Telescopes is a Mentawai gem—a long, wrapping left-hander that offers 200+ meter rides through multiple barrel sections. The wave starts with a steep, hollow drop before transitioning into workable shoulder sections that allow for endless speed generation. Located in North Sipora, it thrives on W-SW swells and the typical SE trade winds. It's one of the most user-friendly quality waves in the Mentawais, making it popular with intermediate-advanced surfers looking for tropical perfection.
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Difficulty
6/10
Crowd level
3/10
Access: Boat/resort
Telescopes handles all stages of the tide, so time your session around the wind instead. The live chart above shows the next few days.
Offshore wind at Telescopes blows from the ESE (112°). Anything in the 67° to 157° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.
Telescopes wants WSW swell (225° to 270°) between 0.9m and 3m, with a period of 16s or more for quality waves.
The main season at Telescopes is Apr-Oct. A secondary window runs Mar, Nov. 74% July clean
Fly into PDG, then allow about 0 minutes by road, plus a boat transfer (around $250 USD). Boat/resort
Telescopes is a reef break, a left-hander. Difficulty is rated 6/10.
Peak: Apr-Oct
Secondary: Mar, Nov
74% July clean
🌊 Overlooked Sipora right • Often surfed alone • Quality solitude
🌊 Hidden Mentawai gem • Bowling barrels • Uncrowded lineup
🌋 Mentawai big wave • 20ft+ faces • Expert-only reef
💥 Near HT's • Short hollow slab • Quick intense barrels
💥 Near HT's • Fast shallow barrel • Expert-only commitment
💥 Shallow Mentawai slab • Technical tube ride • Expert barrels