Unique Surf Charters To The Mentawai Islands And North Sumatra
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At Freedom Surf Adventures we really do appreciate our customers and we do our best to make everyone happy. Our high customer return rate tells us we must be doing something right! It also gives us the unique chance to get to know our guests and what they want out of their surf charter.
Here is what some of our valued guests have to say:Just a few words to applaud your company and, more specifically, your employees. I am recently returned from your 12 day charter on the Freedom II, a trip organized and spearheaded by Jim Stanfill.
The surf charter you provide was/is the best surf trip ever conceived. The flexibility of the
Freedom II allows maximum surfing in epic, world class surf. If the tide or wind shut down one
break, Captain Darren Stockwell was immediately planning and precisely aware of the next spot
where the wind direction and tide worked.
It's immediately apparent that Captain Darren's
familiarity of Western Sumatra, with his years of experience, is second to none--probably driven
by his own fervent desire for epic surf. Not only is Captain Darren (AKA D-Balls) an ace at the
helm, his manner is perfect for this type of trip. He properly assessed each surfer's abilities
and had all the right recommendations.
Furthermore, Christian Barton is a gem. Not only does he rip and motiviate out in the surf, he was always cheerful and ready to feed. My intention was to lean up during this trip, shed a few pounds with hours of surfing. Sadly, this did not come to pass. Christian was stellar in the galley. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner fare was always gourmet. This was not easy, either. A couple of meals were prepared during relatively rough seas--and these were some of his best meals!! Oftentimes catering to the specific eating limitations or desires of some of specific guests, he always cheerfully turned out a fantastic meal. Never, never did I expect this level of dining on a surf charter!!
Three Cheers to Captain Darren and Chef Christian!! I look forward to a speedy return!
Armando B
Just got back from the trip of a life time.
I was told by a few people that the freedom 2 is the boat to be on, and darren didn't let us down.
From the first day to the last day we were in the right spot at the right time. We were there before anyone else, it was brilliant. Darren's knowledge of the area and fun nature made trips between breaks fun and enjoyable.
The Indo boys kept the boat immaculate and were always ready to lend a hand or have a chat. They are super cool.
The boat is sick, heaps comfortable, very fast and, well, just awesome.
The food that Chris prepared was magnificent, i wouldn't have thought we would be sitting down to a sunday lamb roast with all the trimings. Absolutely brilliant.
Thanks for a most memorable trip. I will be back.
pete
Wow... !
We just got back home from our trip aboard Freedom 1.. Wow ! what a great trip.. we had so much fun.. We could not have asked for a better crew.. I /we just wanted to thank everyone for the great trip.. !
Lee.. Thanks for getting us to the best spots and beating the other boats every time !
Christian.. Thanks for all the wonderful meals and making all of Danielle's special requests.. The food was amazing !
Ruusty.. Thanks for being such a great deck hand and taking care of our every day needs and taking care of the boat.. we had so much fun fishing with you !
Hendrich.. thanks for all your help 24/7.
Anton.. Thanks for all your help 24/7..
It was such a pleasure to wake up everyday to all the smiling faces and enthusiasm from everyone..
We already miss you guys a lot and wish we were still there.. We had so many good times with you all surfing, telling stories, hanging out, etc....We hope to see you all again...
Thanks so much !
Tim, Karen, Merrick and Danielle.
Gday guys
Guy's
Hi, Went on Freedom 1 from 12th to 24th of July and had a great time.
Hillsey was a great captain, always getting us first to the breaks and even
got us to some secret spots away from the crowds.
Mentawai Surf trip-Freedom 2
Dear Waterways & Freedom,
Dear Sir,
Just a quick note to say thanks for an epic trip. We didn't have any
solid swell whilst out there, but Hillsy got us 3-4ft waves everyday
with a few 5 footers here and there. Highlight was a few round ones at
4ft Bankvaults.
My buddies and I had the good fortune to charter Freedom 1 June 24 to July
5th. I want to personally thank the entire Freedom company and also
Waterways Travel for an incredible trip! everything went smooth as silk and
the surf was epic with NO CROWDS!!!!
To Whom it may concern at Freedom Surf Adventures
OUR recent charter in the Mentawis on Freedom was unbelievable.
Skipper Daren got us to the breaks before anyone else even thought of
waking up and as the swell hit. Chef Chris kept us nourished enought to
take full advantage of uncrowded, perfect Mentawis barrels from dawn to
dusk and later. We honestly could not have dreamed or wished for a better
10 day surf "surfari". Our sincerest thanks and respect to the crew on
Freedom including "Naal, and Bidel" dekkies who delivered us to the break
every time with a smile and made sure we got back safely. HEY MATE, just writing to say that the trip was unreal. Evrything went smooth
and good. Hilsey was really good too, always keen and getting us the best waves with no crowds. You got a sick captain.
