- Oscar Guiss
BEST TIME TO GO FOR A SURF TRIP AT MENTAWAI AND AVOID THE CROWD.

The surf season about to end at Mentawai Island right?
Hi there my name is Oscar and I am one of the owners of Playground Surf Resort.
Every year I see a lot of people coming to the playgrounds around September, this is probably due to Kelly Slater and his movie September sessions. Well I have a little secret to share with you today, I have been surfing at Mentawai for over a decade and my best surf trip to the islands was in the low season or what we call shoulder season. (November to May)
Our Shoulder-Season is a secret gem that not many people are aware. We literally count down the days in August and September till our southeast winds back down and the Shoulder-Season winds (north to northwest) kick in. While it's not as consistent to see the massive SW triple overhead swells, you will see overhead, clean surf every day and uncrowded waves.
Many of our guests arrive in peak Season looking for exactly this and spend their entire trip searching for what is available every single day in our Shoulder-Season!
The same happens in the beginning of the year around April, the south swells start to make their way towards the islands and you will see Mentawai waves starting to break perfectly across the reefs. Yes, not many of the Sumatra Surf Resorts are open at this time of the year just because there isn’t enough people in the area at this time of the year.
We are also not open, BUT…If you have 5 friends or more and you're looking for shoulder high to slightly overhead surf, fun barrels and turns, light crowds and great vibes, just drop us a line and we will take you to the best surf spots. Send us an email and let’s score some perfect waves together.