Cheat Notes – Lances Left

Literally on your doorstep! Located directly in-front of Kingfisher resort and a stone’s throw away from your private beachfront bungalow, lies one of the most consistent waves in the Mentawai region, Lances Left.

THE WAVE: The wave works on all swell directions and tides and is famous for its year-round consistency making Kingfisher a great place to be based for a surf trip. Optimal conditions are a medium SW swell with offshore winds from the East. This is when the magic happens. A long left that offers several barrel sections and a groomed wall that begs to be hit turn after turn. The wave has 2 main take off spots. At the top of the point you will find the section named ‘Cobras’. Line yourself up with the big dead tree on the beach and you are in the spot. At the top, the wave comes in as a beautiful peak which you can backdoor straight into a good barrel. This section is one of my favourites to surf as it is hardly ever crowded making it a good option to get the wave count going when there is a couple people on the main take off zone.
The main take off spot is just past the last beach bungalow of Kingfisher. Here the wave comes in as perfectly groomed lines and has an easy entry. Some of the more advanced surfers choose to sit 30m deeper where they can drop straight into the barrel before reaching the main take off area. From there a long-groomed wall meets you, offering barrel sections and an open face wall all the way down the point.
The 3rd spot I like to sit where I think you catch the most waves is actually 20m shallower and under everyone else sitting on the main take off. The swell lines that wraps into Lances Left stretch out over the entire point and people often mistake it that the wave is going to break wide. Lances left however is very mechanical breaking on the same spot, and the people who paddle wide more than likely is going to miss the wave. This means you will be in the perfect spot to swing around and pick off a bomb. My suggestion, sit a bit shallower, pick up the waves that people will miss, get that wave count flowing and come out stoked ready for a cold Bintang at the beach bar!

Besides the perfect left out front, we have more than 10 other waves in our direct area that we surf daily. Barrels, slabs, points or beach breaks, you name it, we got you covered for any surfing ability and preference

WHAT BOARD TO BRING: I would recommend a 3 board quiver for anyone coming to Kingfisher for a surf trip. Your standard short board, or your board you are most likely to ride back home when the waves are in the head high to overhead range is going to be the board you ride out here 90% of the time. So firstly, I would throw in that quiver. Then a step-up is always a good idea when the waves start getting into the 1.5 to double overhead range. Always good to have that extra 2-3 inches and volume to get you on the bombs. Lastly I would either throw in a backup standard short board (for incase you snap your first one) or a fun fish or twin if you are coming out during December, January or February when fun sized swells are more likely.