MY name is Glenn,just writing to give Jonos boat FREEDOM
a bit of a rap. I did a couple of trips with him earlier this year and
had a blast.The boys on FREEDOM really worked hard at getting us to the
best possible waves on offer,with a little help from a surf forecast every
couple of days via email and sailing at night we were allways on the spot,and
there was plenty of good quality food and cold drinks to keep us going
hard.Ive been going to the Mentawais every year since 1995 and I reckon
FREEDOM was one of the better operators Ive travelled with.Ill be going
back for more FREEDOM next year. THE FOUR of us departed from Los Angeles for what we anticipated
to be a trip of a lifetime. It's a bit of a haul getting there, but an
awesome adventure soon awaits you. I JUST wanted to let you guys know how good our trip was - april
13th 06 on freedom 1, from the moment we stepped on board we were treated
like kings, captain Darren was totally committed to getting us to the
best waves and least crowd and sailed thru the night on numerous occasions
to achieve this, Chris the cook fed us better than our mums could and
even catered for me as a vegetarian (no problem!) The 2 deck hands sap
& nal' were equally commited to making our holiday the most enjoyable
occasion. It was definetly worth paying the extra dollars to get great
waves to ourselves and such a high standard of service, i hopefully will
be back next year. Please pass our regards to the crew. DUE to work commitments, it has taken a while for me to get
to this, but I thought I had better write and let you know how things
went. The boat trip went extremely well. We got awesome waves and really
enjoyed our time on the boat. Jonno, Kai and Chris were excellent hosts
and I really enjoyed their company. Jonno was definately on top of the
surf conditions and ensured that we had the best of the waves. Kai was
also able to get some great photos of us all. I highly recommend the boat
and will be heading back sometime in the future for sure. All up I had
a great trip, the boat trip was incredible and I had a great time. Freedom
at last ! FREEDOM 1 and her crew are all about individual customer
service. Due to the small groups the captain and crew are able to take
specific requests and desires from individuals on board. Surfing breaks
with no other boats in the area is when the small group numbers really
pay off. In addition, Freedom 1 has a digital photo setup on board. For
an additional fee you can return home with a disk covering your experience
aboard Freedom 1 from start to finish, and hopefully some of the best
surf shots of yourself you have ever seen. I cannot give enough positive
feedback from my experience aboard Freedom 1
I just wanted to say we all had a sick time aboard the freedom 2 and i feel your staff and especially
the skipper need praise. Your crew were all fantastic and contributed to an awesome time.
Skipper Lee was great, he knew all the spots and got us amongst the best waves
and also some remote spots with no crowds. He made the trip so worth it, always keen and passionate
and a great bloke to boot.
Cheers for that and hope to go again in the next few years.
Adam M
I understand you are the owners of freedom surf charters.
I was onboard Freedom 2 for a surf charter from 26th July to 7th august 2008, and would like to thank your staff onboard for a great trip.
Our Skipper was Lee Clarke, who I can happily say, was a credit to your company. He had a good attitude towards all onboard, took us to some great destinations, was good for a laugh, and above all had the safety of the boat, crew and guests onboard at the top of his priorities. I would trust him at sea anytime.
All the luck for the future, I am saving up for my next trip (just got to convince the missus)
Regards,
Ben H
The crew of Bong and Rusty were awesome and our first trip chef Tim was a
gourmet legend.
Hopefully it won't be my last trip,
Falk
Had an awesome time up there with great conditions most of the time. Great boat , with great skipper and crew. I am sure we will be back for another trip either next year or the year after. Yehah.
I attach just one of many photos the skipper took of me/us at Lances Left. Just our boat there and pumping glassy 4-6' waves. Wow the perfect session really!
Cheers
Kevin R
Appreciate all your help in coordinating such an outstanding trip.
Travels went smoothly both too and from Indonesia. Really appreciate
Hillsy's extra attention to my needs. As you might recall I had my
tickets out of Padang delivered to me at the hotel from the local
office. Although Hillsy had to return to the boat to allow the Indo
crew spend some time with their families during Muslim Christmas, he
continued to make calls to ensure that everything was delivered in a
timely manner without worry. Mahalo Hillsy!
It was quite amazing to roll up to world class famous waves with no one
out except us. And to do this consistently for nearly a week was not
only welcomed but shocking. We almost always seemed at the right place
at the right time. A combination of luck and likely Hillsy's skill in
keeping us in breaks away from other charters.
