The Telo Islands, Sumatra — no electricity, karaoke at 2am, and the best surf trip we've ever done
An Island Paradise
Like everyone else, Covid put the trips on hold for a couple of years. When we finally got back in the water together properly, Ben was twelve — and something had changed. This is the trip where we found out what.
The Telo Islands are not easy to get to. That's entirely the point.
We went with a few of my mates — a group of us who simply wanted an adventure. Ben came too, keen to experience something properly remote for the first time. Two weeks, no itinerary, no guarantees. Just waves, fishing, rice and eggs, and whatever the ocean decided to serve up.
Getting there — Medan, Nias, and a chartered speedboat
The routing goes KL to Medan, overnight at the airport hotel in Medan, then a flight to Nias. We had a couple of days at Lagundri Bay first — home of the famous right hander, one of the most celebrated waves in Indonesia. It was small when we were there but that didn't matter. Ben paddled out on his own, no push needed, reading the lineup and finding his spot. Being a natural footer he took to Lagundri immediately and gravitated naturally towards where the local groms were surfing, sharing waves, figuring out the pecking order. The nerves were visible — Lagundri packs a punch even when it's small — but he handled it. We stayed at Raffiels, who had picked us up from the airport. Basic, friendly, exactly what you need.
Ben at Lagundri
The ferry from Teluk Dalam to the Telo Islands had been cancelled. We could wait, or we could charter a speedboat. We chartered a speedboat. The next morning we were gliding across crystal clear water under blue sky heading into the middle of nowhere, and it felt exactly like it should.
Telo Island Surf House — back to basics
Our host Andreas had arranged everything — the boat, the accommodation, the daily surf missions. He is one of those people who makes a trip. Knows every break in the region, reads conditions better than any forecast, and runs the place with a warmth that makes a collection of strangers feel like one group within about twenty four hours.
The accommodation is basic. No electricity except for a couple of hours each night from a generator. No menu of luxury options. No air conditioning. There was an Australian couple staying at the same time who became great company — before long we were one big family sharing a homestay in the middle of the ocean, playing shithead card games in the evenings, passing a guitar around, washing down rice and eggs with luke warm Bintang.
Telo Island Surf House
It reminded me immediately of trips I'd done to the Mentawais when I was at university. The same rawness, the same sense of being completely cut off. I'd wanted Ben to experience this — to get away from technology and the modern world and just surf, fish, and be present. This is how surf trips used to be. Most surfers now will never know it.
A word on the realities: Bring ear plugs — the local village has an inexplicable abundance of karaoke machines and K-pop at 2am is not what you want the night before a good swell. Doughnuts are served for breakfast and are genuinely excellent for the first six days. By day seven Ben had stopped eating them entirely, at which point fishing became less of a hobby and more of a necessity. There is malaria in the Telo Islands — you can take anti-malarial tablets, but our approach was simply to not get bitten. Apart from the first night, this worked. Check your mosquito net before you close it, not after.
A word on the realities: Bring ear plugs — the local village has an inexplicable abundance of karaoke machines and K-pop at 2am is not what you want the night before a good swell. Doughnuts are served for breakfast and are genuinely excellent for the first six days. By day seven Ben had stopped eating them entirely, at which point fishing became less of a hobby and more of a necessity. There is malaria in the Telo Islands — you can take anti-malarial tablets, but our approach was simply to not get bitten. Apart from the first night, this worked. Check your mosquito net before you close it, not after.
The wave — Churches/Misho's
The break right out front is a long fun left called Churches, or Misho's. It is the most consistent wave in the mid to north Telos region — breaking on all tides, surfable from waist high to well overhead, and suited to everyone from intermediate surfers to pros. Take off deep for long walls and fast sections with the occasional barrel. Sit a little wider and you get a peakier wave with more room for turns and cutbacks. Ben was in and out of the water all day, every day, as often as his energy allowed — which was considerably more often than anyone else's.
We had small surf for most of the trip with the odd overhead day thrown in. For Ben it was perfect — enough power and variety to push him without overwhelming him. He was handling reef breaks properly for the first time, competing for waves with boat charter guests who'd come a long way to surf them, reading different conditions every session. You could see him growing as a surfer in real time.
Andreas had a boat and knew exactly where to go when Churches wasn't firing. Pinnacles, Rangga's, Kindies, Mousetraps — there are breaks everywhere out there and Andreas knows the right conditions for all of them. Put yourself in his hands.
Taking off in the Telo Islands
The mosquito net
On the first night I tucked Ben into bed under a mosquito net, satisfied that he was properly protected. I woke up to find he'd been bitten everywhere — by the mosquitoes that had been inside the net when I closed it. I spent the next morning killing every one I could find. My hands were covered in blood. Ben's blood.
The malaria worry that followed was real. Thankfully all was fine. We sealed every hole in the net, double checked the repellent, and carried on. But I mention it because it's the kind of thing the glossy surf camp brochures don't tell you — and if you're taking a child to somewhere this remote you need to go in clear-eyed about what that means.
Every moment of difficulty on that trip was worth it. That's not a line — it's just true.
What made it
Surf trips are made better by the people you share them with. My colleagues and our two Australian companions were exactly the right group — the evenings were as good as the days, which is saying something.
A guitar and some luke warm bintangs after a great day sharing waves.
But what made it truly special was watching Ben embrace every bit of the hardship because of how much he was getting from the surfing. The rice and eggs, the heat, the basic accommodation, the K-pop at 2am — none of it mattered because the waves were there every morning and he couldn't wait to get back out. When a twelve year old chooses waves over comfort without a second thought, you know something real is happening.
With no phone signal and no wifi, evenings meant books and card games — and Ben rediscovered both. There is something to be said for a twelve year old who finishes a novel in two weeks because there is simply nothing else competing for his attention.
Ben came home looking, according to his mum, slightly malnourished. I put it down to being sunburnt and exhausted from two weeks of constant surfing. Both were probably right.
What he also came home with was something harder to measure. How to be around adults and hold his own. How to cope without technology or the things you usually take for granted. How to find humour in hardship. How to read a reef break lineup and compete for waves. How to be genuinely present somewhere, because somewhere this remote doesn't give you any other option.
The tough travel makes the waves better. The shared discomfort makes the friendships deeper. And the smiles at the end of a session — when you've both caught good waves on a reef break in the middle of the Indian Ocean and there's nowhere else on earth you'd rather be — those are the ones that last.
Crystal clear waters and empty line-ups make it all worthwhile.
We spent two weeks at Telo Island Surf House before heading back to Nias for a final couple of days at Lagundri. Then home.
Would we go back? Absolutely.
The practical bits
Getting there - KL → Medan (overnight at airport hotel) → Nias → speedboat or ferry to Telos
Stop en route - Lagundri Bay, Nias — 2 days minimum. Stay at Raffiels.
Where to stay - Telo Island Surf House — basic, brilliant, Andreas is the host you want
Choose your room - The two rooms at the front catch an evening breeze and are worth fighting for. The two at the back are hot sweat pits. One backs directly onto the toilet, which means you will hear every late night visit in full detail. You have been warned.
The wave - Churches/Misho's out front — consistent left, all tides, all levels
Other breaks - Pinnacles, Rangga's, Kindies, Mousetraps and many more — Andreas will take you
Boards - Bring at least two each — no surf shops out here
Kit - All surf gear, sun protection, mosquito repellent, reef boots, ear plugs
Health - Malaria present — anti-malarials an option, or focus on not getting bitten. Check your net before you close it.
Snacks - Bring extra food and fruit from home
Best for - Intermediate and more advanced surfers ready for a proper remote adventure
