Swell Lines Surf Charter

Group Size: Max 10 / Min 7 guests
Number of Cabins: 3 private cabins 
Length of Stay: 11 days surfing / 12 nights on board (extra/less days on request)
Destination: Mentawai, Telo Islands 
Surfing Ability: Intermediate to advanced only
Budget: Medium
A/C: Cabins and all common rooms
Photos: $200-$300 pp
Beers: 24 beers per person (complimentary)
Tender: 5.5 meter speed boat with 85 HP Yamaha. 3.5 meter RIB, 1 x 15 HP Yamaha
Port: Padang, West Sumatra

Swell Lines is a 59' Australian built surf charter boat. The hull is made from high carbon steel & was custom built for offshore long range charters & is considered one of the safest boats in Padang. Designed specifically for surfing & game fishing, she has twin engines, two generators, an open plan layout as well as air conditioning throughout the interior.

The sleeping quarters consist of 3 private a/c cabins that can comfortably sleep 7-10 guests. There is a lounge area inside as well an outside deck that can seat up to 10 people. Cruising speeds are around 10 knots which is certainly faster than your average surf charter boat in the region. A speedboat and RIB are available each day to shuttle you to the surf. Facilities also include fishing equipment & snorkeling gear.

Total 2 guest cabins + private double bed

1 - Upstairs just by the living room area with 4 x single beds (2 bunk beds)
2 - Down stars with 6 x singles beds
3 - Inside the second is a separated double bed with a door for more privacy.

Interior 

Fully air-conditioned 
Lounge: Seating for 10 guests. Hot & cold drinks dispenser.
Flat screen TV with facilities for camera and video equipment; large stock DVD & VCD or bring your own (+USB)
Surround sound system
One bathroom with toilet with a shower.

Exterior

The Swell Lines has an upper outside deck area (covered & uncovered) for its guests to relax, enjoy a meal, watch the surf or crack open a few sunset beers. The top deck is geared up to fish from although there is also the lower back deck which is perfect for game fishing during the day as it's fully shaded.  

Outside shower on back deck.

Included in all packages:

3 large, healthy delicious meals are served each day
A mix of Indonesian, Mexican, Brazilian & Western cuisine served for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Vegetarians can be catered for (given prior notice)
Plenty of Snacks, Juices & soft drinks
Unlimited Tea, Coffee & Water
24 beers per person 

Additional beers will be available for purchase on board

Included in all packages:

* Pickup & return transfers to/from Padang airport (PDG). Including: Airport-Hotel, Hotel-Boat, Boat-Hotel & Hotel-airport. 
* 12 nights aboard Swell Lines surf charter
* Full 11 days of surfing in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra (Or Telo's with fuel surcharge)
* Air-conditioned sleeping cabins – 1 single bed per person
* TV, video, stereo
* Breakfast, lunch and dinner
* Snacks, fruits, deserts and ice-cream
* Water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino, juices, soft drinks
* 1 case of beers “per person” (24 cans)
* Use of all onboard equipment including tender / dingy, snorkelling & fishing gear -including speargun
* Safety equipment
* Bath towel to use onboard
* Surf guide, skipper and crew

Food and drinks (included in the package):

Guests can expect western, Brazilian, Mexican and Indonesian cuisine. This includes fish, beef, chicken, vegetarian, vegetables, salads, rice and beans, pasta, spaghetti, tacos, quesadillas and more... You never go hungry! Free fruits, snacks, chips, cookies, chocolate and deserts.

Vegetarian on prior request. Please inform us when booking.

Alcohol

Includes 24 beers per person / trip. We can provide additional beers on prior request with extra charge. The charter also provides free juices, soft drinks, water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappuccino that is available anytime.

