Stormrider Surf Stories Sumatra
This eBook is a chapter excerpt from the book Stormrider Surf Stories Indonesia, which is available in both paper and selected electronic formats.
Other chapters include:
Stormrider Surf Stories Java and Bali
Stormrider Surf Stories Nusa Tenggara

Most travellers arriving in Indonesia will probably have a story worth telling before the end of their first day, especially if they happen to choose Sumatra or one of its myriad satellite islands as their port of entry. Straddling the equator, Sumatra is a long mountainous land, famed for thick jungle and among surfers, thick barrels, too. While the mainland holds many magical secrets, Nias and the Mentawai Islands are best known and widely considered the surfing world’s Shang-ri-la. This collection of disparate stories shines some light on seminal moments of discovery and how surfing has evolved here in the last 40 years. This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive history of surfing in the region, but it does contain, among others, epic tales from the pioneers who unveiled the magic waves of Lagundri, Macaronis and Lance’s, as well as chronicling the birth of Surfaid, surviving a tidal wave, falling overboard mid-ocean and charter-boat hell. So, whether you’re on the road or on the couch, dive into this eBook and see Sumatra anew.

The Stormrider Surf Guides and Stormrider Surf Stories Kindle eBooks bring the world’s best-selling and most respected surf guide books to the Amazon electronic platform. The Stormrider Surf Guides come in just about every format possible including paper, iBooks, iOS App and now the Kindle edition eBooks. They are the only comprehensive colour guides to the coastlines of Europe, North America, Central American and the Caribbean, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean, South America, Africa, East Asia, The Pacific and Australia. The authoritative text includes oceanographic, environmental and cultural notes on the entire coastlines. Each guide contains numerous full colour maps and superb photos of the best waves, shot by the best photographers. All information is compiled with the help of local riders whose sensitive approach enables an accurate and knowledgeable appraisal. A Stormrider book, in any format, is an essential tool for surfers, searching for their perfect wave.

Alex Dick-Read is a freelance writer based in the Caribbean. He was Founding Editor of The Surfers Path magazine and before that worked as a news reporter for Reuters and Associated Press. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers including the Guardian, Independent, High Life, ID, Index on Censorship, and he has worked as a contributor and editor on books for Dorling Kindersley, Schiffer Publishing and Low Pressure publishing. He surfs most days, travels when he can and is always trying to figure out a way to get back to Indo. Bruce Sutherland, a director of Low Pressure, and co-author of The Stormrider Guide Europe, The Stormrider Guide North America and The World Stormrider Guide trilogy has 35 years extensive experience of surfing and travelling.