Lance's Right.

About

Lance’s Right — better known as Hollow Trees, or just HTs — is a right-hand reef break on the south-eastern side of Sipora, in the central Mentawai chain, and probably the most photographed barrel in the islands. The wave breaks in three named sections: The Office on the outside, the Main Peak through the middle, and the inside Surgeon’s Table where the reef tightens before the channel. The original hollow tree on the point washed away years ago; the name stuck.

HTs needs south-southwest swell with enough energy to wrap around the southern tip of Sipora and stand up on the eastern reef. Long-period pulses of 12s and beyond hold the form. Light west wind is the cleanest offshore — and HTs is one of the few Mentawai breaks that handles the wet-season westerly when the rest of the chain is blown out by it. The wave is best on a mid to high rising tide; lows expose the inside ledge.

Advanced. The Surgeon’s Table is named for the surgical precision with which it removes skin from anyone who can’t get down the line in time. Every charter boat in Sipora’s anchorage paddles into the same lineup, so on a good week the inside is thirty deep with photographers shooting from the channel. Wait your turn, take the right one, and don’t drop in on the boat captains.