Six-hundred beers, 40 surfboards, 10 surfers, 10 days, five full days of traveling, and one priceless trip to Indonesia.
Following the grueling three-day travel to Padang, on the island of Sumatra, we finally all met up from our respective corners of the Earth. Making our way to the docks through downtown Padang, grabbing some Nasi Goreng and Bintangs en route, we arrived at the vibrant, inviting Crystal Clear charter boat. A beautiful trimaran vessel built by Moose and his crew, designed specifically for smooth exploration through the high seas. She endured very rough conditions on our odyssey as we motored to new locations each day in search of the best waves available. She proved that the trimaran concept is indeed the smoothest way to travel the open ocean.
Our captain, the legendary Michael James Matthew, aka Moose, brought his son, Jonathan, along for this trip and he was a welcome presence of positivity and stoke. Building his wave-riding skills when he can, I have no doubt he’ll be getting spit out of tubes by the time we see him again. Moose is in his 60s and still legitimately charges — a master wave rider, he gets the young lads stoked and motivated to go surf when they are lagging. He also has the best stories I’ve ever heard. He’s a true legend and pioneer of the Mentawai surf scene, having been out there since the early 80s. That makes Moose among one of the first people out there exploring and discovering what are now the most famous waves in the world. One of those waves you may know of, Rifles, was coined by Moose himself. But that’s just one of many. It’s amazing to see the youthful spirit instilled in him by surfing and maintaining a connection to the ocean.
Find more from filmmaker Dylan Palmer here and on The Inertiahere.
