Huey Surf Charter

Group Size: Min 10 guests, Max 12
Number of Cabins: 3 cabins: 1×8 berth cabin, 1×2 berth cabin & 1 x couples cabin
Length of Stay: 10-12 days surfing, 11-13 nights on board
Destination: Mentawai, Nias, Telo & Banyak islands
Surfing Ability: Intermediate to advanced only
Budget: Medium
A/C: All interior & cabins
Photos: Free use of Canon EOS 7D & 400mm lens
Beers: 6 beers per person per day
Tender: 7.2 m aluminium 250 hp speed boat & rubber zodiac 
Port: Padang, West Sumatra

The Huey is an 82' ex customs patrol vessel that was built and launched by the Japanese Government in 1978. The Huey remains one of the faster boats (9-11 knots) operating in the islands off West Sumatra. Since the conversion to a dedicated surf charter boat, she's clocked up 19 seasons with over 230 trips completed (by April 2019). 

Legendary Aussie owner & operator (Sooly) bought her in 2005 and has maintained the previous Japanese standards with 4 refits including one in December 2018 when new generators, propellers and numerous improvements were also made. New engines were also installed in 2015. Her safety record is flawless, without a single days surfing lost due to mechanical failure. Back up systems for every operating system are also on hand.

Guests have full use of Benny Laut, a 7.2 m aluminium speed boat used for fishing and surfing other waves. With 250 horse power on hand, she's the perfect boat to "check around the corner" and surf other waves while the Huey is parked up at a spot. There is always the rubber Zodiac shuttling guests to and from the line-up wherever the Huey is anchored.

Most trips are focused on the Mentawais & Telos, but a number of trips each year head further north to Nias and the Hinako's as well as trips to the Banyak Islands.

Lounge area and Huey plan view

- Fully air conditioned interior and guest cabins
- 3 guest cabins (sleeping 10-12 guests): 1×8 berth cabin, 1×2 berth cabin & 1 x couples cabin
- 1 bathroom
- 2 x exterior deck areas
- Interior saloon (a/c) with flat screen TV

The Huey is a good sized vessel and comfortably sleeps 10-12 guests within its 3 guest cabins.  

Exterior space includes 2 large decks. The upper deck is a shaded hang out area, ideal for watching the surf & enjoying a meal, where as the front deck is perfect for hanging out and enjoying a few Bintang's. 

An air conditioned interior saloon area provides plenty of space to enjoy one of the 800 movies on offer. Its also a great spot to escape from the tropical sun or take shelter from a passing storm.  

Below, on the lower deck, you will find the air conditioned sleeping quarters including 1×8 berth cabin, 1×2 berth cabin & 1 x couples cabin.

Interior saloon

Khairul is the Huey chef and all-round good guy that will prepare your daily meals. His cooking is second to none. After finishing his trade certificate in Bukkitingi he started work on Huey in 2000 and has been with the boat ever since. 

Included in all packages:

3 large, healthy delicious meals are served each day

A mix of Indonesian and Western cuisine served for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Vegetarians & Vegans can be catered for given prior notice.

Includes:

Daily meals
Snacks, fruit Juices & soft drinks
Unlimited Tea, Coffee and Water 
6 complimentary beers per person per day (more can be ordered prior to departure)

The Huey team is a mix of Australian & Indonesian surf charter experts that is owned and operated by Steve (Sooly) Sewell and his Indonesian wife Mel. Sooly has clocked up 25 years in Indonesia and has owned & operated the Huey since 2005. Combined with Mel's local knowledge, they make a formidable team.

When Sooly is not on board the Huey, Aussie Sab Brose is at the helm. 2019 will be Sabs 4th year surf guiding the guests of Huey and he impressively speaks Bahasa, French and Spanish.

The rest of the team are comprised of local Indonesians that have been part of the team for decades. 

Amril, is the captain, who was born and bred in Padang & boasts over 20 years of experience at sea. A integral part of the crew, he knows these waters like no other and has been working on Huey since 2002.

Khairul the Chef and all-round good guy will provide the guests and the crew with plenty of delicious food each day. His cooking is second to none. After finishing his trade certificate in Bukkitingi he started work on Huey in 2000 and has been with the boat ever since.

Yudi helps Khairul in the kitchen but he's also the maintenance man. He’s been with Huey since 2013. Brothers Randi and Ool are our youngest team members and have also been on board since 2013.

All the Huey crew are certified with Indonesians governing body SEACOM.

