Telescopes
Wondering if anyone has spent time in the telescopes zone? What are the premier/best places to stay?
Bigredcouch. I’ve surfed there plenty of times from a boat. Best to go on Google Earth, you’ll find all the places to stay will be right in your face, Awera, Aloita etc.. They are all pretty close and just a small boat travel away. Have fun. AW.
On first glance I thought this was a thread on star gazing.
Craig wrote:On first glance I thought this was a thread on star gazing.
Craig. I must confess i thought the same. With that comet being around recently I thought here we go, we’ve got surfers interested in astronomy, of which i am.
@BRC,
I've stayed at Aloita, which is nice, it's an old dive resort, however cos of its former status it ain't that well set up for access to waves. Aside from a twenty min walk to a soft left (if the swell is big enough to wrap around) you really have no idea what the swell is doing as you're on the lee side of the island.
Aloita is about a twenty min boat ride to Teles. There are resorts springing up closer. There's one called Awera which looks to be about two kms away. It also claims to have waves within walking distance, but from what I can gather they're talking about Icelands and Ariks, otherwise known as Suicides. Not exactly easy waves for a lazy arvo session.
There's always Togat Nusa if you can get a booking. Split your time between Teles and Scarecrows. If you're talking about 'premier', as in lux with great access to waves, then this would be the place.
bigredcouch wrote:Wondering if anyone has spent time in the telescopes zone? What are the premier/best places to stay?
BRC. There’s also a few small land based stays on the NW side of Sipora and some near Tuapejat (the regional capital business area) but not real luxury or premier living so to speak. Stu is spot on with those others, if not fussed by an hour boat trip you could always stay at the bottom of Sipora at Katiet where there is great mellow and quiet accommodation at Lances Right, bit of a hike but comforts galore, especially food and transportation.AW.
Theres a shitload of places these days in the area, just on Awera island there is about ten places none truely budget either most a few hundred a night (budget in TuaPajet and Mapadget)
Awera resort (not Awera surf camp which is okay but more basic) is probably the most upmarket, I believe it was developed by Desti she is or was Mentawai tourism minister, so i dont know how onto it they are for waves, not like a surfer built. run and owned place.
Theres another place further up the beach that looks upmarket all concrete forgot the name, Dave? guy who owns/built it is a bit of a nutter so they say.
My pick would be a bit further down the beach https://www.biloubeach.com/eco-resort-mentawais-indonesia
Forgot his name but South African guy that owns/runs it (with his family) is well respected and spent a lot of time in Mentawais use to own one of the first lot of charter boats Indies explorer(not Martins boat Indies trader people always got them mixed up) these guys would be on the pulse wave wise more than anyone, looks decent quality, seem they cater for personal service, location is over ariks/sucides side so few waves in eye shot and short boat ride, expect 10 minutes or so to Teles.
Togat Nusa retreat is a similar deal out scarecrows.
Used to stay Aloita a bit due to the surf guides Khan, Terry etc but haven't stayed in the area since change of ownership.
Accommodation / food was good but the surf guides at the time had it all totally worked
But that's before all the new camps on Awera etc.
Breaks in the area must be getting crowed these days Telescopes was always busy when firing lots of boats would pull in but you could still get waves.
Or keep going to Scarecrows and surf uncrowded.
Still stunning area and the waves are very good if you get the conditions, 6' to 8' Icelands lined up and firing in the arvo is some thing to behold.
I focus wrote:Used to stay Aloita a bit due to the surf guides Khan, Terry etc but haven't stayed in the area since change of ownership.
Accommodation / food was good but the surf guides at the time had it all totally workedBut that's before all the new camps on Awera etc.
Breaks in the area must be getting crowed these days Telescopes was always busy when firing lots of boats would pull in but you could still get waves.
Or keep going to Scarecrows and surf uncrowded.
Still stunning area and the waves are very good if you get the conditions, 6' to 8' Icelands lined up and firing in the arvo is some thing to behold.
Khan had some land on Awera, bought with his wife, and he had plans to create a surf camp. Any idea if that happened?
I havent been back to the area since i did my lung/ribs about five plus years ago i guess (Kahn was in the water that day too)
But i had beers one day with Khan at a place on the backside of Awera near Hookers called Johns place (owned by some super rich guy that i believe owns a big tea tree oil company or something, i thought they said plantation tea tree oil, but not certain)
At the time Khan was working for him just minding the place with the odd group of guest, but Khan was also building a private house for himself and family about 200 metres away, story was the rich guy had given him land.
Few guys like him in the area, come to the area surfing dont leave, marry a local girl, work as surf guides, then get land and build a place.
BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
indo-dreaming wrote:I havent been back to the area since i did my lung/ribs about five plus years ago i guess (Kahn was in the water that day too)
But i had beers one day with Khan at a place on the backside of Awera near Hookers called Johns place (owned by some super rich guy that i believe owns a big tea tree oil company or something, i thought they said plantation tea tree oil, but not certain)
At the time Khan was working for him just minding the place with the odd group of guest, but Khan was also building a private house for himself and family about 200 metres away, story was the rich guy had given him land.
Few guys like him in the area, come to the area surfing dont leave, marry a local girl, work as surf guides, then get land and build a place.
Indo. Would that be Kahn from West Oz ?
stunet wrote:Khan had some land on Awera, bought with his wife, and he had plans to create a surf camp. Any idea if that happened?
Last time I saw Khan was about 1 year or two after his near drowning and recovery in a Singapore hospital at that time he was living in a shed looking after as Indo says the rich blokes place (thought the rich bloke did serve station tank refurbs) no sign of a surf camp.
He was still struggling a little with his freak survival from the incident.
Flavio a brasso from Sydney (great guy ex Aloita surf guide) has setup a camp on Awera https://www.favelamentawai.com/
Alfred pretty sure Khan was from WA his father was an artist.
indo-dreaming wrote:BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
Cool vid and excellent looking right, one of the few waves better in life than described in surf guide books.Bet it was a lot bigger the day you punctured lungs and broke ribs.
I focus wrote:stunet wrote:Khan had some land on Awera, bought with his wife, and he had plans to create a surf camp. Any idea if that happened?
Last time I saw Khan was about 1 year or two after his near drowning and recovery in a Singapore hospital at that time he was living in a shed looking after as Indo says the rich blokes place (thought the rich bloke did serve station tank refurbs) no sign of a surf camp.
He was still struggling a little with his freak survival from the incident.
Flavio a brasso from Sydney (great guy ex Aloita surf guide) has setup a camp on Awera https://www.favelamentawai.com/
Alfred pretty sure Khan was from WA his father was an artist.
I focus. Hi mate. Thanks, that all makes sense. I was unaware of his near death experience. I’m very glad he survived.
I was surfing in the Telescopes area in 2008 and i met him in the water at Scarecrows, lets just say he was not too pleasant to surf with, very aggressive to me and others, must have said he was from West Oz more than once. A very good surfer who in his own words despised boat visits.
I’m never one to hold back a comment or two so i let it rip and verbally started giving it to him, told him i use to live in Albany, well the mood changed very quickly, he sincerely apologised and we had a good chat for a couple of hours whilst surfing. I never forget a name (long life working with plants Latin and common names) and he introduced himself as Kahn. At the time he and others were just starting to compile all the timber they could gather and told me he was building a new resort right out front at Scarecrows. How good is the global surf merry-go-round. AW.
Scarecrows is a pretty b grade wave.
indo-dreaming wrote:BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
I thought that Suicides was a lefthander on the Sipora side of the channel. Is it the same reef as O Tidur?
School me, please.
Maybe in comparison to the premier spots in the Ments FR, but I have had some memorable uncrowded sessions out there.
freeride76 wrote:Scarecrows is a pretty b grade wave.
FR. Hi. Only surfed it that one time as per my aforementioned. Was pretty fast and hollow and very shallow.
Off topic here. Any interesting bird activities around your place of late ?
Island Bay wrote:indo-dreaming wrote:BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
I thought that Suicides was a lefthander on the Sipora side of the channel. Is it the same reef as O Tidur?
School me, please.
Yes there is a left hander Suicides on Sipora and also a RH Suicides on Awera
freeride76 wrote:Scarecrows is a pretty b grade wave.
Yes a B grade wave but it can get very good has a lot of moods
AlfredWallace wrote:freeride76 wrote:Scarecrows is a pretty b grade wave.
FR. Hi. Only surfed it that one time as per my aforementioned. Was pretty fast and hollow and very shallow.
Off topic here. Any interesting bird activities around your place of late ?
Noisy Pitta took off for summer.
Lots of Eastern Rosellas in the tall grass feasting on seeds- mostly juvey's that haven't paired up yet.
Fairy wren family taken up residence in grass lines along the fences- haven't seen the male yet- can hear their distinctive twittering.
Kookas, Butcherbirds, fig birds, pheasant coucals, pee wee's, rainbow lorikeets, spangled drongos all really active.
Pacific baza up in the copse in middle paddock.
Black shouldered kite hovering over top paddock.
Seen white-bellied sea eagles do fly overs.
thats about it.
@ outside Scarecrows Kamal surfs 2 weeks a year actually surfed it better than this
freeride76 wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:freeride76 wrote:Scarecrows is a pretty b grade wave.
