FAQs

How Do I Book?

Click the book now or packages button, select your dates from the trip schedule and click the book a room button at the bottom of the page.

What happens if there are more pandemic restrictions?

If we experience more travel restrictions due to a pandemic we are allowing our guests to transfer the date of their trip at no extra cost, we are giving the timeframe of two years to redeem their trip from the date the restriction goes into place.

What is the scheduled transport to the waves?

We have 4 cars on stand by from 5am - 4:30pm (after 4:30pm it wouldn’t allow enough time for a session as it gets dark around 6pm but if were already on the road we may leave the break at dark if it’s going off. Three cars ensures we are able to split the pack to suit our guests ability or preference of the kind of waves they are after.

Most days the scheduled transport is for the waves that are offshore in the morning winds and are blown out by the trades, however we are on whatever conditions that present themselves. We are centrally positioned in a spot where the waves are offshore in the trades which start up between 9-11:00am. This all fits in perfectly with lunch and a relaxing afternoon at the camp or down to a long left half an hour away or a sheltered spot 3 mins from camp.

When are the biggest swells?

The biggest swells generally hit around May-Sept, however we are a very exposed coastline to the sw Indian Ocean swells with a huge drop off close to shore so we have solid swells in the 8-10+ range showing up anytime between March and November.

How big are the biggest swells, whats it like in-between?

The biggest swells we usually get are around 10-12ft. Around the months of May to September, we get even bigger swells maybe four or five a season but those one’s are hard to predict and can come at any time of year. Generally we get one swell a week that is between 6-8ft, in between it’s usually around 2-5ft. Our biggest swell was 25ft Hawaiian during May 2007 and the next one we had of similar size was in July 2018, these kind of swells are a rare event every 10-15 years or so. There are sheltered spots close by if your looking for something cruisy and mellow.

What are the conditions like Feb-May?

Some of the cleanest swells of the year exist during these months. Swells at this time of year are more perfect and groomed as the big winds down south of WA haven’t eventuated yet, messy swells are less frequent than the mid-season of July-August. The winds are light, which can be better for some of the premier waves. Its not rare to have all day offshores in this region in Feb-May. During this time you can get a rare system that can spin us some howling onshore and heavy rain all day, these can last a few days but this kind of thing happens only a few times during this three month period and is only a few days per trip if it does happen. This we believe is worth the gamble as during these months is some of our best conditions we have here, sheet glass and groomed perfect swells with not a drop out of place.

On a normal day if it rains, the rain hits around mid day to mid afternoon and straight after the rain squall you can sheet glass oily conditions.

This part of year usually brings the best beachbreak sessions as the banks are better due to the rivers flowing and shifting the sand where it needs to be and the huge swells haven’t guttered the beachies out yet. These beachbreaks have been compared to and rated better than some of the best beachbreaks in the world.. eg. Puerto, Straddie, Booj & Hossegor.

Don’t be fooled that July-August is the only time of year, early and late season have brought us some of our best sessions in Secret Sumatra. Be aware also that sometimes we can see plenty of rain at anytime of year due to us being situated next to a large mountain range.

What’s late season Sept-Nov like?

Much like Hawaii, the swells (which are usually more groomed) keep pumping with the trade winds backing off a bit, sometimes being glassy all day which can open up a whole new window of options.

The swells in Indonesia usually don’t back off until the end of November, so we are still here getting shacked here late season.

What’s a general breakdown on what the different parts of the season are like?

This is a general response as we all know nobody can predict swells more than a few weeks out and still predictions aren’t accurate until a few days out and you still really don’t know until your standing on the beach when the swell is arriving.

One of the most positive things about the area is we are very open to swell, there’s nothing stopping it getting in here, there’s no refraction, the middle of the South-West swells which are the most common swells in Indonesia hit us straight on, so a lot of the time we see signs of swell 6-10 hrs prior to Bali & The Mentawais which makes the area super consistent for swell.

Here’s a general description of the different seasons we have here:

Start of Feb – End of March
Is really good for the beachies as the banks are nice and compacted, the reefs also get good & generally the swell size each day is 3-5 ft with the odd bigger swell of 6-8 ft and an occasional bomb swell of 10ft +. We surf the beachies, a long 300m left, a perfect right that’s offshore most days, the waves outfront and the other hollower and protected spots when we get the bigger swells.

