Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
A family-owned Mentawai surf travel company running all-inclusive live-aboard surf charters and beachfront surf camps among the most perfect waves on earth.
01 · The Family
WaveBorn started the way every good surf story does: a family, a boat, and a stretch of ocean too perfect to keep quiet about. We grew up on these waters. The Mentawais aren't a destination to us; they're home.
Today we run two live-aboard charters and two land-based camps, all family-owned and operated. No call centres, no middlemen. The person who answers your email is the same person who'll hand you a plate of grilled fish and point you at tomorrow's first wave.
However you like your surf trip, chasing swell from a boat deck or rooted on a beach with a wave out front, you'll leave here the way everyone does: planning the trip back.
OMBAK KABAU · ROOFTOP · POST-SESSION
02 · Two Ways to Surf
03 · Charters
Two family-run Mentawai surf charter boats, all-inclusive, chasing swell across the archipelago so the boat moves and the waves come to you. All Mentawai surf charters →
MENTAWAI ISLANDS · 1°57'S 99°35'E
LIVE-ABOARD CHARTER
Live at sea. Chase swell. Wake up in the lineup.
Eleven nights on the water with up to ten of your crew. The boat moves with the swell. You surf where it’s best, then fall asleep anchored beside tomorrow’s first wave.
MENTAWAI & TELLO ISLANDS · 0°55'S 98°30'E
CATAMARAN CHARTER
Ride world-class waves. Sleep like a dream. Share the stoke.
A 46-foot catamaran purpose-built for surf. Eight guests, en-suite cabins, an on-board surf pro, and the stability only two hulls can give you after a three-session day.
04 · Camps
Land-based Mentawai and Sumatra surf camps with waves out front, private boats and an in-house chef. Root down, surf consistently, stay connected to land. All Mentawai surf camps →
PULAU SIMAKAKANG · 2°04'S 99°35'E
BEACHFRONT VILLAS
You set the schedule, not us.
A private beachfront villa on Simakakang with nine world-class waves in reach, a dedicated boat at your disposal and an in-house chef. Perfect waves, steps from your deck.
KRUI, SOUTH SUMATRA · 5°11'S 103°56'E
BAMBOO SURF CAMP
A haven for surfers and the ones who love them.
Premium bamboo suites on the beachfront in Krui, South Sumatra, with four waves out front, twelve within a scooter ride, and the kind of camp where strangers leave as lifelong friends.
05 · The Journey
18:00
Boards in the racks, lines off at sunset. The mainland shrinks behind the stern while dinner comes out of the galley.
PADANG HARBOR · DEPARTURE
23:40
A hundred kilometres of open Indian Ocean in the dark. Most guests sleep through it. The crew has done it a thousand times.
OPEN WATER · 1°30'S 99°55'E
05:50
Anchor chain rattles. You come up the companionway with a coffee, and the first set of your trip is already peeling down the reef.
FIRST LIGHT · THE LINEUP
06 · Why WaveBorn
01
Every boat, every villa, every plate of food, run by the same family that answers your first email.
02
Meals, transfers, tenders, guiding. Once you land in Sumatra, the only decision left is which wave.
03
The Mentawais hold more perfect setups per kilometre than anywhere on earth. We grew up on them.
04
Three sessions or one. Dawn patrol or midday glass. It’s your trip. We just make it effortless.
“Ten days, maybe forty waves each, and not one other boat in sight most mornings. The crew felt like old mates by day two.”
RETURNING GUEST · AUSTRALIA
“The overnight crossing is the trick: you skip the worst part of every boat trip and wake up staring at perfect waves.”
GUEST · CALIFORNIA
07 · When to Come
APR TO OCT · PRIME Consistent long-period south swells, light trade winds, every reef in the chain doing its job. Book early: the boats fill a year out.
NOV TO MAR · QUIETER Smaller, cleaner, warmer, and the lineups empty out. The best-kept secret for intermediates and anyone allergic to crowds.
08 · Salt & Light
01
Tell us who’s coming, roughly when, and how you like your waves. We reply personally, usually within a day.
02
Boat or beach, dates, group size, skill levels. We shape the trip around you, not the other way round.
03
Land in Sumatra and we take it from there. Transfers, meals, waves. The only thing you carry is your board bag.
Good to know
The prime Mentawai surf season runs April to October, with the biggest, most consistent swells from June to August. The shoulder months bring smaller, cleaner waves and far fewer crowds. We run trips year-round.
Fly into Padang in West Sumatra, usually via Jakarta or Kuala Lumpur. From Padang it is an overnight boat crossing on our charters, or a 3-hour fast ferry to the villas. For Jenny’s in Krui you fly to Bandar Lampung. We coordinate all transfers.
A live-aboard charter (Ombak Kabau or Mahalo) moves with the swell and reaches the most waves, best for chasing the very best conditions. A land-based camp (Sunset Surf Villas or Jenny’s) is steadier, more social and often better value for mixed groups and longer stays.
It depends on the boat or camp, the season and your group size. Every trip is all-inclusive of transfers, meals, guiding and surf runs. Tell us your dates and crew and we will send tailored pricing the same day.
The Mentawais have waves for everyone, from mellow beginner walls to serious pro-only reef, and our guides put you on breaks that match your ability. Beginners are best suited to the land camps; the charters suit confident intermediates and up.
Yes. Accommodation, meals, airport and boat transfers, surf guiding and daily surf runs are all included. Flights and the regional Mentawai surf tax are the main extras.
09 · Enquire
No booking engines, no bots. Your enquiry lands with the family and we write back personally: waves, dates, logistics, all of it.
PREFER EMAIL?
mentawaiwaveborn@gmail.comFLY TO PADANG (CHARTERS & VILLAS) OR BANDAR LAMPUNG (JENNY'S). WE HANDLE THE REST.
