West Sumatra.

West Sumatra is the Mentawai Islands, a chain of four main islands (Siberut, Sipora, North Pagai, South Pagai) facing the open Indian Ocean. Most surfers reach them by boat charter from Padang on the mainland. Lance’s Right (also HT’s, for Hollow Trees) is the photogenic right-hand reef pass on Sipora. Macaronis, on North Pagai, is the high-performance left, three turns to the channel. Lance’s Left, Rifles, Telescopes, and Bank Vaults fill out a stretch of reef passes denser than anywhere else on earth.

Peak runs April through September in the dry season, when southern Indian Ocean storms send long-period south-west swell straight at the chain. Periods routinely stretch to 12 to 18 s. The Mentawai sits in the equatorial doldrums, so winds are light and variable, glass for hours at a time, and different spots fire at different angles through the day. June through September is the most consistent stretch. Wet season November through March drops the size and the consistency but keeps warm, fun lefts rolling for intermediates.

Water runs 28 to 29 °C year-round; boardies, no rashie needed unless you sunburn. Most breaks are reef passes, sharp coral, booties for Macaronis at low tide. Access is by boat charter from Padang or a land camp on Sipora. Mosquitoes carry malaria; remote means a flight back to Singapore for anything serious. Crowds stack at HT’s in peak season; the Playgrounds cluster in northern Mentawai spreads boats across more peaks. On a soft swell, sail north to Playgrounds. On a heavy one, the southern Pagais hold the cleanest size.