Nomad Surf Charter offers an unparalleled surfing experience in the Mentawai Islands. It caters to both full and mixed groups, making it ideal for individual surfers or smaller groups of friends. The charter is praised for its exceptional service and value for money, featuring a highly skilled crew that prioritises guest safety and satisfaction. With a focus on delivering a high-quality, authentic surf trip experience, Nomad Surf Charter is a top choice for surfers seeking an unforgettable adventure in Indonesia.
The air-conditioned Nomad accommodates 6-8 guests and features a knowledgeable Australian surf guide who ensures surfers of all skill levels are catered for. Discover world-class waves like Rifles, Lances Left, Kandui and Macaronis, and unwind on the deck or in your cabin while enjoying three daily meals from a private chef, cold beers, and top-notch service.
Accommodation
Nomad, a traditional 60 ft Indonesian ‘phinisi‘, accommodates up to 8 guests in an air-conditioned bunk-style cabin below deck. The boat’s layout includes plenty of indoor and outdoor living and dining spaces, making relaxation and socialising in between surfs a breeze.
Nomad features two support vessels, fishing and snorkeling gear, a shaded deck, flat-screen TV, and a sound system for a well-rounded experience in the Mentawai Islands. Safety is paramount with a fully equipped medical kit and trained crew.
The vessel, built in 1995 and renovated in 2022, cruises at 8 knots with a range of 800 nm, ensuring a seamless journey and more time in the surf.
Meals
On board Nomad, the culinary experience is a significant highlight. With a chef who has over a decade of experience, guests can expect meals that perfectly suit the appetite of a surfer that craves constant refueling. The menu is a diverse mix of hearty and healthy options, featuring mixed BBQs, seafood feasts, a variety of pastas, traditional Indonesian cuisine, and even freshly made pizza, catering to a range of tastes and dietary preferences.
Surf Nomad Surf Charters
Surfing in the Mentawai Islands on board Nomad Surf Charter is an experience like no other. Experienced and full of local knowledge, Nomad’s surf guides go to great lengths to find uncrowded waves for their guests, so don’t be surprised if you’re the first boat to arrive at a break, guaranteeing your chances of scoring a quality session all to yourself.
The peak season in the Mentawai Islands runs from March through to October, and is most suited to advanced level surfers. During the off season, mellow waves and fewer crowds strike the perfect balance for beginners and intermediate level surfers to refine their skills and enjoy consistent, fun waves.
Siberut Island (Playgrounds Area)
Nipussi
An easy, mellow right hander with a beautiful tropical backdrop. A good option if nearby Bankvaults is a bit too intimidating. Nipussi is best on a mid-size swell with light NNW winds.
Bankvaults
A powerful, challenging right hander. Expect an open ocean style take-off, then an incredible, wide open barrel section. This wave suits experienced surfers only, as it ends up bending back over shallow reef. Bankvaults is best on a SSW swell and a N wind.
Pit Stops
A playful and rippable right hander with a sand and reef bottom. The wave breaks close to the shore, within paddle distance of Mentawai Surf Retreat. Pit Stops needs a WSW swell to get into the sheltered bay, and any wind except for N/NE. The wave is perfect for busting out some turns.
E-Bay
A beautiful, barrelling, and world-class left, with intense emerald green water, just a short paddle down from Pit Stops. E-Bay needs a big W/SW swell with SE winds to work. The bigger it gets, the better it gets. This is a truly magical wave!
Bang Bangs
A playful, user-friendly left that breaks further down in the bay from E-Bay and Pit Stops. Suitable for longboarders, funboards, and has a good section for some big turns.
Hideaways
A world-class hollow left hander that breaks directly in front of Wave Park Mentawai Resort. Hideaways picks up plenty of swell and offers incredible barrels for experienced surfers. This wave works best with a SW swell and SE wind on a higher tide.
Malibu
This novelty right hander, perfect for longboarders, runs down the side of a tiny sand island. A super scenic spot suitable for all levels.
The Secret Slab
A short, intense right-hand barrel. This wave is a good option on small swell.
Bikinis
A very mellow peak, perfect for longboarders or beginners.
