Back From Indo aboard the Pelagic

[Malibu Mike]

Just got back from a two week trip to the Telos and Mentewais island chain off of Sumatra. Epic trip with great surf and the best boat and crew you could ask for. I did get to jump in the water a few times to chase after some fish. The technique that was best was to go down to the bottom and just lay still or swirl some coral around for the fish to show up. We did find one fish attraction device in the middle of a crossing and saw a school of bull dorado swimming around. Jumped in after the fishing guys had 5 passes with lures. No love but it was exciting! We had a few large fish pass us on some of the reefs. One was a 60 pound or so Napoleon Wrasse and we also got buzzed by some large Ulua type jacks. It was mainly a surf trip the the spearing and fishing was just icing on the cake. The blue suit got plenty of laughs untill the jellies zapped a few of the guys snorkeling around. If you can ID some of the fish I'd be stoked. The coral trout and parrot fish are easy but the others I haven't seen before. Feel free to contact me if you are considering a surf trip to the area. There's a ton of pics so enjoy.
http://web.mac.com/maliburealestate/...g%20there.html

[undrH2Ohntr]

dude, you are so stoked
those waves were incredible.....was the surf always that good. You must have been loving it.
I could only imagine what underneath the water would look like.
Congratulations on one hell of a trip

[seacrecher]

Mike,

Some sick-ass surf! I hope to make it there some day. Looks like it was an epic adventure! I'm jealous!

[abachar]

thanks for sharing. looks like an awesome trip. one of these days.

[fishnstix]

nice photos!!! a friend just got back from the same trip, he was onboard the Naga Laut. he got some dive action and said it was solid.

as for fish id, the one uve got labeled as a napolean is a parrot. im pretty sure. i think its a young humpheard parrot. the napoleans have a more elongated head area. no beak like that, jus big ass lips. just got back from christmas island and we encountered a few.

that pair of speared fish from the murky are a type of "sweet lips." might not be the technical name.

nice pictures, im jealous.

[bluesquids]

Epic trip. Reminds me of my buddy also addicted to travel, constantly going to far away lands, takes thousands of photos per trip. I'm sure he's been there. He was the photo dept. manager at SF Art Institute, now he runs all the departments. I'll send him the link, he'll dig it.

[Malibu Mike]

I think you are right about the fish. I guess there are more the one species with bump heads. All tasted good! I've been a many surf trips and so far the boat trip was the best. I still need to hit Tavarua but I have a feeling this is just as good.

[skinnyhb]

holy crap i am jealous.

[John Hughes]

You are stoked man!!!!!

[JimmyJam]

Totaly Awsome

I have been dreaming of that same trip for 5 years now.

All said and done, how much? 5K?

Thanks for the pics, you have a good eye for photography.

[Travis Jones]

The picture of the two women and the young boy with a gun in his hand....is it a real gun or a toy? Odd image. I liked it.

[Malibu Mike]

It was one of the soft pellet things(airsoft) that were all the rage here in the states a few months back. The interesting thing was that in the States most kids play with that stuff in their backyards out of the sight of the general public. These kids cruised the streets with guns like they were ready for an invasion. There is something more going on when you really understand the dynamics of the region and the seriousness in the young boys face. That moment was not "playtime". The city of Padang is a bit gritty to say the least and that pic sums up the uneasy feeling I had when being introduced to the city on Ramadan. In one way, I'm victim to the images of the media and their onslaught of negative news. Heading to Indo I was a little nervous about the bombings and church burnings that we often hear about. That picture brought out those feelings. On the other hand, ten minutes out of the city I was at peace hanging with some of the sweetest Muslims on earth. The outer islands are either Muslim or Christian, sometimes both and they all get along. It's only in the big cities like Jakarta where the fundamentalist have the power to trick people into doing horrible things in the name of religion. Out of the cities, people are concerned with tasks like catching fresh fish or making sure their children don't have malaria. They don't have the luxury of time to sit around and philosophize about how they are going to advance their religion. They live day to day worrying about necessities.

[Travis Jones]

Obviously this was an absolutely amazing voyage and one that I will have to make. Did you have to get any special shots before going to Indo?

[deepdown]

Great pics!

[Wahooooo!]

You are a talented photographer, I really enjoyed the pics. I haven't made it to Sumatra yet but Bali, Lombok, and Sumbawa are some of my best memories. I can't wait to go back to Indonesia.