Rifles, Mentawai
Mentawai surf guide › Rifles
Rifles is considered one of the best right-handers in all of Indonesia: a true wave machine, about 300 metres long with several tube sections. It is temperamental and only breaks a few times a season, but when the day comes, it is perfect wave after perfect wave. It is the dream of every regular-footer: a long frontside barrel machine. It works best above 5 feet and holds up to 12 feet. It is about 20 minutes by boat from Hidden Bay, and when Rifles turns on, our guides make sure you are there.
How Rifles breaks
Rifles is a long, fast right that runs down the reef for about 300 metres, through several tube sections. On a good day you pull into barrel after barrel on the same wave. That length and speed is what put it on every serious surfer’s list.
It is a temperamental wave and hard to catch on. Rifles works with south swells and light west to northwest winds, best from 5 up to 12 feet, and that combination only lines up a few times in a whole season. Just past it, where the swell is always a little bigger, are the hollow slabs of Pistols.
When to surf Rifles
Watch for a south swell with light west to northwest winds. Because Rifles only breaks a few times a season, staying close matters: Hidden Bay is about 20 minutes away, so we can be there as soon as the forecast lines up.
Read our month-by-month guide: best time to surf Mentawai.
Who Rifles is for
Advanced surfers who are comfortable on fast, hollow rights over reef. On the days Rifles is too much, our guides take the rest of the group to waves that suit them.
Local tips for Rifles
Rifles is all about timing: being there on the few days a season when it lines up.
- Watch the forecast. Rifles needs a south swell with light west to northwest winds. When that combination shows up, drop everything and go.
- Keep driving. On a good day you link tube after tube over about 300 metres.
- Respect the inside. At low tide the reef is very shallow, especially on the inside sections.
- Have a plan B. If Rifles isn’t quite right, Pistols, just past it, often is.
Watch Rifles
Rifles wave guide
Best Rifles of 2025
More sessions on our YouTube channel.
Surfing Rifles 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 Rifles 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 Rifles the same evening.
Other waves near Hidden Bay
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Rifles FAQ
Where is Rifles?
In the northern Mentawai Islands, in the Playgrounds area, about 20 minutes by boat from Hidden Bay Resort.
How long is the wave at Rifles?
On its day, Rifles offers more than 300 metres of tubes.
What are the best conditions for Rifles?
A south swell with light west to northwest winds. Be careful at low tide, when the reef gets very shallow, especially on the inside.
How often does Rifles break?
Only a few times a season. Rifles needs a south swell with light west to northwest winds, which is why our guides watch the forecast closely.
What size does Rifles need?
It works best above 5 feet and holds up to 12 feet.
Is Rifles good for regular-footers?
Yes. Rifles is a right-hander, so regular-footers ride it on their frontside. It is the dream wave of every regular-footer.
Is Rifles for intermediate surfers?
No. Rifles is a wave for advanced surfers. Intermediates surf other waves nearby on the same day.
Surf Rifles with us
See the next Featured Trip dates, or message us on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you honestly when Rifles is at its best for your level.
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