NORTH SUMATRA : OVERVIEW

North Sumatra is one of Indonesia's last surfing frontiers. "North Sumatra" consists of the 5 islands or island groups: Hinako Islands, Nias, Telos and 2 other obscure island groups to the north. North Sumatra receives similar swell to the Mentawais and enjoys its peak swell season from May to September. Despite Indonesia's reputation for hollow lefts, in North Sumatra righthanders are slightly more prevalent. While Lagundri Bay at Nias has been surfed for decades, it is the more obscure rights like Bawa (a Sunset-like right bowl that holds up to 15ft) and Treasure Island (a long, hollow, mechanical right peeling for 200 meters+) that have attracted the attention of late. Throw a mix of hollow and bowly lefthanders into the picture like Asu, Afulu, the Machine, and many more obscure rights and lefts and you have a dream-like setting for a surf trip.

A North Sumatra trip is a bit different than your classic Mentawais trip. The breaks while generally much less crowded (the exception being Lagundri Bay on Nias) are more spread out and there are fewer of them. Conditions from one surf break to the next can vary greatly. Some spots in the Telos and in the Northern islands require major swells from the right direction to turn on while other breaks like Bawa in the Hinakos more often than not have too much swell. Navigating the waters off North Sumatra and getting dialed into its best surf requires a higher degree of expertise than simply piloting a boat out to Playgrounds and waiting there for the next swell. The lack of ports, infrastructure, access, and good anchorages throughout North Sumatra make this a hardcore and difficult area to operate in, needing an experienced operator to navigate the waters.


WAVEHUNTERS works with the Indo Jiwa in North Sumatra. A vessel with an experienced, professional crew, surf guide, and state of the art safety and navigational equipment.

WAVE OPTIONS:
Hinako Islands: Asu and Bawa are two breaks in this island chain. Asu is a 100 yard left that has a perfect face and barrel with a shocking end section that is even more shallow with the last earthquakes of 2005. A short boat ride from Asu is Bawa, an awesome Sunset like right hander. This right has a big take off then you set up for a long barrelling section. Bawa can hold up to 15 feet and is rarely below 4 feet, even when most of Indo is flat. Both breaks work on opposite winds, therefore almost guaranteeing off-shore surf every day at one of these spots (not to mention the many others nearby that the boat can get you to). There is also another left close by that breaks for 200 metres plus. This wave begins to turn on when it is too big for Asu or Bawa. ALL of these breaks are surfable during ALL tide variations so it is possible to surf ALL DAY!!!!

The above breaks only scatch the surface of surf potential. The charter’s surf guides have thoroughly investigated the area over the years and have discovered plenty of secret spots nearby on mainland Nias and other neighbouring islands that have hardly ever been surfed and that most other surf charter operators do not even know about! With the Indo Jiwa, it is now possible to get you there quickly and in comfort.

A short trip north from Asu takes you to a group of small islands which offers you another large variety of world class breaks (both lefts and rights). You can stay here as long as you like before either heading back to Asu or further north again where there is another larger island with more quality, uncrowded surf.

South from Asu we can take you via the famous right hander in Lagundi Bay on our way to the Telo Islands which lay a little further south of mainland Nias. The Telo Islands contain even more top quality waves that are rarely surfed due to minimal charters in the area.