Playgrounds (North) · Indonesia
Surfing Kandui Left
A left reef in Playgrounds (North), Indonesia, for pro surfers.
Kandui Left is a very fast left barrel on the Karangmajat reef in the north Mentawais. It runs for hundreds of metres, and you have to pump hard just to stay in the barrel.
Even the best surfers in the world rate it as one of the hardest barrels to make from start to finish. Most rides end partway through, and those are still very good waves.
It needs 4-8ft of SW swell, SE-E winds and enough tide to cover the coral. The takeoff zone is small and the resort and charter crowd is very good, so the rotation moves quickly. Bring booties and spare boards. It's the reason many boats come to this part of the islands.
When to surf
Kandui Left
Kandui Left is at its best from April to October. Conditions it likes: SW swell, SE-E wind.
April to May: Good
Fewer boats and good swell
June to August: Prime
Peak season: maximum swell, maximum boats, book long ahead
September to October: Prime
Still good swell, fewer boats
November to March: Quiet
Small season: playful sizes, big discounts, empty lineups
The year across Mentawai Islands
Waves near Kandui Left
Rifles
4 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Right Reef · Advanced / Pro
Hideaways
6 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Left Reef · Advanced / Pro
Nipussi
7 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Right Reef · Intermediate / Advanced
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Everything here is a full-board package including speedboat transfers from the Padang ferry, there are no walk-in rooms. Land camps beat charter boats on price and give you the same waves. For June-August book 6-12 months out; shoulder season (March-May, Sept-Nov) has waves and space. Known places: Kandui Resort and the more upmarket Kandui Villas are both on Karangmajat island, in the middle of the Playgrounds waves.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Playgrounds (North) guide.
Playgrounds (North) surf guideSurf it often and something here is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.