The deck hands DeDe and Bong did an excellent job at transporting us
between breaks, taking care of daily tasks at hand and anything else we
needed. Great work on side translators with the locals and Mentawai
villagers as well as language instructors.
Nick blew my mind with some of the dishes he was able to pull off in
such a small facility. Well fed is an understatement and there was
little to no leftovers.
Sean - last but not least, big mahalo for supplying us everything we
needed for an outstanding time with no hassels. I look forward to
working with you again in the near future on our next surf trip.
Aloha no a mahalo!
Blaine
I was a passenger on Freedom 11's voyage 2-14 September.
The crew - Darren, Chris , Al and Tomi were exceptional. All contributed in their respective capacities to a trip that far exceeded my expectations.
Darren continuously ensured we had the best available conditions by sacrificing his own comfort by travelling overnight and rising early to get us on the break before others. His good humour, advice and knowledge of his vessel and the islands was outstanding - especially toward the end of a long season his dedication was a highlight.
Chris's cooking was beyond all that we could have expected. His passion for food and creativity meant we had exceptional meals on every ocassion. His presentation and quality was like a fine Japanese restuarant.
Al was oustanding - his work ethic and good humour was a joy to see. He and Tomi were a very important part of our surfing and cultural experience. Their attention to our needs and gear was totally unexpected.
You have a very fine crew that were the central ingredient for a superb trip. They are to be highly commended, especially as they only have such a short period to prepare for each charter and at the end of a long season.
Kind regards,
David Carter
The crew were awesome. Looking back it was like Hillsy, Chris, Bang and
Dede were friends that did everything for us! Really important in a
confined space!
Hillsy's a great captain. We surfed by ourselves at least once
everyday, with Hillsy making some great calls on where to check. Quite
a few of the other captains seemed to be checking with Hillsy as to
where he was going to go. The other boats would often end up where we
were, but not untill we'd had an hour or 2 by ourselves. Hillsy did a
great job on amping us up, providing feedback on our surfing and
generally making sure everything was epic for the boys. Thanks mate.
Chris Love-Muscle, the man can rustle up a 5 star meal at the drop of an
anchor! We didn't have much expectation around the food, we were just
stoked that we wouldn't be doing the cooking ourselves. And then Chris
starts pulling out the restaurant styles! Every day we'd be wondering
if the next feed could be as good as the last - and it was always
better. Probably the first time I've ever put weight on in Indo.
Legendary.
Bang. A real asset to have on the trip. Bang fitted in perfectly with
the boys, he's our sort of character. Nothing was too much trouble and
he'd always have what we wanted before we knew we wanted it. Bang
worked tirelessly and seemingly around the clock to ensure that
sleeping, eating, surfing and a few bintangs were all we had to think
about.
Dede, once again worked around the clock to ensure everything was
perfect.
In short, whenever other boats were around I was stoked to be on Freedom
1 and not the others (although Freedom 3 looks sick..) and have been
reccommending to those asking. It may be a while before we're back in
the Mentawai but when we do it'll be with you guys.
Many thanks,
Brett, Croc, Sav, Kent and Dunks.
Our great trip on Freedom 1
We just got back from the trip of a lifetime on Freedom 1 in the Mentawai Islands. We were a party of 3 guys aged between 37 and 53 and were really looked after by Captain Hillsy and his crew of 3.
Hillsy found the best surf for us that suited our ability and went out of his way to make us feel comfortable and safe throughout our adventure. The food was great and the 2 indo deckies couldn't do enough for us.
Hillsy went beyond what was expected of him and really inspired us to surf better.
There was not 1 minute of the trip that I did not enjoy all thanks to Hillsy, he's a legend.
Thanks and regards,
Nick T. - Ocean Grove, Australia
But the reason it went so well is the
Freedom 1 crew of Hilsy, Luke, Dede and Nowl. Hilsy consistently beat the
bigger and faster boats to the punch and put us on the best waves around.
The best waves we got, we surfed BY OURSELVES! The two best waves we surfed
were absolutely unreal but shall go un-named because apparently the general
surf population doesn't know about em.
It was my first Mentawai trip but I
just can't see that there's a better skipper out there than Hilsy. He's
top notch in every way and just a fun person to be couped up with for 10
days. Thank you Hilsy!!
Luke.....no doubt in my mind is THE BEST chef....not
cook...chef, on a boat in the Indian Ocean. I'm from San Francisco, home of
the 5 star restaurant. I'm also a fireman. There are many, many great cooks
in the San Francisco Fire Dept. It is a HUGE part of our day. Luke tops them
all hands down. He could be the chef at any 5 star restaurant in S.F.
Every meal was absolutely delicious and memorable. Thank you Luke!
