A world-class Playgrounds left that opens with a hollow ledge and runs into a long rippable wall, over reef that punishes greed.
Hideaways breaks off the tip of a small island in the Playgrounds, the dense cluster of reefs off the southern end of Siberut in the northern Mentawai. It is a left, it sits in water clear enough to count the coral heads from the line-up, and it peels close in to the island rather than a long way offshore. Kandui and Rifles are a short boat run away.
Its reputation is straightforward. Hideaways is one of the prettiest waves in Indonesia and one of the more deceptive. It hands you the best tube of your trip, then charges for it on the way through. One other thing worth knowing, and it is why guides keep it in their back pocket: this reef handles the southerly wind that chops out much of the rest of the Playgrounds, so it often stays surfable when the fleet is running short of options.
The wave
The wave has two halves. The take-off end is the serious part, a ledge that stands up fast and throws, and the further up the reef you sit the deeper and longer the barrel runs. Advanced surfers park themselves right on it. Sit a touch wider and you get a far more forgiving drop and still come away with a proper wave, which is much of why this break suits a range of surfers.
From there it opens into a steep shoulder that bowls left towards the channel. This is the section that earns the world-class label: long, clean-faced and genuinely rippable rather than just survivable. On the right swell the barrel sections at either end link up and you get the whole thing in one ride. The closing section is also the shallowest part of the reef, which is where sessions turn expensive.
It wants a south-west to west swell and a light south to south-east breeze, and it works from head high to double overhead, roughly 3ft to 8ft, with 5ft to 6ft the pick. Tide is the one to get right. Mid to high on the push is what most people surf: mid holds the best barrels, high gives more room to turn. Low tide draws it squarer but drains water off coral you do not want to meet. Season runs April to October, September the most reliable.
Conditions at a glance
- Wave type: Left-hand reef break
- Best swell: South-west to west groundswell. It holds its shape in smaller surf but needs some power in the water before the barrel sections properly switch on.
- Best wind: Light south to south-east. This is one of the few breaks in the Playgrounds that copes with the southerly wind that ruins much of the rest of the zone, which is why it stays in play on days when other reefs are junk.
- Best tide: Mid to high on the push. Mid holds the best barrels, high is safer and better for turns. Low tide draws it squarer but pulls the water off a shallow reef, and the end section is the part that catches people out.
- Best size: Head high to double overhead, roughly 3ft to 8ft. Around 5ft to 6ft is the pick.
- Season: April to October, with September usually the most consistent month for clean, surfable swell.
- Crowd: Medium. The Playgrounds is the busiest zone in the Mentawai, several camps sit within minutes of this reef and one is effectively on the beach in front of it, so expect anywhere from a handful to twenty out on a good swell. The vibe is generally relaxed and localism is low, but the best waves get shared.
- Where: Playgrounds area, Siberut, North Mentawai
Who it suits
It is usually listed as intermediate and above, and that is fair for the shoulder. The barrel is a different wave. Sitting on the ledge means a steep, pitching drop over live reef, much of it fire coral. Get it wrong on a low tide and you will carry the marks all trip. A competent intermediate can have the session of their holiday at four feet on a high tide. The same surfer sitting deep at six feet on a draining tide is a problem waiting to happen.
Be realistic about the crowd. The Playgrounds is the busiest zone in the Mentawai, several camps sit within minutes of this reef and one is more or less on the beach in front of it, so a handful to twenty out is normal on a good swell. The vibe is generally relaxed and localism is not much of a factor, but the best ones get shared. Current runs on an outgoing tide too, so if you are paddling all session just to hold position, take the hint.
How to surf Hideaways with WaveBorn
Hideaways is a boat wave for us. Ombak Kabau is our live-aboard charter, up to 10 guests, 11 nights and 10 surf days, roaming the entire Mentawai chain plus the Tello Islands and the northern route to the Hinako Islands off Nias. On a Playgrounds leg we anchor close and work the tide properly, which is the whole trick here, and take the quieter ends of the day: first light, or late on once the camp boats have headed in.
Odyssey Mentawai is our 46ft catamaran, up to 8 guests, with a surf pro on board and the same archipelago-wide range. The small group is the real advantage here: eight of you rather than a full line-up, and someone aboard who can tell you honestly how far up the ledge is sensible on the day. Whichever boat you are on, bring a step-up you trust in the tube. Reef booties are a fair call too.
Trips that reach it: Ombak Kabau and Odyssey Mentawai .
Nearby breaks
Hideaways sits within easy reach of Kandui, Rifles, Bank Vaults and E-Bay , which is what makes this part of the archipelago so productive: if the wind or swell does not suit one reef, another is usually working a short ride away.
More breaks in North Mentawai
- Burgerworld : A long, playful right-hand reef point in the Playgrounds that switches on when the heavier North Mentawai reefs go flat.
- Nipussi : A consistent right-hand reef in the Playgrounds that stays clean on north winds and needs less swell than its heavier neighbours.
Conditions here are a guide, not a guarantee. Our crew reads the swell, wind and tide each morning and puts you on the break that matches your surfing that day. See the full Mentawai surf spots guide or browse every break we surf.