Deal of the Week: Free Mentawais! Contest ends tomorrow!

I thought that would get your attention. The Deal of the Week on the North County Surf Blog is... FREE! Well, not entirely free- you have to win it. But if you win it... It's FREE!

You see, I've got a friend who's got a friend who happens to own the WavePark Surf Resort in the Mentawais. So that makes him... my new best friend. 'Him' is Christie Carter, and he's is giving away a 10 day trip to his resort.

So who is Christie Carter? Christie was born in New Zealand but spent half his childhood in Point Loma (great surf- but no resort). As a kid, his dad bought an Airstream and parked it down in Rosarito where he spent many a weekend riding waves in Baja. After catching the surf bug, he moved to Indonesia at the age of 22 and started the WavePark- the 1st resort in the Mentawais and has lived there for 16 years.

So at this point, you're probably asking "How the heck do I win this contest so I can personally meet Christie?!" Just head on over here and become a subscriber to their mailing list before April 12th and you'll go in the draw. Feel free to forward to a friend or family or enemy- whoever, and the winner will be picked at random from their list.

So if you win, what do you get? Here's the skinny:

• Padang airport - hotel transfers for you and all your luggage in air conditioned comfort.
• Tour guide while in Padang, on call 24/7.
• Speedboat transfers from Padang - Mentawai and return (4.5 hours one way).
• Guided surfing and fishing speedboat service all day, everyday.
• 3 meals a day and resort-provided drinks (aside from sodas and alcohol).
• The bungalows include full bath indoor/outdoor ensuite. All bungalows are complete with outdoor day beds, beach chaise lounges and sound system included. The bungalows are perfect for couples or families.
• WavePark facilities included ping pong and pool games room, snorkeling trips, fishing missions, photography platform, frisbee golf course, TV/DVD/Digital projector, and guided coconut plantation trips.
• Guests also have access to extras such as massage services, full bar, satellite telephone, recording studio, wireless high speed internet, and a full-time resort photographer.
• In 2014 the Mentawai Government's 10% accommodation and restaurant tax is included in the prize.
• WavePark includes the price of surfing further afield; Telescopes, Scarecrows and Icelands is included in the surfing area that our guests have access to.
• With a maximum capacity of 12 surfers, the Wavepark Mentawai surf camp guests have the entire island for their exclusive use.

So what are you waiting for?! Are you happy surfing crowded, cold, crappy surf? Of course not! Especially since the WavePark's goal is to:always strive to deliver the best value surfing vacation in the WORLD to their clients. Their mission is to:

• Challenge our guests to surf the best waves of their lives while understanding and catering to their physical and mental limitations.
• Deliver facilities, service and experiences that exceed our client expectations.
• Create a sustainable base of clients that can be depended upon to return and bring new clients with them.
• Constantly upgrade to new technology, facilities and systems that adds value, safety and convenience for clients.
• Create employee hiring and retention policies that strive to keep revenue streams generated as local and supportive as possible.
• Provide training and skill acquirement opportunities for communities and individuals who would otherwise be unable to benefit from skilled foreign labor.
• Take a proactive stance towards environmental conservation including reef, soil, forest and wildlife.

Remember, the contest ends this Saturday the 12th, so make sure to sign up here. And if you still need more convincing, get the full scoop on their website. Good luck!