Burger World
This long right-hand wave with a beautiful backdrop is considered the swell magnet of the Mentawai Islands and works best on a small 2-4ft SW swell with NNW winds. On bigger swells, the paddling required to hold position tends to prove not worthwhile. Burger World is a great wave for a relaxing surf together with some turns. Some surfers pack a fish or funboard specifically to surf at this spot.
A-Frames
A playful peak that’s mostly a left, a good wave for a couple turns.
Rifles
World-class right hander with multiple barrel sections over a reef so perfect it must have been designed for surfers. Rifles likes a big SSW swell and light WNW winds. This is considered one of the longest, most perfect waves in the Mentawai Islands.
4 Bobs
A playful, one-section right with an easy take-off. If you’re lucky, you’ll score a quick almond shaped barrel or a 2-turn combo.
Kandui Left
Incredible freight-train left out the front of Kandui Villas, with big, heavy barrels and long sections on good days. Here, there’s potential to get the best barrel of your life. Kandui Left likes a SW swell and E/SE winds on a mid to high tide.
Baby Kandui
A very mellow, playful left hander. Baby Kandui is great for beginners and long boarders, or a relaxed session for more advanced surfers looking to refine their skills or trial a new board or fin set up.
Pistols
A super fun right with short but good barrels, and nice sections for turns.
Sipura Island
Tikkus
An enjoyable, playful left near Villa Mentawai. On a big swell, this is a good, mellow option for intermediate level surfers or longboarders.
Omak Tidur
A long, slabbing right out the front of Awera Surf Resort with intense barrel sections on good days. This wave can be super challenging, and often seems surfable when it’s not. Always wait for the green light from your surf guide before attempting this one!
Awera Left
A fast left hander, super fun for a couple speed runs across the fairly shallow reef.
OTF
A perfect beginner wave out the front of Awera Surf Resort.
Telescopes
Ridiculously perfect left, easily accessible from Awera Surf Resort, Togat Nusa Retreat and Villa Mentawai. A user-friendly wave with multiple good sections for barrels or turns. Telescopes likes a SW swell with SE winds.
Iceland
Another swell magnet, this time a peak, that picks up any available swell. When Telescopes is big and pumping, Iceland can be 2-3 times bigger. A true big wave spot, this wave has been surfed at 20ft and is a great place for an adrenaline rush on your step up.
Suicides
A heavy and unpredictable left with gnarly barrels over a very shallow, live coral reef. When it links up, it’s a remarkable wave, suitable for advanced surfers only and definitely at high tide.
Promises
This is a challenging right hander suitable for advanced surfers chasing a novelty experience.
Twiggies
A good, sometimes hollow, usually uncrowded left hander, working best on a SW swell. Mostly suited for experienced surfers, as the wave can get shallow on the inside.
Hookers
A fickle wrap-around left that can be challenging. This wave needs a big swell to come to life.
Arikis
A relatively under-the-radar right hander that’s fast and zippy breaking over shallow reef. Arikis can offer good barrel sections and is best at higher tide.
Scarecrows
A bowling left in front of Togat Nusa Resort. Scarecrows picks up a lot of swell, and on bigger, heavier days requires a bit of paddling and a bigger board. This wave can offer a good barrel on the inside section after some big carves on the outside.
7-Palms
Shifty lefts off random peaks. This spot, rarely crowded, picks up plenty of swell but can be hard to surf.
Bintangs
This wave is a short, powerful right-hand barrel that perks up quickly over a shallow section of reef. Amazing barrel on it’s day but a very short ride. Bintangs is visible from Kingfisher Surf Resort.
Monkeys
Left: A playful, usually uncrowded left that picks up plenty of swell. Monkeys is one of many waves close by to Kingfisher Surf Resort.
Bintang Beachie
This wave is located on a long stretch of beach that runs from Kingfisher Surf Resort all the way to Bintangs. On small, short period swells this beachie can offer some playful peaks, and every now and then turns out to be something special.
Lance’s Left
A fun, super consistent left, straight out the front of Kingfisher Surf Resort where guests can watch perfection from the comfort of the pool bar or private bungalow. Lances Left has a good barrel section and enough space to link together some turns before kicking out.
