I am booking a trip to Mentawais and looking at the baggage details on a Batik Air leg of the flight it mentions that max board length is 230 cm. I have an 8ft board which converts to 240cm. Does anyone have any experience with how strict they are on lengths? Are they actually going to measure it and refuse it for 10cm?
Is it worth taking the risk with the extra 10cm or am I going to be stuck with nowhere to put a SUP in Pedang as they will not take it on the plane?
I look forward to anyone's feedback on this!
Hi Wind driven
I have not flown Batik Air, but have travelled to the mentawais several times with a SUP.
Last November I took and 8ft 3in Naish SUP and had no issues with either Qantas or Garuda through to Padang and back to Sydney.
if in doubt tell them it is 230cm and the rest is padding.
Jim
Just to close the loop on this one, I had no problem getting my 8" board on the flight, no one had a tape measure out and there were no questions about it!
Hey Wind & Jim any Ments tips and locations for a sup trip in January. Mate and I are thinking about a quiet trip sans crowds and given your news I might take my 8'5" sup as well as my midlength. Cheers
HI Backbeach,
there are a lot of great waves all the way from the Mentawai Islands, through the Telo Islands, then Nias and the Banyak Islands. Some are a bit fast and steep for a SUP but most are OK if you are a reasonable surfer. Anywhere with a coral reef is potentially dangerous so you just need to be careful and always wear booties regardless of the water temperature. I also take a helmet and I wore it anytime it looks shallow and sharp. On EVERY trip someone needs stitches so be warned.
The high season is April to October and VERY crowded at many breaks, however the shoulder season is now and January is the quiet season.
I have been in most seasons but one year we went to the Telo Islands in January and there was no-one there at all except the Resort Latitude Zero crew (where we were staying). The waves were great, the temperature was also great. The small downside was a bit more wind then usual and daily rain squalls that rose up and passed through in about 20 minutes. Most of the charter boats are in dry dock in January and many of the land camps are also closed so make sure of your bookings before you head up there.
good luck,
Jim
This was my first trip in the area so not really qualified to give an opinion, however the guys I travelled with had all been there numerous times and the feedback that I got from them was that Telo was a friendlier wave than some of the other breaks in the Ments.
There were a few other groups on the breaks when we were there but this was because a SE breeze was blowing all the time which made many of the other breaks blown out so more people were on fewer waves. This SE'er was not normal according to the surf guides, I understand that it was caused by the Positive Indian Ocean Dipole. Apparently normally you can find a break to yourselves.
It is certainly not an area for beginners, as Jim says, the reefs are potentially dangerous, as from the pic you will see I wore a helmet and opted for the one bootie option as I could not move my front foot around wearing both!
Travelling there involved one night in Jakarta and one night in Padang because of changes to flights, return was more straightforward with just a night in Padang and connection in Jakarta.
Thanks Wind and Jim certainly sounds doable and avoiding the crowds is a big factor for me. Agree re safety gear and tropical rain is not a problem. Don't know what effect the El Nino will have on local conditions but will try and nut it out. Cheers
