Surfing in the Maldives
While most of the atolls in the entire Maldives have their prime season between April till September, South Atolls have a more extended season from February till November. Some say that the best conditions occur between February to April just before the southwest monsoon begins and also from September to November when it ends.
From May to August there can be wind issues on the south facing spots but that’s when you motor to the east facing part of the atoll where there is more protection. The east facing breaks will still have plenty of size as this is the peak swell time.
South Atolls still remain the last frontier on surf trips. This is one of the most remote areas on the planet where charter boats are the only form of access, making this an exclusive and relatively expensive surf trip.
Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll (also known as the Huvadhoo Atoll) is generally known to have the best conditions for surfing in the Maldives because it picks up more swell than any other atoll in the Maldives and from every direction and offers the greatest quantity and variety of spots. To almost every island on the outside of the atoll you will find one or two breaks. There is everything from barreling and hollow walls to soft and never ending playful waves. The best surf spot in the South Atolls of the Maldives are:
Antiques
If you don’t want to surf the lefts in Tiger Stripes, then you head up to Antique’s rights. This is considered to be a second choice wave which is always a couple of feet smaller and way more forgiving than the lefts.
Beacons or Barracuda Point
Advanced surfers only! Not like much of Maldives’s waves, this one has an unforgiving shallow reef. Just remember that SW swells will break down the reef, but a SE swell will create peaks slamming straight onto close-out sections of coral.
Voodoos or Blue Bowls
A very long right-hander, very exciting especially at 4 to 6 feet and protected from SW-W winds. This wave is surf able all the time, all swells, all tides and all sizes. It is a good length for an easy ride and nice sections for some moves.
Dhigulaabadhoo or Castaways
Is a soft right-hander that can be surfed on all tides but better surfable in high tide when the swell is bigger than 4 feet due to its shallow reef. Just like Beacons, it gets good with N wind. Surfing here is the idyllic setting of the Maldives with plenty of marine life around and an isolated island just in front of the line-up.
Five Islands or Gani Point
Another right-hander, protected from the south-south west winds. A hollow wave that breaks hard on a shallow inside reef and so it’s better surfed at mid-high tide. This is maybe the wave that handles the biggest swells at all tides.
Love Charms
Right next to Two Ways, there’s this very consistent left hander, working on any swell size. This wave can be surfed at every tide and handles different wind directions but best conditions occur when it’s small size, low tide and E winds. Beautiful long wave with two sections: take-off on a hollow wall and some little nice tubes at the inside section.
Tiger Stripes or Rockets
A fun left-hander, not very hollow but with long workable walls and a complicated take off into a long speedy wall before presenting an inside tube section that gets smooth and breaks out easily in the channel. Very consistent and can be surfed at all-tides. Best conditions with west-north west winds. This is a simple and neglected wave when small but can be really challenging in strong swell.
Two Ways or Twin Peaks
This is a right and left-hander but the rights tend to be better, funnier and longer. It’s not hollow and it needs a big swell to reach perfection. So, this is one of favorite waves within intermediates. Fun, peeling, long walls with a bit of depth to the water.
Gaukendi Bridge
A left hand located on the south side of the bay that may be the right choice on those days of small swell. You can expect short but fun rides.
Madihera. This could be considered a spoiled wave as it picks up a lot of swell but it needs a very specific set of conditions to be surfed. In the right wind directions it offers a fun lefthander with 2 sections and several take off points. The waves start breaking in deep water and provide some heavy barrels on certain spots of the reef. The bottom of the reef is a bit rough which makes the wave funny and changes from heavy to soft in just a few meters.
Shangri-la
A new resort built in Viligili island named this wave. On small clean westerly swells, you can find a funny right hand reef-break wrapping along the east coast of the island.
