8th-20th November | 2-4 feet Summer Session
Deck deep
The Coffs Harbour Old Guard!
A TRIP WE ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO
When this trip gets in motion, we get excited because it is always a tonne of fun.
The kind of excitement you can’t fake - Jakarta golf day carnage, nonstop laughter, endless games of “Shithead” and simply hangin with ya buddies that makes the Mango feel like a second home.
This year brought a couple of new faces into the fold - fresh legs, questionable livers, and enough personality to blend seamlessly into the chaos. Whether the boys were surfing, fishing or even just swearing off booze forever, the laughter never dipped. It either came with you…. or at you.
As the man himself put it:
“It’s just like going surfing with your mates Lip, but for 12 days straight”
Bugsy
FORECAST NOT GREAT
Before we set sail, the charts were as grim as they come - wind, rain, and a confused ocean state — the full trifecta of disappointment. But tucked inside the mess were two potential swells across the 12-day window, provided the northerly wind systems loosened their grip on West Sumatra a little.
Then, the Mango Juju activated…..
WE LOVE OUR SUMMER SESSIONS
The clouds parted more often than not, the crossings smoothed out, and the early sessions came with light winds that opened up our options. With the swell running small early on, we knocked over every novelty wave in reach from Katiet to North Telo - all the little gems you only surf when the Indian ocean decides to take a breather. And when the swell finally pulsed, we picked off a few long-time favourites, just like we always hoped.
The swell came with a bit of texture - messy ocean, shifty lines, but we tucked into the right corners and found ourselves scoring plenty of solo sessions. Exactly why we love these summer missions - fun waves, empty lineups, and no playing chess with the crowds or other boats. Just you and your mates, good times, and fun waves.
BARRACUDA IN THE OCEAN
The only thing we could reliably pull from the deep this trip was the torpedo-shaped menace known as the barracuda — and plenty of them.
Not the target species, but a full-blown entertainment package all the same. Cold tins cracked, stories spiralled, and the shit-talk was relentless. Whippet’s “Gaff Man” claims will live on longer than any of those fish. His technique? Questionable. His confidence? Astronomical. His mates letting him forget it? Not a chance.
ONE ON, ONE OFF
The classic rotation system came alive again - one day ON, one day OFF, no matter what the ocean was doing. A generous stash of wine and duty-free kept the back deck humming…..every second day.
Air-drum solos. Old war yarns. Debatable “true stories”…the aft deck saw it all this trip.
ON THE MENU
Chef Situ served it simple, clean, and spot-on. Lighter meals requested, and the favourites were the salads, grilled fish and sushi. Perfect!
QUOTE
“This is like Moonee on its best day ever”
Pistol Pete
“It’s just like going surfing with your mates Lip, but for 12 days straight”
Bugsy
Special Thanks
Massive thanks to Budgie for pulling the team together when it looked like the mission might not get off the ground this year. And cheers to Mother Nature and Huey for flipping the script on a grim-looking forecast and delivering more good conditions than we had any right to expect.
Cheers, Uncle Lip.