POLE POSITION
How a Polish surfer found himself enjoying the Playgrounds region of the Mentawai Islands alone during COVID-19 Lockdown
By Tim Baker
Tomek Niewiadomski is a Polish surfer who found himself at the Kandui Resort in the Mentawai Islands at the start of the great COVID-19 Pandemic and simply decided to stay. Tomek, also an accomplished photographer and dedicated yoga and meditation practitioner, started surfing in the waves of Portugal and Morocco. He figured the remote and wave-rich island chain was the perfect place to ride out the pandemic and hone his skills. He wasn’t disappointed.
CM: How did you end up at Kandui during the pandemic as a Polish surfer learning to surf?
TN: I got to Kandui in mid-February. I had planned this trip much earlier, it was supposed to be a quest for good waves away from civilization. When I was leaving Poland, there was already talk about the coronavirus; at the airports you could see many people wearing masks. After a month-long stay in Kandui, I heard that the WHO had declared a pandemic of COVID-19 and in just a few days everybody left the island. But I decided to stay, and then became the only guest there.
CM: Why did you make the decision to stay put and spend the past few months there?
TN: After checking how the scenario of the pandemic was unraveling in China, I had no doubt that it would run a similar course in the whole world. At that point, cases had been recorded on all continents. The coronavirus didn’t turn out to be as lethal as everybody suspected it to be, but it was spreading extremely fast. I ended up in the best place and at the best time. I thought of that as a stroke of luck and, since I had such a possibility, I decided to calmly wait out this storm. What also definitely helped me make this decision was the prospect of returning to the Polish winter and being cooped up at home.
CM: What has it been like being the only guest at Kandui during this time? How have the waves been and how has your surfing progressed having so many great waves all to yourself?
TN: I can definitely say that thanks to being on an island where I could surf virtually non-stop for a few months, I learned more than in the past 10 years, i.e. since the very beginning of my surfing adventure. What I obviously mean is learning to manage well in the water, but also to understand the waves, the swells, the right wind, and acquiring the knowledge that is obvious to those who were brought up by the ocean. It’s worth mentioning that my homeland is not by the ocean and every year I have the chance to surf only for a few weeks.
In Mentawai, even small waves are extremely strong and fast. What’s more, they break on a shallow and sharp reef. I have to admit that at the beginning this was a big challenge for me. I had the chance to ride the biggest but also the most beautiful waves that I have ever seen. Even modest swells led to extraordinary sensations. The time spent on the water and on the island provided me with an opportunity to be close to the ocean, to the wonderful nature and to myself.
I experienced unforgettable moments in the surf lineup, especially in the mornings and at the end of the day, when there was no rivalry and no hassle, unlike during the time when there are too many people in the water at the same time. All important things ceased to matter, in the ocean I touched upon something subtle and powerful at the same time. Being on my own definitely helped me discover many truths, but at no time did I feel lonely. Even though I’m not a person who needs company, I truly appreciated the conversations I had with those who stayed at Kandui, their support and enthusiasm. It was very special.
At some point I stopped being a guest and became an integral part of the team, or rather a group of people who called themselves in such a way during the pandemic. In these strange and surprising times, we shared the same fate. We often surfed together and, to be honest, doing it with others gave me even more joy than being alone in the ocean. The possibility of sharing an experience can also be enjoyable. Surfing with those who were much better than me enabled me to learn fast. Ray, who is an extraordinary personality but also an excellent surfer, turned out to be a very good instructor and mentor on surf philosophy, as well.
CM: What has the atmosphere been like at Kandui? Is it strange being the only guest or has it started to feel like home?
TN: Almost from the very beginning, Kandui felt like home, and later this feeling grew even deeper. Once I became the only guest, the energy definitely changed – a bustling place turned silent. You couldn’t hear motorboats leaving at dawn with surfers anymore, nor the sounds of evening feasts in restaurants with loud music. No one was running around in search of something or someone. No one was leaving the island or arriving on it, as before. I rarely met anyone apart from at meal times or when I went surfing. All day long I worked, read, surfed, did yoga and meditated. I was observing the lunar phases and waiting for the full moon. During my stay on the island I experienced six of them. I discovered that in the tropics, trees also lose their leaves only to soon blossom and become green again. I learned how to pick and open a coconut without any tools. I watched countless sunsets and starry skies. Once, during a storm, I woke up at night to lightning which was striking so hard that the whole island, my hut included, was vibrating. These were unforgettable moments. I needed this pause. We all had deep reflections, we were open to what life brings, we accepted and appreciated this pause and the time that was given to us. This was the calmest time in my life, and I spent it literally at the end of the world. The most bizarre feeling was putting my shoes on when I returned home, after five months of walking barefoot.
CM: What have been your personal surfing highlights or favourite wave ridden?
TN: Almost each day in the water was a day full of joy and playing with the waves, even though nothing that you could compare to photos on the covers of surf magazines happened. During my stay on the island, I rode the biggest waves in my life and I definitely experienced the longest rides ever. I smiled each time I caught the wave, that is every day. Every clean and overhead wave is my favourite!
CM: What do you plan to do next after you leave Kandui?
TN: I can’t wait to come back to Kandui. After coming back to my life in Poland, feel like definitely I would like to "be" more and "do" less, also I love to spend more time in nature. Something has been shifted for sure on me.
FOOTNOTE: Indonesia will re-open to international travellers with strict COVID-19 protocols in place from September 11. Visit the Kandui Resort website for more information.