SMAC AIRLINES GONE!

Well, 1 month before the season starts, SMAC airlines calls it quits in West Sumatra. They fired their branch manager, closed their office, and cancelled all their routes. Mentawais and Telos in particular are affected with WavePark, Kandui, TIL and LZR all having to scramble to find altnerate logistics for their guests.

SMAC cites "government crackdown" on antiquated equipment regarding their instrumentation. Yeah right. I'm guessing it was a decision based on a more lucrative offer in another province. That's OK, business is business and they have to make money to. But why didn't they tell the resort operators in November when they shut up shop for the season? Giving one month's notice when all the guests are dependent on that transfer is pretty selfish.

It was becoming so easy that I forgot my rule of thumb out here. "Always have a plan B". We had all our eggs in one basket so to speak, and look where it got us? Our Mentawai runway is in terrible shape. Started at 800m long, the usable section of the runway is now pushing 600m short, and that has in turn affected the size of the aircraft that are willing to land on the runway. This in turn affects the cost of having to charter multiple flights to get guests out to the islands. This means less guests, less taxes and revenue for the government. Here is the first public request to the Mentawai government. PLEASE FIX YOUR AIRPORT.

Until next time.

Mentawai Mooring Movement strikes again

Mentawai Mooring Movement has installed another 3 moorings, making it easier than ever for the resorts of the WavePark area to save reef. 2 more were installed at Tikis to replace the ones lost during the off season. 1 more was installed closer to the beach at Bank Vaults with photographers in mind, as the current installed mooring was too far out to get good photos on smaller days.
Check out http://www.mentawaimooringmovement.org/ to see where they're headed next!
Don't be an anchor, join the movement!
Cheers.
WPMSG

Jet Skis have their place

I never thought it would happen to me. You know, that old rambling man in some surfing magazine talking about the smell, noise and disruption that a jet ski produces in the line up. Blah blah blah, ban them all, blah blah blah, they don't belong here, blah blah blah.

Well, I'm pretty disappointed in a couple of my neighbors of late, towing through me and my guests while we paddle surf. I won't name names and I won't point fingers, because at the end of the day anybody who knows me and knows my neighbors will know who I'm talking about. What it boils down to at the end of the day is a lack of "civilized" norms for us to fall back on. There is no law out here to keep people in check. People come and go and engage in any kind of activity that they want to without concern that they might get pulled up, or ticketed, or jailed. I repeat, THERE IS NO LAW IN THE MENTAWAIS.

AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTERS 13-250 AND 13-256 HAWAII ADMINISTRATIVE RULES REGARDING PWCs
(g) When operating a thrill craft for tow-in surfing, all operators shall:…

4) Yield right of way to all other boating or ocean recreation activities by leaving the same surfing break area and remaining a minimum of one thousand feet (300 meters) from the other activities.
If you missed it that is a PERIOD on the end of the sentence.

Even more alarming, even if there was a law, justice is only relative to how much money you have and can throw at your enforcer. As a repeat crook developer in these islands once told me, "this is Indonesia, we can do what we want". This was while he produced evidence that somebody was hacking into my post-office based email account and printing out copies for him of my private correspondence with friends!

So with a blank chalkboard to write on, we have an opporunity to make the law what we want it to be. I'm no lawyer or legislator, but these are the kinds of things I have to think about as a pioneering developer of a resort in the middle of nowhere. Is it OK to have somebody towing on top of my guests while they are paddle surfing 5ft. waves? Nowhere else in the world this is acceptable behaviour, so why are the Mentawais any different? As far as I'm concerned, rules elsewhere were written for a reason, chief amongst them SAFETY. I would be interested in reading anybody else's opinion on this matter, so please post away to give me feedback. Thanks, C~

Well, here we go...

We'll see if anybody is interested in anything that I have to say. I've been here 12 years now, have seen 'em come and go. We've had good days and bad days, had profitable years and had to knuckle down for recessions and disasters. I've personally helped many get the best waves of their lives, and they in turn have enabled me to create a business from doing what I love.

There are huge changes happening around here. Some good, some bad. There are a lot of people that have moved here as a change of lifestyle and contributing positively to the community, and there are other people who are leeches and pirates, out only for themselves themselves and their pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I'm going to try and document a little of what is happening over here, see, if nothing else, I can provide a neutral account of the development, destruction and perhaps even the conservation of this island chain that many, many people the world over LOVE.