Dede and Nowl took care of everything else, all the stuff that none of us look forward to
doing was taken care of with a smile. Maintainence, cleaning, pick up and
delivery, can't thank them enough. Epic surf.....no crowds.....great
food.....no hassles....oh yeah, and a one hundred fricken pound
fish!!@#$#@%! And in the end {was her name Shirley?) the Freedom rep was
there at the restaurant/bar to make sure things went ok for us.
Thank you Freedom Surfing, and especially thank you Hilsy, Luke, Dede and Nowl
From Haydog, Noelsy, Scotty and Jonny. YOU'RE THE BEST!!!!!
I just got back from the second half of our Indo surf trip (we scored good
waves at G-Land after finishing the Mentawai islands portion of our trip),
and I want to express my apreciation for the excellent service from the
captain and crew of Freedom I during the June 10-22, 2007 Mentwai trip.
All three of the passengers (Geremy M., John G. and myself) were
very pleased with both the captain and the crew. Captain Ben
"Hillsie" Hillier's wave, wind, weather and surf spot knowledge
(together with his willingness to drive significant hours during the night
to put us in a better place to take advantage of changing conditions) allowed
us to get a lot of excellent uncrowded surf, at the same time that other
boats were bunching up at other spots with lower quality surf by comparison.
I also want to express my high opinion of Hillsie's professionalism as a
boat captain. He has an easy-going, fun-loving style that helps everyone
else have a good time, but he never lets that get in the way of his
professional duties as a boat captian. As a boat owner myself, I could see
that his seamanship is excellent, and his attention to ship and passenger
saftey was always there. Your ship and its passengers are in good hands
with Hillsie.
Thank you again for a great surf trip.
Ken M.
From Philip Kantor & 4 very stoked and reborn surfers, Cape Town South
Africa
Cheers Mate,
S Zabow, Australia
From: glenm69@*******
The Freedom delivers, Big time! As soon as we boarded the Freedom 1 we
were catered to every need. The Chef Chris will keep plenty of tasty meals
on the table, and feed your stoke in the line up as well. You will not
go hungry. We were surfing 2 to 3 times a day for an average of 4 to 6
hours and I gained a few pounds!
The Deck Hands Sup, & Al are all always there to assist you. They have
your boards ready, a towel to dry off, or a cold Bingtang on stand by!
These boy rock! None of our group had to wait to be picked up in the water
as they always had their eye on the water and tender you back to the boat
with a smile and a high five!
The Boat is very well equipped. When there website states there boats
are kept to the highest standards "there's" they are not kidding. The
deck hands are always moving cleaning and up keeping the boat. It is very
comfortable, stable, and well maintained.
Now for the true nuts and bolts of this trip… The Surf!
The Captain Darren Stockwell Is all over it! His experience in the Mentawai
Island chain is amazing! We expected small surf for the first few days,
but Darren got us in to some very fun head high plus surf! Lots of Left's
to be had. When you get to a right you'll be very pleased as well.
So how is the surf when there's swell!!! AWESOME! Freedom1 & Darren have
delivered big time! I have surfed the waves I could only dream of two
weeks ago! It's a lot better in person! These Reef breaks are unreal!
300 plus yard rides top to bottom turns, Barrel sections. This place has
it all. Darren will get you to surf to match your group's abilities. If
other boats would show up Darren would offer to pull anchor and get to
another spot, or move us at night so we be to a new break by first light!
Quite often we were in the line up by ourselves! But keep in mind there
are other boats and you will be sharing the breaks as well. The big named
spots have their share of people on them.
Darren also offers a photo service for an extra charge. I packed a video
camera & digital camera I wish I left them at home! His photo service
captures every break and all the other scenic shots you will want to capture
all the surf and fun. The best part is you're in the line up, and not
behind a camera waiting for you buddy to man up!
Packing, I brought too much stuff! Leave the T shirts & tanks at home.
You'll be in you boardies 24 - 7, Pack the sun block, medicine, Etc. As
for your board selection bring a range of sizes. As the time goes on fatigue,
or better yet swell will call for more float. Once you figure out the
set up's your smaller board will be a lot more fun. Most importantly get
your ass in shape! You'll want to be in the water to catch all the action.
This place is unreal. The weather is very warm and humid and it will take
its toll. It's a long trip and you do not want to sit any of it out! Every
break and every day is a new adventure you will not want to miss out.
The bottom line is the Freedom 1 Delivered and this was a trip of a lifetime!
I have the memories and photos to fuel my fire until next year! I can
not wait!
Kevin R, California
Thanks again,
Darren Ruck
Regards
Matthew Pollard
Sean Murphy, President: WaterWays Surf Travel, Malibu, California
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