FAQ interactive

How do I find out more about the breaks and equipment I will need?

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 18:16:04 +0700

Visit our UNSPUN SURF GUIDE page for a matter of fact and very detailed description of the conditions you are likely to encounter and what to do to prepare for it.

One thing is common knowledge: Fit surfers get hurt less and have more fun so work on your paddle power even if the surf back home is flat.

Are there still secret spots out in the islands?

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 19:24:50 +0700

Yes there are a few that only work when the conditions are right but they can be pretty impressive. Ask our surf guides and captains when you are out there. We don’t disclose these locations on the internet.

How safe is West Sumatra?

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:14:17 +0700

Travel Advisories are blanket warnings and there is little discrimination between provinces. Indonesia is a vast country with isolated pockets where conflict makes travel risky. Since GAM and the Government signed a peace accord, Sumatra is officially conflict free. In any case, West Sumatra is isolated by its spectacular terrain and there has been peace here since independence in 1945. Padang has no concentrations of foreigners and most hotels and many restaurants are owned by Muslim Hajis. The Minang people pride them selves on their education and they practice a gentle form of Islam that Jakarta hopes will become a model for the rest of Indonesia.

You will be met at the new international airport and whisked away to Villa Air Manis to relax while your transport or yacht prepares to leave for the Mentawais in the early evening.

Most of our guests actively enjoy walking round in Padang city and they remark on the friendly treatment and smiles that greet them everywhere. We suggest that girls should wear long sleeve shirts and long skirts out of respect for the local tradition of modest dress for all women. The Mentawais are predominantly Christian and they have a tradition that is relaxed about clothing. In fact many inland tribes still wear only a bark loin cloth or lap lap and women are often seen bare chested around their homes.

Bikinis on the beach and on board our boats is the norm but more modest dress and cover from sun and mosquitoes is prudent in the villages and towns.

Weekend Australian Magazine Feature

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 13:17:12 +0700

E-Bay location earned a double page spread in Australia’s premier weekend magazine. The article waxed poetic about the quality of surf and the pure stoke that surfing in such dream like surroundings evokes. Nick Carroll writes .......“ The waves aren’t the dramatic overpowered explosions of winter Hawaii, or the almost supernatural, curving menace of south-west Tahiti. They’re silky, perfectly formed and balanced. They swing among the islands in a refracted dance around deepwater reefs and tidal channels, and bend into quick, delicate shapes........”