 |
| Sunset over the lagoon |
Macaronis is a private surf break in the Mentawai islands of Indonesia that was voted by pros as "the most fun wave in the world". It's important to note that it was pro surfers that voted. Beginners and intermediates might not find this to be so fun for them. It is a hollow, barreling left-hander breaking over sharp, shallow reef. The fact that the Macaronis Surf Resort has an onsite nurse to stitch up surfers - pros and mere mortals alike - should be a red flag to you if your skill level, confidence, and pain tolerance are not up to snuff.
Features
Sharp Reef
I stupidly tried to hold onto the reef to avoid getting blown away by the whitewater and sliced up my hand. Do not touch the reef. Learn to starfish. Wear a helmet. And bring a wetsuit or a thick neoprene shirt and booties to protect your skin. Fuck it. If you're at this point, you might as well just avoid macaronis until you can handle fast takeoffs and steep, hollow, sectiony waves that make you feel like Spiderman on a vertical wall.
Even during the off-season of December/January, when the waves are smaller, I was scared shitless for a month until I got a new wetsuit shipped all the way to me (somebody stole my old wetsuit at the airport) so I could protect my skin from the cheese grater. How did I end up here in the first place? I was fooled by the ads promising uncrowded waves.
Small off-season barrels
Crowding
On paper, Macaronis sounds like it would be uncrowded bliss. Access is limited to Macaronis Surf Resort guests and up to 2 charter boats that can park at the mooring next to the break. The number of surfers is capped at 45 and local police enforce the limit. During the off-season of December/January, all the other Mentawais resorts shut down and charter boat companies go into maintenance mode. So I thought off-season would be a good time to visit.
But reality is, even in the rainy off-season, which is advertised as the "less crowded" time of the year, you'll still get about 20 surfers, which is uncomfortably tight. It's a wave of consequence. This is not a place for party waves. You really don't want to get in anybody's way nor do you want anyone in your way.
Relatively speaking though, 20 is considered light crowding here. During the high season of June-August, you'll see around 60 surfers, all aggressive, all highly skilled, all jockeying for the same wave. When the cops ain't looking, sometimes extra boats sneak in, putting us over the 45-surfer limit.
Quality Waves
For the advanced surfers, I can see how Macaronis, or Maccas for short, can be fun. It's a beautifully shaped wave with a teardrop barrel with a highly rippable wall that curves around a reef to an end section that invites flashy finishing maneuvers - an aerial perhaps, or a 360. The wave is pretty consistent, almost like a wave machine.
Easy Paddle
The paddle out is very easy. Currents are light or nonexistent. The boats drop you off at the peak. Then, when you fall off or exit the wave, the whitewater pushes you away from the peak into a channel, like a circular conveyor belt from channel to peak to channel. Just watch out for the cheese grater effect as the water conveys you across razor sharp reef. Mid and high tides are best for safety's sake. Low tide is best for minimal crowding. Choose your poison.
Other Surf Spots
Mini Maccas
Aside from neoprene, my other saving grace was the Mini Maccas break, which is half the size of Macaronis. It's the beginner/intermediate break farther inside the bay and most of it runs in deeper water. Kick out before you hit the shallow reef at the end. Mini Maccas is not as consistent as its big brother though; Macaronis needs to be at least 6 feet high before Mini Maccas really gets working. On the other hand, it's less crowded as most surfers are better than you and are out surfing at Macaronis.
Fish Fingers
For complete beginners, there is Fish Fingers, which is a mellow sand bottom break you access by walking just behind the resort. It only worked for 2 days during the off-season though. The swell needed to be much bigger to get Fish Fingers going. When it is firing, you can expect waves no higher than your knees.
Thunders, Rags Right, Rags Left, Bung Hole, and The Other Bung Hole (Ombak Goyang)
To alleviate crowding, Macaronis Surf Resort will run boat trips to other breaks like Thunders, Rags Right, Bung Hole, and The Other Bung Hole (Ombak Goyang). These reef breaks are even shallower than Macaronis, so there's really no hope for beginners and low intermediates in this area of the Mentawais unless you're daring. On the few days that Macaronis is small and spineless, the resort usually heads to Thunders, the area swell magnet in front of Southern Mentawai Outpost, whose owner died this year while surfing Rags Left.
Food & Lodging
There's nothing around here but Macaronis Surf Resort and a rustic guesthouse owned by the local tribe. The resort is all-inclusive of transportation to/from the airport, food, accommodations, snorkeling, and excursions to deserted islands and cliff jumps. Massages are extra but they're pretty damn good for $20 an hour. Starlink wifi in the hotel rooms (but not the villas) meant I could work remotely without a hitch.
 |
| Rustic guesthouse across the channel from Macaronis Resort |
My favorite 3 features of the resort:
1) On-demand boat transfer from the resort to the Macaronis (it's a long paddle from the resort otherwise)
2) 24/7 livestream of the Macaronis break is broadcast into every room and the dining room so you can do a surf check from your bed, right when you wake up
3) A shaded pontoon adjacent to the break, where you can take a break from surfing, hydrate, drink beer, watch the sunset, etc.
 |
| Surf cam broadcast in every room |
Conclusion
Beginners and low intermediates beware! Think twice about surfing Macaronis, even in the off-season. However, if you do go anyway, every break you surf after this will feel like a piece of cake. Macaronis will redefine the meaning of "big waves" and "shallow reef". Since Macaronis, overhead waves no longer scare me and just 1 ft. of water feels deep enough for me to surf in.
So that's the upshot: Macaronis will make you a bolder surfer. What does not kill you, makes you stronger. Bring some neoprene and you may even find yourself charging barrels... and going over the falls and sliding on your back across the "cheese grater" reef. Thank goodness for that 2mm spring suit!
Reviewed by beachplease
on
March 14, 2024
Rating:
