Mentawai surf guide › A-Frames
A-Frames breaks in front of a stunning bay in the Playgrounds area of the Mentawais. It peels both left and right, with the left being much better, and it is one of the safest reefs around: you don’t even need booties here. It is about 15 minutes by boat from Hidden Bay.
How A-Frames breaks
A-Frames has two sections. On the outside you get voluminous, perfect walls. The inside section is steeper, which makes for good barrels, and it is also great for airs, a favourite with pros and advanced surfers.
It works with south swells, and the offshore wind is north, as long as it isn’t too strong. It is best at low tide: the lower the tide, the better it gets, and it breaks from 2 up to 15 feet.
Who A-Frames is for
A super fun wave for a wide range of levels. Intermediates enjoy the long walls on the outside, while advanced surfers and pros hunt barrels and airs on the inside. With one of the safest reefs in the region, it is a great place to push your surfing.
Read our month-by-month guide: best time to surf Mentawai.
Local tips for A-Frames
A-Frames gives you two great peaks and one of the calmest channels in the area.
- Pick your peak. Both are very good. The outside is a little fuller but still throws some barrels on big days; the inside is hollower.
- Go at low tide. The lower the tide, the better it gets.
- Relax in the channel. It is very calm, and except on very low tides the reef is deep enough that you need almost no protection.
- Regular-footers, go right. The right works too, though its channel is smaller, so paddling back is a bit harder.
Watch A-Frames
A-Frames wave guide
More sessions on our YouTube channel.
Surfing A-Frames from Hidden Bay
We don’t run the boat by the clock. Our guides follow the forecast, the wind and more than 12 years of local knowledge to put you on A-Frames when it’s at its best, and on another wave when it isn’t. Featured Trips average 6 surfers per boat, never more than 8, and with so many breaks close by we can split groups by level.
Every session ends back in our private bay: a chef’s kitchen, ocean-facing rooms with AC and hot water, and a gym with a physical trainer. With the surf video package, we film your sessions, so you can watch your waves at A-Frames the same evening.
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