NOT included in the package

* Any Flights
* Visas
* Hotels in Padang if necessary (we can also help on booking a hotel)
* Mentawai Government Tax is one million Indonesian Rupias (around USD 80 / AUD 110) per person. Payable in “IDR” cash on arrival in Padang. (The Mentawai Government may raise this retribution fee at any time with no prior notice).
* Professional Photography and Videography packages.
* Wine and spirits are available at an additional cost upon request at the time you pay for your trip.
* Tipping the crew is not mandatory but appreciated. 

Length: 59 feet (18.05m, beam: 4,2m, draft: 2.25m)
Construction: High carbon steel hull (built in Australia)
Marine Engine: 2 x Mitsubishi 622's with 280 Hp/ Engine
Style: Motor cruiser
Cruise speed: 10-12 knots
Generator: Generators 2: 1 x Mitsubishi 20 kw, 1 x Onan 12.5 kw
Electrics: 110 & 220 volts. Guest required to bring adapters for 2 prong Indonesian plugs
Speedboats: 5.5m speed boat with 85 HP Yamaha. 3.5m RIB, 1 x 15 HP Yamaha
Extras: 2 fishing rods & some snorkeling gear

Life Rafts: Life raft Solas “A” 15 man plus Pacific 6 man
Flares: Parachute Red, Red Hand Held, Orange smoke floating all to Survey Stan
Extinguishers: Co2 Flood System Engine Room, Dry Powder Throughout and Fire Blanket
Life Jackets: 15 Adult SOLAS “A” & 4 Children SOLAS “A” with Strobe lights
Life Rings (4): SOLAS, 1Port, 1 Starboard, 1 Rear Fitted with strobe light, with 30 meter rope
VHF( 3): IC-M502 VHF-DSC, 1 Hand Held ICOM, 1 Simrad GMDSS axis 50
Marine SSB: Furuno SSB FS-1503 with E-Mail HF pactor Ilex modem
Satellite Phone: 
Grab Bag: Stocked, Pyrotechnics, Mirror, V-Blanket,
EPIRB: ACR 406MHz Float Free
Bilge Pumps: 12, 24, & 240 Volt and Emergency Petrol Pump, plus Manual pumps
Navigation Equipment Furuno NavNet Black Box system
Radar: ARPA heading sensor 48 NM Range, WAAS Satellite Tracking, Weather, Tidal overlay
Furuno: GPS Plotter split screen Cmap NT plus max, 10.4 screen / plus 21 inch screen relay
SIMRAD: GPS Plotter CE-30 with Cmap NT
Speedboats (2)

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

Samia and Marco (above) are originally from Brazil but are now based in Bali. They've been operating the Santa Lusia since 2015 and have taken on the Swell Lines Charter Boat at the end of 2018. Both Samia & Marco have been working in the Mentawais for over a decade as surf guides, photographer's and videographer's. The crew of the Swell Lines are also experienced in the Telo Islands. 

When booking a trip aboard the Swell Lines, 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). 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.

Both regions offer an excellent mix of waves, so it’s best to check out our destinations pages as well as the surf breaks listed here to get an idea of which region you’d prefer to visit.

Either way, expect plenty of picture perfect barrels breaking in crystal clear bath water, just a stone’s throw from palm fringed white sandy shores in a tropical paradise!

With that said, as a rule, the surf is suited more for experienced riders. They keep the status quo & will certainly take more from the long trip to the area. And although the region boasts 100’s of mechanical dreamy set-ups, the majority break over sharp coral reef ready to dish out a fresh tattoo given half a chance. This is primarily the reason we don’t encourage learners or even progressing beginners to the area. When things go wrong, you’ll soon realise that you’re very far away from a hospital.

But with so many waves to choose from, intermediates can find the waves of their lives, without running any real risk of injury.

As for the advanced surfer - the world really is your oyster!

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

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

Guests need to fly into Padang Airport, West Sumatra 

Arrival into Padang by (latest) 1pm (day 1)

The boat departs at 6pm.  Departure flights should be from 11am (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.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 by 1pm.

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

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 11am

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 Swell Lines, 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.