On Monday, October 25, 2010 at 09:42:22 pm a 7.7 earthquake struck the Kepulauan Mentawai region of Indonesia causing a massive tsunami. Two of our charter boats were anchored in the bay at Macaronis Resort, the Midas and the Freedom III.
When the 10-foot wave moved into the normally calm and protected waters of the bay anchorage at Macaronis, The Freedom III was pushed in to the Midas, crashing into it and causing significant damage. The impact caused Midas to catch fire and eventually explode. A group of Australian surfers abandoned ship, jumping overboard. They were able to make their way on board the Freedom III, which had sustained minimal damage and was still operational, and brought everyone to Padang.
The video clip below features an audio interview with Rick Hallett, who has been captaining the Midas charter boat since the start of the 2009 season, in this clip he describes the events surrounding the tsunami.
Macaronis Resort also sustained significant damage from the tsunami. The bungalows have been the most damaged parts of the property. When guests felt the earthquake at 09:42:22 pm , they moved quickly to the main building of the resort, and up to the top of the 3-story building. When the tidal wave struck the resort, the wall of water swept through the resorts lower levels. Although the ground level was fairly well gutted, the guests were safe from harm in their lofty perch, and the main structure remained intact.
Below is a list of charter vessels and resorts in the area with a status check for each, as reported by our sources:
Boats
| Vessel | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|
| NUSANTARA | ok | Playground |
| TENGIRRI | ok | Katiet |
| KAIMANA | ok | Katiet |
| NOMAD | ok | Katiet |
| TRADER 3 | ok | Padang |
| TRADER 4 | ok | Padang |
| MANGALUI | ok | Padang |
| BARRENJOEY | ok | Padang – going out tonight |
| PELAGIC | ok | Padang |
| FREEDOM 3 | damaged | Coming back to padang |
| MIDAS | Burned | All guests ok |
| HUEY | ok | Padang |
| QUEST | ok | |
| ARIMBI | ok | Padang |
| MIKUMBA 1 | ok | Nias |
| MIKUMBA 2 | ok | Padang |
| NUSA DEWATA | seen, but nothing confirmed? | |
| KUDA LAUT | ok | Padang |
| KING MILLINIUM | ok | bangun has had contact |
| DEBORA | ok | on the way back to Padang |
| ADDICTION | ok | |
| SOUTHERN CROSS | ok | |
| MELALUCA | reported to have been seen going north yesterday morning… no direct contact yet… | |
RESORTS
| Resort | Status |
|---|---|
| WAVEPARK | ok |
| KANDUI | ok |
| AINZ & JOHN (TOGAT NUSA RETREAT) | ok |
| MACARONI’S (MACCAS) | ok |
All 15 of our Waterways travelers that were in the area have been accounted for and are safe now, but most have only the clothes on their backs and have lost everything they traveled with, including their passports. We are working with them to get them home as quickly as possible.
We’d like to thank our boat captains, crew, and travelers for there heroic efforts in this devastating event that has taken place. We will keep you posted on any new information we hear.
If you have a trip scheduled within the next 30 days to any destination in the Mentawais, please call us to review your travel options.