Santana Laut Surf Charter

Group Size: Max 12 / Min 10 guests (14 on request)
Number of Cabins: 8 a/c cabins
Length of Stay: 11 days surfing / 12 nights on board
Destination: Mentawai, Telo & Banyak Islands
Surfing Ability: Intermediate to advanced only
Budget: Medium to high
A/C: Cabins, lounge & dining areas
Photos: On request
Beers: 7 beers pp / day (35 cases)
Tender: 21’ centre console
Port: Padang, West Sumatra

Built in Fremantle, West Oz, the Santana Laut was converted from a fishing trawler into a surf charter in 2015. She's got a huge deck, shaded board racks, two toilets, a saloon with TV, two dining rooms, three sleeping cabins up top and six cabins below. 

She is the real deal, but in fact there are 3 bigger reasons why you’d want to book a trip aboard this vessel.

1) High end service. Imagine the service aboard the Indies trader 3, without the price tag. There is so much attention to detail that is simply missing on all but a handful of operations, but this doesn’t include the Santana Laut.

Great food & service - and happy guests, guaranteed!

2) Surf guides. Both veteran Aussie captain's John Shawcross and Tony "Doris" Eltherington each have many, many years’ experience exploring every nook and cranny in Sumatra. Both are owner/operators so they make sure that the best possible level of attention is given to all their clients. If you have any doubts, just google these guys & you'll soon appreciate that the hype is real.

3) Food & drinks. From dawn to dusk you’ll be feasting on detox juices, healthy fresh food and always as organic as possible. Fresh bread is made on board. There are simply no short cuts.  Don’t worry though, the balance is there & it doesn’t mean the boat is above a fridge full of Bintang (of which 35 cases are included in the utterly-reasonable price).

Tony Doris Eltherington

The Santana Laut has plenty of space for its guests and includes:

12 beds (A/C) spread over 8 private cabins:

2 x 4 bunk cabins
4 x double bed cabins
2 x double bed cabins with bunk bed on top

Interiors and Equipment:

* 2 interior dining areas
* 2 x external bathrooms
* A very large saloon with 64’inch TV
* Media player with 10 TB of movies and TV Shows
* Large high quality sound system, interior and exterior speakers
* SUP’s and Snorkeling equipment
* Top deck with large dining table with seating for 14 guests
* Fore deck with a shaded area with bench seating
* 4 large bean bags

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 Mentawai Islands have mobile signal. Furthermore, some surf resorts have internet access and occasionally it will be possible to use their facilities.

Included in all packages:

3 large, healthy delicious meals are served each day
Snacks, fruit Juices & soft drinks
Unlimited Tea, Coffee and Water
7 beers pp / day (35 cases / trip) - additional beers will be available for purchase on board

The food is truly off the scale of any *standard* charter boat. Its only comparable to the ultra high end charters out there. If you are very food and health conscious, you wont be disappointed. Expect healthy, fresh food - as organic as possible. Most of the meals are cooked in coconut oil. The bread isn’t that sickly foam pulled from a freezer – it’s made fresh on the boat. Almond milk is as widely available as cow’s milk. All meals can be made vegetarian, dairy- or gluten-free

Here’s a snapshot of the kind of food and drinks you can expect:

* Grilled fresh fish with white quinoa, pumpkin, zucchini, onions and garlic.
* Rice paper rolls with prawns, chilli, cabbage, carrot, coriander, tofu and vermicelli noodles wrapped in with, boc choy, garlic, and a tamarin sauce.
* Roasted lamb leg with feta cheese and mint, sweet potato, quinoa, and pumpkin.
* Chili- dusted prawns tacos, with coriander mango salsa.
* Frozen Acai, using frozen locally-sourced dragon fruit. 
* Pitaya bowls with coconut water, fresh bananas and fruit, boat-made granola w/ chia, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds, and shredded coconut.

Any variety of juices (carrot, cayenne, turmeric ginger, for the morning cleanse; cucumber, boc choy, lime and ginger for the afternoon second session).

