4TH – 18TH MAY | 2–6 FOOT
Wave of the day
A FALCON, TWO BUDGIES, AND A LOT OF CHIRPING……
The mighty Mango fired up for another two-week mission, this time - a bit of Mentawai and Telo action.
Falcon, Budgie, junior Budgie, and the usual collection of certified legends jumped onboard armed with questionable card tactics, a promising second week forecast, and just a little duty free….
The annual “Sh**head Card Game Convention” was officially underway.
MENTAWAI TO TELO
That’s the beauty of the Mango operation - no fixed route, no panic. Just good instincts, a dialled crew and enough diesel to chase whatever corner of the entire island chain we think is going to be ON next.
We kicked things off in Mentawai to suit the immediate forecast on hand, before reassessing mid trip and making the long trek north when it suited better to be…..north.
The reward? Empty lineups for days.
One session it was running lefts. Next stop, ruler-edge rights. Novelty peaks, playful runners and the odd almond-shaped cave for the tube fiends onboard.
Every day seemed to deliver a different flavour and the lads were frothing. Pure Mango Madness at its finest.
WOBBLE WORLD
We slid through the Playgrounds zone during the northern transit - something we rarely do - but with light swell and sketchy winds there weren’t many cards left to play besides the ever reliable Burger World.
Early morning gave us a sneaky solo session before the land based surfing boats came in hot. Standard procedure. We weren’t too bothered, we’d already had our fun.
Then something strange happened - after lunch… everyone left. No clue why. No questions asked.
The boys paddled straight back out into a two-hour Burger World dream session while Wobble Head absolutely lost his mind, and was the clear standout on the long playful right hand point break.
From that moment forward Burger World was officially renamed…..Wobble World.
WHAT WE CAME FOR
Then came the real reason for heading north.
A long-range swell we’d been tracking for over a week was finally lining up with one of the lad’s favourite waves in the entire archipelago.
Right on cue we had ourselves exactly where we wanted to be - staring at flawless lines wrapping into one of our favourite breaks.
Every time another boat rolled in for a look, the ocean went strangely flat. They’d watch for 10 minutes, then leave.
Meanwhile we sat there for seven straight hours as the place turned on properly. Empty perfection. Not another soul in sight.
The boys surfed until they could surf no more.
LANDING FISH IS JUST A BONUS
Afternoons with glassy ocean and tired bodies usually ends one way on the Mango - rods loaded, beers cracked and Foxy Lady pointed towards the nearest reliable fishing grounds.
GTs & doggies were the order this week, with one Giant Trevally easily being a personal best!
CHEF SITU’S FIX
Annual trips mean annual cravings.
The lads had been dreaming about Chef Situ’s cooking long before boarding the Mango and once again he delivered - The famous rendang, beer batter fish nuggets, pasta, sushi and fresh sashimi. As always no one is left hungry.
Cheers, Uncle Lip
