William Aliotti, enjoying the simple pleasures of hiding away. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Depending on how you like your waves, “perfect” conditions are generally something of an opinion. But in this divided world, there’s one thing we can all agree on: the waves at Hideaways during this particular session in July were about as close to perfect as waves can get.
Located off a tiny island called Siaim just west of the Playgrounds area in the Mentawai Island chain, Hideaways is not only a perfect wave, it sits in one of the most postcard-perfect places on the planet. A sliver of white and golden sand beach glints in the tropical sun as the waves reel down the reef. Unless you happen to have a room booked at the WavePark Resort, if you want to surf Hideaways you’ll need to take a short boat ride.
Waves, of course, change as conditions change. Different tides, swell directions, and wind all play a critical role in a wave’s shape, and on the day you see here, the stars aligned. On some days, like this one, the barrels are long, deep, and fast. Other days, it can feel a little more bowly as it chugs along down the reef. Towards the peak the reef gets a little shallower, but then it deepens as the wave moves along it. When a big west is in the water and a breath of wind is kissing it, you can generally expect the kind of conditions you see here.
William Aliotti and a group of talented surfers all spent as much time under the hood as they could, and you can bet they’ll have this place burned into the memory banks for a long, long time.
