July 11th - 22nd / 4 - 8 Feet
"That was the best wave of my life"...Soli
Legendary surf photographer Simon “Swilly” Williams gets the band together for an all Aussie assault hit out through Mentawai onboard The Mighty Mango.
All photos by Swilly @swillpics, words by Uncle Lip.
THE GROUP
A few Veterans and a group of virgins who were ready to take on anything that was thrown at them.
Brotherhood was formed onboard
Conditions/Forcast
Back to back 2m+ swells with plenty of period behind them which as been opening up plenty of options for all surfers. We faced a lot of localised storms this trip for the first time this year but with the mobility of the Mango / Foxy combination and commitment from the crew we followed the wind and surfed plenty of variety, plenty of solo shred sessions and a few solid session that we will never forget.
Personalities
A very mixed bag this trip but by day 2 everyone felt they had know each other forever. Nothing better than mates!
Standout Sessions
It would be hard to go past our last day…
As we set sail from Padang we had recently heard the news of the passing of one of Indonesia’s greatest tube pigs “Mikala Jones” so a toast was due and we had a feeling he would be looking after us this trip.
Ten days out we called we would end up on the slab. The day came, we were on the spot, and it was 6 to 8 feet, clean offshore and no one around.
The appropriate song “Animal” by Mike Snow was cued up on the Foxy Lady sound system as the boys jumped overboard and photographers “Swilly” and “Tom Hoy” set up to capture the show.
A few of the lads come out with some of the best single waves of their lives. When superstars like Soli Bailey are saying this you know it was pretty special out there.
It is rare the very last session of a trip is the pinnacle of 11 days at sea searching for perfection. This day it happened, and this is the last memory the team leave the Mango with - standing bolt upright in perfect kegs with no one around.
“A career highlight for me” Uncle Lip.
FISH ON
A couple of late afternoon booze cruise Foxy Lady fishing missions had the boys score a few off Lippy’s Ledge bringing a lot of good times and fresh fish. Waterman Connor Lyons was impressive on the gun and returned to the boat after most attempts with fish. One stoked crew onboard as they went home to their families with plenty of fish this week. Thanks Tom, The crew will miss you.
Wave of the trip
The group of talented pros continued to push each other with bragging rights on the table but Soli decided to save the best for last. His last wave of the session was a monster. Big, thick and deep.
“best wave of my life”
Soli Bailey.
We gave young Zaneo a little run down about the long and storied history of The Mango. Every time we would see another boat he would say
“no history that boat aye…”
Zane had us in stitches the entire trip with this.
Keg coming.
Food
Can’t beat fresh fish right? The fishing was on this trip so plenty of BBQ whole fish to beer battered fish tacos to fresh ceviche to sashimi. Hats off to Putra and Situ once again.
Special Thanks:
Special thanks to everyone involved in making this trip happen. Swilly for bringing it together, the surfers and everyone that lets us do what we love doing. Miss ya already Lads and ready for next year!
Yours truly Uncle Lip
*All photos by @swillpics and footage to follow in the near future from @tomhoy_
Keen for a Strike Mission?
Thursday, 10 August 2023
- Thursday, 24 August 2023
14 nights Mentawai & Telo Islands - 5 Spots Available
Rare Mangalui prime time trip
forecasted incoming swells
+ last minute discount!
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MANGALUI 23/24 SUMMER SESSIONS
One of our favourite times of year these days is the summer season, characterised by great weather, fun waves and far less surfers. It has been one of the industry’s best kept secrets for decades with only those in the know choosing to charter during this time of year.