Start of April – Mid May
The swells are more frequent (swells at this time of year can be anywhere between 5-10ft). The winds are still light, with the trades coming up around 10-11am which allows us to surf the morning spots for a lot longer opening up better windows for tides etc. The in-between days are 3-5ft

Mid May – End of June

Similar to the start of April – Mid May, we get frequent swells but they are getting bigger the in-between days can be less so less days at the beachbreaks and the long left but more days at the more premier waves and the sheltered spots, the big swells are around 5-10ft with the odd 12-15+ day, and the in-between days are 3-5ft

Start of July – till the end of September
The swells are in full force (5-10ft) with the odd 12-15+ plus day, the trades have kicked in more by now so it can sometimes limit the morning spots as they can start around 8 am and on some more rare they are up at sun up and occasionally they blow all night. The trades are offshore for the waves out front which is also a good scenario as it’s super easy, we have guys that come back for this time of year as they just like to wake up and surf out front. The days between swells are 3-5ft.

Oct – Nov
Very similar to Start of April – Mid May .

Are you open during Dec-Jan?

Through our experience Dec-Jan can be a trying time of year due to the swells being much less frequent with the summer patterns in full effect down in the southern hemisphere and the weather can also be trying at this time of year due to monsoon type rain and winds that can persist for up to three days without a break and the nor-west winds which are onshore at 95% of the spots here makes it a time that we prefer to shut up shop and go enjoy the Australian summer.

What else is there to do other than surf?

As it is super consistent here we don’t often get trips where we are looking for things to do, we have a beautiful island around a few k’s out to sea which for a small local fee we can charter a local fishing boat to, out on the island is some of the whitest sand and most incredible water colour you’ll ever see, it’s great for fishing and diving, it’s a great experience to connect with the locals, try a local cooked lunch and see how people live on a small island off the coast of Sumatra.

There’s a couple of experiences we can arrange for couples one of them is a day trip picnics to a deserted beach, a waterfall trek and a ricefield tour.

There’s also a coffee plantation up in the hills that is famous for ‘Kopi Luwak’ where the bean is ingested by civets and them excreted, during this process the stomach acid of the civet takes out any bitterness in the bean, then it’s washed roasted, grinded and brewed. Kopi Luwak is known as some of the smoothest and finest tasting coffee in the world going for US$50 per cup at some cafes in NYC.

We are out in a beautiful place on the side of a big mountain range with thick jungle growing on it. We are in a place where everyone can take a break from their busy lifestyles and take some time out for themselves, we have set up our beach bar and infinity pool with the atmosphere of lounge bars like Kudeta but in a less pretentious style suited to surfers. All on a white sand beach with huge 2x2 meter comfy beanbag daybeds, groovy tunes playing in the background so you’ll be chilling here mostly in between surfs or playing pool in the seperate entertainment area, restaurant & bar. If the mrs doesn’t surf she’ll be soaking up the sun while looking up at the palm trees or reading a book, while you're get barrelled.

How many guests stay at one time?

Our mimimum to book the place out is 12 surfing guests, which we can push to 14 for larger groups and our mates drop in from time to time.

Which airport do I fly into & how do I get there?

We always recommend flying direct to Jakarta unless you plan on doing Bali before or after your trip. You can either overnight in Jakarta stay for most and we reccomend FM7 airport hotel, which charges roughly AU$80 per night and has a free airport shuttle that needs to be planned at least 24 hours in advance with the hotel, prior to check in, or you can also overnight in Lampung for around AU$80 per night if you’re able to arrive in Lampung on your day of departure

To join the our drivers for the scheduled airport transfer, the reccomended Garuda flight (GA-72) to Lampung in Sumatra leaves from Jakarta at 09:05 in the morning and arrives at 10:00am. There is a connecting flight from Bali that leaves at 7am (GA401) that you can book connecting through so in this case you wont need to overnight in Jakarta.

We travel during the day to Secret Sumatra leaving Lampung airport around 10:45 and arrive around 1500-1700 to get a late surf in. Then your back at the airport at 7am on the final day of the trip.

If you don't book the recommended flights and you're schedule means you will miss the scheduled transport, we can help you charter another car to get out here which will cost you roughly AU$100 per car each way.

Can you organise my domestic flights & hotels. How much will this cost?

Yes, we include Return flights from Jakarta - Sumatra in our package.

Bali flights will need to be organised to connect with our flights

The stay at FM7 is rougly AU$80 per night

Can I get my own room, how much would that cost?

Everyone gets their own room at Secret Sumatra, all rooms are with ensuites, desk & wardrobe with built in board racks.

How do we get to the waves?

We have 3 - 4 comfy cars which we use for the scheduled transport to the waves, every night we discuss what we will do the following day to determine what the group wants to do and which car will go where. Cars are at your disposal from 5am until 4:30pm unless we are already out surfing, in this case if the waves are on, we may get back after dark. Otherwise if we're not leaving camp by 4:30 there's no real point as it wouldn't allow for enough of a window for a decent session and we send the drivers home so they are well rested to come in bright and early again the next day. In saying that your afternoon surf is never limited, we're on the conditions daily so if it's going to be on, you'll be in a car on your way to score a late arvo session by 4:30 which will allow an hour session before dark.

