When most of us think of surf trips to Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands, we think of big barrels, big turns, and high performance shortboard surfing. Which, it mostly is. But it’s also possible to find a fun and more approachable side to this world-class surf zone, as Cord’s Sean Lascelles discovered when he made the bucket-list trip to Macaronis at the end of last year, with a 6’8” Sunseeker midlength and a 5’8” twin fin in his boardbag.

The story of this summer's Cord team R&D trip to Sumatra, through the eyes of the youngest member of the crew!

The Mentawai Islands are undoubtedly a contender for a surfer’s paradise. Filling a boat with group whose taste in waves, preferred board length, and desire to get barrelled ran the full range does present even the most experienced surf guide with a challenge however, when trying to ensure that everybody finds their slice of paradise.

A fortnight in the Maldives scoring world-class waves under blazing sunshine in crystal clear waters, and all with hardly anyone around.