FR. Hi. Only surfed it that one time as per my aforementioned. Was pretty fast and hollow and very shallow.
Off topic here. Any interesting bird activities around your place of late ?
Noisy Pitta took off for summer.
Lots of Eastern Rosellas in the tall grass feasting on seeds- mostly juvey's that haven't paired up yet.
Fairy wren family taken up residence in grass lines along the fences- haven't seen the male yet.
Kookas, Butcherbirds, fig birds, pheasant coucals, pee wee's, rainbow lorikeets all really active.
Pacific baza up in the copse in middle paddock.
Black shouldered kite hovering over top paddock.
Seen white-bellied sea eagles do fly overs.
thats about it.
FR. Thanks, very nice. After months of relentless rain prior to Xmas, its dried up big time down here. Recent outings in dry woodland and grasslands near home have yielded some little gems, Speckled Warbler, Diamond Firetail Finches nesting, Zebra Finches, Spotted-Quail Thrush, Southern Whiteface, Mistletoe Birds, Eastern Shrike-Tits, Little Eagles, and all the usual raptors, Southern Boobooks and Brown Quail just to name a few. AW
Sounds awesome AW.
groundswell wrote:indo-dreaming wrote:BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
Cool vid and excellent looking right, one of the few waves better in life than described in surf guide books.Bet it was a lot bigger the day you punctured lungs and broke ribs.
Nah it was pretty much the same size, wave just ran away from me, i straightened out, jumped off and with a 17 second period swell white water rag dolled me into a big coral head and slammed me real hard.
Just bad luck really.
The wave itself is kind of a mixed bag, made up of different sections, its fun and good quality by Aussie standards but still more a B grade wave by Mentawai standards, doesn't get much better than this video and they make it look good.
I focus wrote:Island Bay wrote:indo-dreaming wrote:BTW. nice little video of Nathan Florence surfing Ombak tidur & Ariks/Sucides, staying at Bilou (this is the wave i did my lung/ribs at)
I thought that Suicides was a lefthander on the Sipora side of the channel. Is it the same reef as O Tidur?
School me, please.
Yes there is a left hander Suicides on Sipora and also a RH Suicides on Awera
Yeah the original and proper Suicides is a heavy hollow left that is rarely surfed across the channel on Sipora, but for some reason all the local young grommet's started calling Ariks Suicides and most people now know the inside right as Suicides.
Dont know if it deserves the name, the wave itself is pretty easy and rarely gets that big, but the reef is sharp and shallow.
Cheers ID. I may be an idiot, but not completely nuts :-)
indo-dreaming wrote:Nah it was pretty much the same size, wave just ran away from me, i straightened out, jumped off and with a 17 second period swell white water rag dolled me into a big coral head and slammed me real hard.
Just bad luck really.
The wave itself is kind of a mixed bag, made up of different sections, its fun and good quality by Aussie standards but still more a B grade wave by Mentawai standards, doesn't get much better than this video and they make it look good.
Was a heavy situation anyway but looks like a wave worth visiting for sure even if b grade.
As for the name suicides, almost as common as the name "flatrock"..so many flatrocks in oz, especially east coast.
indo-dreaming wrote:I havent been back to the area since i did my lung/ribs about five plus years ago i guess (Kahn was in the water that day too)
But i had beers one day with Khan at a place on the backside of Awera near Hookers called Johns place (owned by some super rich guy that i believe owns a big tea tree oil company or something, i thought they said plantation tea tree oil, but not certain)
At the time Khan was working for him just minding the place with the odd group of guest, but Khan was also building a private house for himself and family about 200 metres away, story was the rich guy had given him land.
Few guys like him in the area, come to the area surfing dont leave, marry a local girl, work as surf guides, then get land and build a place.
Indo. Hi. Do you have any long lasting and existing problems from having your ribs and lungs trashed 5 years ago , sounded pretty ferocious, what kind of time frame elapsed before you could soundly surf again, I’m genuinely interested ? AW.
Lungs and ribs are fine no different but ever since ive had tightness running through my body and neck issues, i cant say neck issue's are 100% due to the incident and probably just part of ageing and wear and tear, but im sure it didn't help.
I cant remember exactly how long it was until i could surfed again, think I gave it a few months as just wanted to ensure fully healed.
indo-dreaming wrote:Lungs and ribs are fine no different but ever since ive had tightness running through my body and neck issues, i cant say neck issue's are 100% due to the incident and probably just part of ageing and wear and tear, but im sure it didn't help.
I cant remember exactly how long it was until i could surfed again, think I gave it a few months as just wanted to ensure fully healed.
Indo. Thanks for your reply. You are probably still in repair mode. AW
Wondering if anyone has spent time in the telescopes zone? What are the premier/best places to stay?