anyone know of an australian charter for under a 100 bucks a day?
I heard and read that if you book your flight and show up at the docks, you can get on the expensive charters for a lot less. But you have to do a lot of legwork back in the states, such as: 1. Find out which actual boats you want to travel on make sure they aren’t booked when you go. 2. Make sure you have lots of options 3. The best time is to go during the off season, but the waves aren’t as consistent (yeah, right. It’s INDO). HOWEVER, you are going to Indonesia, a country that, politically, isn’t very happy with the yanks right now. That won’t be a problem with the charter boats, but keep in mind that you might get what you pay for. You want top of the line. Good lifeboats, lifejackets, medical kit, radio, surfers who run the boat, etc. The captain needs to be a surfer, otherwise he is just puttin in the hours for a check. Ideal is that the boat owner is the captain AND a surfer. Under those circumstances, you are set. Another hint: Contact Chris Ahrens. He is a surfer/writer who can get you plenty of help. If you can’t contact him through a search on the internet, then call Surfer or Surfing Magazine and talk to the George brothers (Sam and Matt). They will help you get in touch with Chris. Also, talk to Todd Holland in Florida. He and his mom run a travel agency for surfers, I forget the name. But he should be easy to contact. He will give advice. When you book your trip, talk to the Captain ahead of time, and ask tough questions. Your safety is your priority. Ask him what his worst injuries were and how they were treated. Bring extra boards, leashes and wax, lots of sunscreen. Oh, and my personal favorite: DEEP WOODS OFF. Nothing will bite you while you are wearing it. No malaria. Forget the Skin So Soft. Tropical mosquitos might bite through it, and it is slimy (not good for surfing). Trust me: DEEP WOODS OFF! Very toxic–yet very effective. Also keeps the girls away, which is probably a good thing in a third world country (actually, more like a sixth world country, cause it’s twice as bad as most of the third world countries I’ve seen). Last thing: Bring something to give away, like t-shirts especially. Locals love t-shirts. Give away a dozen to the crew and some locals, and you are the man. Donate to surfaid international. A lot of people are dying in Indonesia because of those damn mosquitos. Malaria is fatal 50% of the time. DEEP WOODS OFF. Sorry for the long message. I love surf travel.