Playgrounds (North) · Indonesia
Surfing Pitstops
A right reef in Playgrounds (North), Indonesia, for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Pitstops is a right across the channel from E-Bay. Charters used to stop here between the better-known waves, and plenty of crews end up staying.
It has clean walls in sections and gets hollow at lower tides: a drop at the peak, a middle section for turns and an inside that barrels. At 3-6ft on SE-S winds it's reliable, with consistent takeoffs and enough water over the reef.
With E-Bay two minutes away, you have a left and a right from the same anchorage. Mornings are glassy, and it handles afternoon wind better than the passes. Everyday shortboard.
When to surf
Pitstops
Pitstops is at its best from April to October. Conditions it likes: SW swell, SE-S 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 Pitstops
E-Bay
under 1 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Left Reef · Advanced
Nipussi
2 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Right Reef · Intermediate / Advanced
Beng Bengs
2 kmPlaygrounds (North) · Left 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.