintangs, drinking 15 gallons of water, 160 kit kats, 150 Tim Tams (ok maybe more), surfing 15 surf breaks, this Sumatran surf charter aboard MV Tengirri finishes on a bang with 4 – 6 foot heavy tubing rights. It seems everyone else up here has the same idea with 7 boats anchored nearby. (we scored 8 days surfing on our own).

This punishing right continues to throw a thick lip capable of permanently parting your hair – not to mention holding you down long enough for a chat with the fishes. Dang. Wish Bondi got this good. Sun was shining and standard Indo glassy conditions prevail. Who would have thought an ocean earthquake registering 7.2 on the Richter scale was just around the corner in West Java (463 nautical miles away). Boat gossip says a 2 metre deadly tsunami followed the quake…the Mentawai region was unaffected.

Special thanks to Telstra, especially Marc Tan & Ken Morrow for organizing the Satellite hook up making these reports possible from such a remote area & Christian Tan for uploading the daily fix from Sydney.

Massive thanks to the boat crew of Tengirri, Jeff Davies (captain Bintang) for skippering the 47 foot turbo charged Catamaran throughout the island archipelagos chasing waves (the biggest larrikin out here, a man who lives off Tim Tams and beer – no joke), Filthy Phil Kiem for putting up with our crap and owning the boat, Donald the chef for daily masterpieces – best food in the islands (ever), Titus the mental Timorese-Portuguese boat engineer who sleeps in his rashie (even has a special rashie he wants to be buried in), and all the other surfers on the boat for allowing me to drop in on them when not shooting.

If you’re interested in a 12 day tour like this around the Sumatran islands, I recommend this zippy 47 footer as you get to places fast, the food is awesome and carrying 6 surfers you’re not an instant crowd. Go to www.tengirri.com or call (Aust) Anthony Kiem 0434 249 834. Seeyouse, Yooj.