Mentai 04-02

After the full nightmare of traveling to Indonesia during high season, I barely made it to Padang Sumatra, via Taipai-Jakarta on the fullest flights I've ever been on. My 6'4" frame didn't fare well with the airline seats made for 5'8" passengers, and had ,some pretty sore bones. I had allowed an extra day to get there early, and thank God I had, due to a mix-up on the charters itinerary..... the boat was leaving that afternoon.

The Hotel was a familiar site in downtown Padang, and seemed like there had been no time passed since the last time I was there. It is the perfect place for soft Western travelers going on there first big "Surf Trip" in an otherwise culturally diverse place.

After years of correspondence, via phone and e-mail, the boat owner and I finally met face to face, and along with some of the other crew members helped empty a few pitchers of beer together.
I was actually starting to feel good about the upcoming voyage when disaster struck...the other guests on the charter arrived, and without going into too much detail, they were about the worst to be expected.

Now in the past when I've been on boat trips I've had a unique option of deciding weather or not to go on the boat with certain people. (Sometimes not..but that's another story). I've dodged allot of nightmares by being able to get on a boat with experienced traveling surfers who know the IN's and out's of boat travel, sharing space and waves, and most important, about surf conditions concerning when and where to surf. The experienced traveling surfer knows the protocol's associated with international travel, and can really help when things get negative by flat, no surf, or crowded conditions. This would not be the case with this crew.

OK enough negativity about the Barny's, and on with the trip...First Stop Lances Right AKA Hollow Trees, or HT's.. (Whatever floats your boat, excuse the pun).

Hollow Trees is probably one of the most consistent breaks in the chain. It's also one of the best, and unfortunately it's also the first stop most charters arrive at.
So here you are traveling all night in a pitching boat trying to sleep, trying not to get sick, and after about 12 hours of this you get to this mental spot. A hollow right hand reef break with a little extra, the "surgeons table", which is a nicely formed reef just inside the break that's nice and sharp, and in the path of any raggedy ill-suited surfer who is unfortunate enough to get dragged over the beast. (As you can tell I know first hand about this highlight of the spot).

Ht's is also a fickle spot for swell direction, and if it's not right, it's crap.. The wave will push all the way over to the channel and mush. It has no barrel just a stupid curl to the wave that will make it just appealing enough to get you out there, especially after the overnight cruise.
Now most experience surfers with this break would see the wave like I just described and pass, and maybe go around the corner to "Lances Left", which on these conditions could actually make for better Surf. Not our Crew...With this probably being their first surf trip anywhere, they were going to blindly charge it.
The swell had arrived that day and wasn't too big or unruly, but with a high interval the waves were very powerful and stupid. (Sorry no photos of Stupid waves, Bintangs only).
I watched our 23 year old Aussie surf guide Darren, take off on a bomb over at the office and air drop a double overhead closeout barrel right on the reef. What a nut!, but I had to give him his props as he had cut his feet badly on the reef, and just popped up and paddled back out for another hour of the same torture.
After a half a day, and a couple of broken boards later, the slogs had finally been beaten up enough to make our move to Lances Lefts where the waves were actually GOOD!
(see... good wave = picture)

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