Sipora (

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

: ''Sipora'' or sometimes spelled ''Sipura'') located off

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

in the

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5, ...

Province of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

, is the second-smallest and most developed of the four

Mentawai Islands Mentawai may refer to: * Mentawai Islands * Mentawai Strait * Mentawai people * Mentawai language The Mentawai language is an Austronesian language, spoken by the Mentawai people of the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Dialects Ac ...

at only 651.55 km². It had a population of 17,557 at the 2010 Census and 21,901 at the 2020 Census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. The regency capital of the Mentawai Islands, Tuapejat, is found on Sipora. An estimated 10-15% of the original rainforest remains on this island. Sipora is a

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

destination. Surf spots

Lance's Right Lance's Right (also known as HT's) is a surf reef break located in Indonesia, off Sipore Island, part of Sumatra's Mentawai Island chain. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef. Lan ...

and Lance's Left break off the southern end of the island - named after the man who found them, Australian surfer Lance Knight. Surf spots break in the northwestern region of this island including Telescopes, Iceland, and Scarecrows. The ocean swells are most consistent from April to October, but Sipora is a viable year-round surfing destination. Wind conditions can vary by the hour, and are often calm and glassy. For accommodation near Sipora, most surfers stay on yachts that can be chartered in

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

and motor between surf breaks as conditions change. Some visiting surfers choose to stay on the island itself at resorts or with local families in Tuapejat. The islands of

North Pagai North Pagai (Indonesian: ''Pagai Utara'') is the smallest of the four principal Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It is south of Sipora and north of South Pagai (or Pagai Selatan) Island. The population figure given f ...

(''Pagai Utara'') and

South Pagai South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

(''Pagai Selatan'') are situated to the south, and also have surf breaks along their western coasts. The fourth and largest of the Mentawai Islands -

Siberut Siberut is the largest and northernmost of the Mentawai Islands, located 150 kilometres west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. It covers an area of 3,838.25 km2 including smaller offshore islands, and had a population of 35,091 at the 2010 Cens ...

- is situated to the north of Sipora.

Surf breaks

Northern: * Iceland * Telescopes * Scarecrows Western: * Arik * Seven palm point Southern: * Lance's Left and Lance's Right (HT'S).

References

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...

: ''Indonesia'' - page 437 Mentawai Islands Regency Islands of Sumatra Islands of the Indian Ocean Surfing locations in Indonesia {{WSumatra-geo-stub

Surf breaks

See also

References