In search of adventure in Sumatra

Exploring the Indonesian Atolls is not your average trip away in the sunshine, but Animal surf girl Easkey Britton, current Irish Champion, swaps her native Ireland for Indonesia each year to explore the islands around Sumatra aboard the 84ft Mangalui sloop yacht on the hunt for perfect waves.

The 10-day trip takes you round some of the least explored areas of the world searching out and surfing new waves, snorkelling on untouched coral reefs and spending the evening on deck sampling what the ocean has offered up to the boat’s chef that day. The trip is for the adventure-hungry and offers a chance to push yourself, experience a whole new world and return to the UK with some amazing experiences under your belt.

This time Easkey is ready to rock the boat in the company of seven other surf girls in the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean. The actual route of the trip is loose, however they will go where the waves take them – planned destinations include Sumatra, Nias Island, the Mentawi Islands and a look-in at Banda Aceh (one of the worst places hit in the 2004 tsunami ), which has some of the best waves in the world.

Easkey, born into Ireland’s oldest surfing family, has made a name for herself by reaching a number of milestones in her 23 years. Named after an Irish surf reef, Easkey became the first woman to surf big-wave surf spot ‘Aileen’s’ off the coast of West Ireland last year, and lists Kelly Slater as one of her surf companions. She’s also recently starred in her own section (surfing Aileen’s) in a surf film, Waveriders, alongside Mr Slater himself, that is currently showing in UK cinemas.

The Mangalui is fully equipped with everything you need – from the local Indo beer ‘Bintang’ to internet access and satellite phone. For a 10 day trip the cost is approx £1,600 depending on your trip, which includes all food, drink and transfers.

For more information, visit Animal.co.uk.