John and Doris

The Santana Laut has an incredible & experienced team including:

- Indonesian Captain
- Australian Guides (operators/owners/captains)
- Hosts 2 Brazilian sisters
- Indonesian Chef, deck hands & kitchen staff

There isn’t any better boat operator / surf guide / captain, than Tony "Doris" Eltherington. In 2014 he even won the prestigious “Waterman of the Year Award“ following his miracle rescue of South African surfer Brett Archibald who had fallen overboard in the Mentawai Islands, lost for 24 hours. He’s a man you can count on. Eltherington, who pioneered surfing in many parts of Indonesia and the Pacific Ocean and is synonymous with the surf charter industry, also won the "Peter Troy Lifestyle Award" for the person who has given their life over to surfing and in doing so has enriched the surfing culture around him. Impressive stuff.

Whats more is that when Doris isnt surf guiding for his guests, you'll more than likely have Johnny Shawcross at the helm. Also a part owner, his experience in the Mentawai islands is only matched by Doris. Previously captaining the mighty Ratu Motu surf charter, he's joined forces with Doris to form what can only be considered as the ultimate surf guiding team out there in Sumatra. Whats more is that the back up surf guide is South African Shayne Whitfield, the kinda guy you also want on a surf trip. An exceptional surf guide, he also has a wicked and infectious sense of humor.

Maira and Barbara Roquette, sisters in their late 20s and early 30s, two very unlikely but wonderful hosts and part-owners of this vessel. They will take care of your every need & are extremely passionate about healthy food and healthy living.

The remaining Santana Laut crew have been with the team for many years and provide a very high level of service. This includes a top quality fully trained chef (Yopi) to provide you with gourmet level quality food of the highest possible quality.

Maira and Barbara

What’s included

* Airport transfers to and from the boat in Padang
* 12 nights on board the Santana Laut in a/c cabin
* 3 large, healthy delicious meals served each day
* Plenty of snacks, fruit Juices & soft drinks each day
* Unlimited tea, coffee and water each day
* 7 beers pp / day (35 cases / trip) - additional beers will be available for purchase on board
* Speedboat shuttles to the surf from dawn til dusk, all day every day
* Use of fishing and snorkeling equipment
* Fishing & island excursions
* SUP’s
* 64’inch TV screen & media player with 10 TB of movies & TV Shows
* Use of high quality sound system, interior and exterior speakers
* TRX straps, kettle bells, yoga mats, Swiss balls, medicine balls and foam rollers
* All necessary zone permits.
* US$ 3 a day Mentawai Government Tax

What’s not included

* Photography (please contact us in advance for availability and pricing)
* Mentawai Surfer Tax (IDR 1,000,000 pp)
* Flights to and from Padang
* Hotel in Padang if needed
* Visa Fees and Departure Tax
* Any additional cost resulting from late arrival or the need of early departure
* Use of satellite phone
* Masseuse: $100/day if required by a group booking
* Yoga Instructor: $100/day if required by a group booking
* Organic Food and Holistic package: $3,000, if required by a group booking
* Tips for the crew

The charter boat was originally built as a fishing trawler and converted to a surf charter in 2015. 

Length: 21.38m
Width: 7.44m
Depth: 3.98m
Construction: Steel Charter Vessel
Marine Engine: 8 cylinder turbocharged diesel engine
Style: Motor cruiser
Cruise speed: 8-10 knots
Electrical points: 240v AC and 12v DC

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.

When booking a trip aboard the Santana Laut, guests will have the chance to surf either the Mentawai Islands (the whole region) – or further north to the Telo Islands (as well as parts of the Northern Mentawai) as well as The Banyak Islands (plus fuel surcharge). If you’re booking 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 (latest) 1pm.

The boat departs at 6pm.  Departure flights should be from 1pm (onwards) on the last day of the trip.

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.traveloka.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 by 1pm.

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

Depart harbour 6pm, arrive Mentawai Islands early the next morning.

12 nights / 11 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 1pm.

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 Santana Laut, 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.