What non surfing activities are there, I am thinking of coming with my girlfriend and would like a few extra things to do, either while the boys are surfing or with her?

When the waves are small we usually do a trip to a small island on a fishing boat we can walk around the island by foot which takes about an hour, the trip out can be nice as we regularly see dolphins, just seeing the mountains from the boat is breathtaking, this is usually a great day for everyone as a non surfing day as the waves out there aren't very good.

We also can send ‘just the couple’ out for a few different trips also, there's a waterfall close by, theres a valley 45 mins up the road you can view from as high mountain that is quite magnificent and about an hrs drive there is a Bali village with a few temples to check out. Usually we organise this stuff on the small days when we have more flexibility with the cars.

As for stuff to do while the boys are out, i’d bring some books for timeout in the hammock. We have a nice 100M2 eating area and bar with pool table and outdoor cinema which is there to hang out in and last but not least our lounge bar with 12 meter above ground infinity pool to chill, soak up the rays and stay cool while watching the waves out-front.

Also you could do the above things we have mentioned solo, we also had a couple where the girl was quite independent and she was going down to the market with the girls from the kitchen some days and going for walks on the beach, there are also some rice fields to check out. Some days you will be able to go with the boys when there’s space in the car. There’s a nice swimming beach around 15min walk or 5 by car.

The area here is safe, the locals are welcoming, smiling and are generally interested in foreigners, the will smile say hallo mister and sometimes ask you for a photo with them.

So generally we are out in a beautiful place with not much else to do other than surf relax and the other things we have mentioned here are the activities we have, there's no malls or other sights here but that’s what we can usually do for the non surfing partner to spice things up a bit.

Is it possible to get meals without meat in them?

There are vegetarian meals available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we also cater to other dietry requirements like dairy & gluten intolerant diets, pescatarians etc.

Is there a time of year that’s the safest bet for good waves?

Our area has consistent swell all year round, but the most consistent swell window is April-October.

Can you drive there, would it be worth having a car with us?

You could drive to us, but it’d be a more expensive and time consuming way to do the trip. We have 3-4 cars on standby and transport is included in the package so you will be mobile during your trip with us.

Are there softer waves for my 14 year old son?

There are definatly less hollow waves around, there’s a point that is a long lefthand style point with more wall and there are also beachbreaks in walking distance. He could work his way up to the more hollow waves through these spots for sure.

Is it worth bringing a short board or are semi guns the only boards that I will need?

Bring a short board, a semi gun and if your into real solid waves bring a gun also / otherwise bring 2 semi’s (4 boards is the maximum).

Where is the closest/best place to change money? Bali or Jakarta?

Bali is definitely the best. Don’t ever change money at Jakarta airport. Best exchange rates are usually at the banks. Upstairs at BCA bank Jl. Raya Kuta is great. Most people choose to withdraw money from the ATM in town to settle their bar bills.

Are there boat charters through the area?

No there aren’t.

Is there someone at the camp to advise us on the best options according to the weather conditions?

Yes, we’ve got guides at hand, we also have over 20 years of knowledge in the area, we’ve discovered a fair few of the waves here & we can honestly say we know the conditions better than anyone else in the area, we get you in the spot.

Whats the situation with personal security (Muslim/Christian thing) and valuables?

The people here are mellow, it’s a place in the middle of nowhere and the people practice their own religion peacefully, I wouldn’t go around handing out bibles as it’s important to respect anyones beliefs in any other culture, but there definitely isn’t any bad sentiment towards foreigners.

Our area is one of the most comfortable we’ve felt around Indo as far as the local vibe, it’s basically the middle of nowhere. The people are the friendliest we’ve encountered not only in Indonesia , but in the world. They have helped us so much with Secret Sumatra and we are so grateful to be where we are. It’s a great alternative to Bali. Very relaxing.

Petty theft can happen anywhere in Asia so we recommend when outside the resort that you keep your valuables in your bag in our cars.

Modest dress is appreciated in the market & the villages, which would mean a t-shirt or singlet with shorts for guys and a dress that goes to the knees for girls with shoulders covered or a t-shirt with shorts.

This is only for the villages or market, you may wear your swimsuits at the beach or in the resort, for guys shirts off in both these situations is also fine.

Is it consistent?

We pick up A LOT of swell in our area being at the centre of where south-west swell energy hits Indonesia. The ocean fetch here is also the deepest in Indo so the waves rarely get under 3 ft and when its maxing there are sheltered spots to surf.

Do you have fishing and diving equipment or do we bring our own?

It’s best to bring your own, although fishing equipment is available in town and there's usually a cpl of snorkels at the bar.