Benny Laut is a 250 horse power, 7.2m aluminium plate speed boat that is available for all Huey guests. She's perfect for checking out "around the corner". Benny Laut's back-up is a "twin" 140 hp speedboat (pictured left of Benny Laut)

What’s included

* Mentawai Surf Tax (IDR 1,000,000 pp / approx. AUD 100) - only required in the Mentawais
* Airport transfers to and from the boat in Padang
* 10 to 13 nights on board the Huey surf charter surfing in the Mentawai, Nias, Telo or Banyak Islands
* Single bed in an a/c cabin
* 3 large, healthy delicious meals served each day
* Snacks, fruit Juices & soft drinks each day
* Unlimited tea, coffee and water each day
* Speedboat shuttles to the surf from dawn til dusk, all day every day
* Use of Canon EOS 7D and 400mm lens. Bring a hard drive so you can take your photos home.
* Fishing & island excursions on the Benny Laut
* Surf exploration on the Benny Laut
* 6 complimentary beers per person per day
* All necessary zone permits

What’s not included

* Photographer if needed (please give us plenty of time to arrange one of needed)
* Flights to and from Padang
* Hotels if needed
* Visa Fees and Departure Tax
* Any additional cost resulting from late arrival or the need of early departure
* Use of satellite phone
* Tips for the crew

The impeccable engine room

Vessel Type: Ex Japanese patrol vessel
Length: 25 metres / 82 ft
Speed Cruising: 9-11 knots
Engine: 2 x 350hp Nissan Diesels
Generator (x 2): Mitsubishi 4cyl diesel engines coupled to Stamford 30 KVa dynamos. 
Accommodation: 3 x cabins: 1×8 berth cabin, 1×2 berth cabin & 1 x couples cabin
Bathrooms: 1
Tender (x 2): 7.2 m aluminium plate speed boat with 250 hp + zodiac tender

The captains bridge

Navigation

* VHF Marine Radio
* HF Radio
* Satellite phone
* Mobile phone signal in some areas
* Raymarine 64 mile radar and Navionics GPS
* Furuno GP 7000F GPS and sounder
* Auto Pilot

Safety

* Certified 20 man Life Raft
* Flares
* 406Mhz EPIRB
* SART

The crew are all highly experienced and have completed first aid and fire training.

Note: Satellite phone is available for emergency use only. If guests want to use it for any other reason, you will be charged. Please note, some areas of the region have mobile signal. Furthermore, some surf resorts have internet access and occasionally it will be possible to use their facilities.

Trips aboard the Huey are vast ranging. Standard trips include the Mentawais and the Telo Islands but plenty of trips will cruise further north through Nias, the Hinakos and the Banyak islands in North Sumatra.

If you’re booking up with a large group, then you’ll usually get to choose which region. Smaller groups and single surfers should enquire as to which region the charter will be heading to.



All regions offer a great range of waves, so it’s best to check out our destinations pages as well as the surf breaks listed there to get an idea of which region you’d prefer to visit.

* Surf Breaks - Mentawai (Playgrounds)
* Surf Breaks - Telo Islands
* Surf breaks - Banyak Islands

Detailed information for all the surf breaks can be found in the destination's section of the site within the Mentawai, Banyak & Telo pages.

* Surf Breaks - Mentawai (Playgrounds)
* Surf Breaks - Telo Islands
* Surf breaks - Banyak Islands

Guests need to fly into Padang Airport, West Sumatra 

Arrival into Padang by (ideally) 1pm, although its usually OK to arrive just about anytime during the day.

The boat usually departs around 6pm. 

On return, departure flights are ideally from 1pm (onward) on the last day of the trip but again there is flexibility with this, depending on the trip. So please let us know if you'd prefer an early departure out of Padang.

Flights 

We recommend using www.skyscanner.com and flying into either Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - or Jakarta, Indonesia.  From KL, there is usually one morning flight (1hr) with Air Asia  as well as a lunchtime flight to Padang.  From Jakarta, there are over a dozen flights each day that fly into Padang, from airlines such as Garuda Airlines, Srwijaya, Citilink  & Lion Air.

We recommend www.nusatrip.com

Note: Visa On Arrival: A FREE 30 day Visa On Arrival is now available for a number of countries including: Australia, USA, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Costa Rica, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, England, France, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany. 

Arrive Padang airport ideally around 1 pm (although later arrivals are also possible)

One of our staff will be waiting to take you to the harbor.

The Huey will depart Padang around 6pm, arriving Mentawai or Telo islands early the next morning (Nias, Hinakos, Banyak Islands etc by request)

11-13 nights / 10-12 days surfing

Return back to Padang early morning.

One of our reps will take you to the airport or hotel of choice

Fly anytime after 12 pm (although earlier departures are also possible)

Note: The trip has no fixed route as the surf conditions can change day to day. Our experienced crew are always aware of the swell forecast and will update everybody each day to discuss the next move. The captain will usually change location during the night, leaving the opportunity for the guests to enjoy most of the day surfing.

All guests travelling to any surf camp or charter boat in Sumatra will require Travel Insurance. Surf Camp Sumatra recommends using World Nomads for any trip to Sumatra. Simply use the below form to get a quote.

Before booking a trip aboard Huey, make sure to check our "Know before you go" section which is a handy page of what to expect as well as a detailed inventory of what to bring.

For those that need some help in choosing the right surf charter boat or those that are unsure what's better a surf charter boat or surf camp, then check out both our blogs below.