Cobras
You’ll find Cobras at the top section of the Lances Left reef. This wave is a cylindrical barrelling left, shallow and often challenging but sometimes a better barrel than at Lances. This spot works best on S swells.
Lance’s Right (HTs)
This famed wave is positioned directly in front of Katiet Beach Resort. On it’s good days Lances Right is one of the best waves in Indonesia with flawless barrelling rights. To work best, the wave likes a confusing combination of W swell and W winds. When it turns on, it’s a mesmerising 8-second barrel from the office all the way to the channel.
The Bombie
A shallow section of reef in Katiet Bay, occasionally good on a longboard and an amazing wave for foiling.
Pagai North
Bat Cave
A novelty right hander breaking off a beautiful tropical island. This wave can be fun on a longboard or a fish.
Macaronis
A picture-perfect left with multiple barrel sections, just a 5-minute speedboat ride across the bay from Macaronis Surf Resort. Macaronis is widely considered the world’s most fun left – it’s just barrel, turn, barrel, turn over and over again! Macaronis is a super consistent wave that breaks on any swell but is best on a SW swell with E/SE winds.
Mini Maccas
A much smaller and shallower version of Macaronis, worth considering on a big swell at high tide, and is usually about a quarter of the size of Macaronis.
Fishfingers
The ultimate wave for groms or beginners! This is a perfect sand bottom right, just a 5-minute paddle down from Macaronis Surf Resort.
Maccas Right (KFC)
A shifty right across the bay from Macaronis, that occasionally links up into a couple of sections. This is a popular wave for those chasing a mellow, less crowded session.
Greenbush
A incredibly perfect barrelling left, 45 minutes by speedboat from Macaronis Surf Resort. This is a heavy wave, over shallow reef. Greenbush needs a combination of high tide, S swell and N wind. Expect a steep drop into an intense barrel that may or may not let you out. This wave is suited to experienced surfers only.
Pagai South
Roxies
A playful rippable right that peels into a picturesque bay. Expect almond shaped barrels and beautiful carveable walls. This wave is a 60-minute speedboat tide from Macaronis Surf Resort.
Rags Left
A shallow, hollow barrel. Fickle, but when it’s on, it’s on.
Rags Right
A super shallow right-hand barrel that can be one of the best in the Mentawai Islands, best suited to advanced surfers only. There’s potential to score utter perfection boasting multiple barrel sections.
Thunders
A swell magnet that picks up almost any available swell and handles S winds. This wave can get popular with charter boats if it’s the only spot that’s working, but the shifting peaks handle a crowd well. Expect an easy take off into a predictable barrel on the inside section. Around the corner is gnarly secret spot if you’re feeling up for it, ask your surf guide!
The Hole
A flawless left-hand barrel. Short, intense, but truly one of the best waves in the Mentawai Islands when it’s on. The wave can be fickle, and needs a S swell, E wind and a confident skipper to navigate the tender.
Lighthouse
A big open-ocean point-break-style right with some unpredictable sections but a good ride on its day.
Muts
A long, sometimes perfect left. Good barrel sections and space for some powerful turns.
Surf Guides
Nomad Surf Charter boasts a team with over 20 years of experience. Captain Kadier, a skilled navigator of North Sumatra’s islands, collaborates closely with surf guide Jake Thompson to find quality, uncrowded waves for guests no matter the conditions. Jake, an Australian and part-owner of Nomad, excels as a surfer and waterman with over 8 consecutive seasons of experience working on charter boats in the region. Jake prides himself on his skill to track down the best waves on offer and is committed to finding empty waves to keep his guests happy and their stoke levels high.
Non-Surf Activities
In between surfs, guests on board Nomad Surf Charter still have plenty to do. Nomad is equipped with the best fishing gear, and the Boomerang, Nomad’s 7.3m speedboat, is ready and waiting to take guests to the best fishing spots Sumatra has to offer.
Prefer to explore the Mentawai Islands’ reefs? Guests can grab a snorkel and drift around the beautiful lagoons, taking in the abundant marine life and crystal clear waters.
The Boomerang features a full shade canopy, large esky for drinks and snacks, and is the perfect support vessel for island adventures.