Maldives, worth it?

njsurfer42

Michael Peterson status
Mar 16, 2006
2,877
167
63
shrouded in a 5/4
Pasta Point was my first thought as well...the resort has exclusive access rights but doesn’t just book surfers. When I did my boat trip, the line up was pretty empty each time we cruised by it. Maybe 4 guys, max.
 

jkb

Tom Curren status
Feb 22, 2005
10,042
8,981
113
Central California
How crowded is namotu? Is there a place with restricted access?
Crowd actually wasn't too bad. The nice thing about Namotu is they have a bunch of boats and will take you out just about anytime you want. You don't have to get on a boat at 7am with 10 other bro-brahs. The exception is if they're going a little further away (like Cloudbreak) they will coordinate a group boat, but you can just say fvck that, I'm going to Wilkes by myself. I had a few sneaky sessions with just me and the surf guide (they require a surf guide go with you). I don't think Tavarua does that........I think they have specific times their boats leave.

But boats from anywhere can show up at any time. There weren't any waves with restricted access (that I heard of).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Havoc

Ranga

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 31, 2008
1,682
1,422
113
But wait, I thought the Maldives are filed with wahabi fanatics or something? Lol.
My experience is the Israelis are worse than Brazzos - zero surf etiquette, hyper competitive, most can't surf but insist on being on the peak at marquee spots . . .
 
Last edited:
  • Love
Reactions: Chocki

surfadelphia

Nep status
Nov 15, 2010
677
650
93
My experience is the Israelis are worse than Brazzos - zero surf etiquette, hyper competitive, most can't surf but insist on being on the peak at marquee spots . . .
I happened to be in Tel Aviv while some decent surf was on. Nothing spectacular, chest high cleanup after a day of hard onshores. Didn't have anything with me so I just watched a bit....What a sh!t show, very entertaining from the sidelines
 
  • Haha
Reactions: JDJ

Northern_Shores

Miki Dora status
Mar 30, 2009
4,487
4,404
113
So the Maldives is not just the garbage patch of the Indian Ocean, it's also overrun by angry jews?
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,270
19,096
113
Jacksonville Beach
So the Maldives is not just the garbage patch of the Indian Ocean, it's also overrun by angry jews?
$.02

The word you are looking for is Israelis. Plenty of Jewish kids grow up coastal in the US and some of them take to the water. Maybe they do a bit better in school and tend to be more well-behaved than their peers, but in general, they're not all that different from the next CA/FL/NY/NJ grom. Maybe in Santa Cruz there's a hierarchy they know, maybe the Florida ones are basically Brazzos who can't dance, have no interest in soccer, and will gladly explore the limits of rudely backpaddling, rudely snaking, and rudely dropping in, then fumbling for a dumb excuse, like everyone else in Florida.

The guys travelling alone or with one buddy, at a spread out asswhoopty spot are generally no trouble. Sure you might wind up next to them but for all their enthusiasm for back paddling, snaking, burning, and team tactics, they are the world's worst at discerning when their gusto is being used to bait them into a shitty wave.

The packs at a point/reef with more of a takeoff spot? Forget it. Nightmare. Complete fckng nightmare.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MathDebater

surfadelphia

Nep status
Nov 15, 2010
677
650
93
So does the 4 Seasons in Kuda Huraa not tick all the boxes for you?
Trying to avoid anything that requires booking a boat through Tropicsurf any time I want to go surfing. I've kind of zeroed in on Niyama and Veli.
 

Watervalley

OTF status
Dec 27, 2016
241
264
63
Huh
Maldives is awesome , i'm hitting it again September 7th , Kudda Hurra , the surf spots opportunities sorry blows Tahiti away and yes have surfed club Med Moorea , beautiful but the rip is ridiculous and you absolutely trash your board on the way out , Maldives checklist is there the fish and food is fantastic , Jailbreaks Cokes and Sultans went off three years ago when i was there blew my mind , Israeli's are ridic agreed non stop chatter , I gave them this line every time haven't i seen you surf in Palestine ? shut them up , met great people in the water guys that have been going back forever and my age as well 50 plus , i crushed it on a covid stock play BTE , amped to go and see probably less than half of the people in the water this September , Go you will not regret it :waving: sultans below Fun , just bring the best sunblock on the planet and your set
View attachment DSC_3096.jpg
 

Northern_Shores

Miki Dora status
Mar 30, 2009
4,487
4,404
113
Off topic, but is Moorea where Mason Ho won a contest last autumn? They had to get a jet ski in the end because they couldn't paddle back out. From the drone view it looked like they were in a counter-current pool.
 

Watervalley

OTF status
Dec 27, 2016
241
264
63
Huh
Off topic, but is Moorea where Mason Ho won a contest last autumn? They had to get a jet ski in the end because they couldn't paddle back out. From the drone view it looked like they were in a counter-current pool.
trust me the paddle out isn't the challenge getting back to the beach is an ordeal, 4 years ago out there caught 2 decent waves , the water and coral fish etc is breathtaking , ok i'm done first round - jesus how come i'm going in a circle here - paddled hard no go 2nd round - tried a different angle back inside again no paddle right back where I started , anxiety time 3rd Round - french speaking time one guy in water with me " plage bro como avec plage" he goes" ici post " i'm like follow the post angle tu too plage" grabbed a wave rode the angle crushed my board on the reef and started the paddle and paddle , some boat sees me comes over hey you need a lift crew from LA , i'm like thank you. hop in puke my brains out off the side . theres another island besides Tahiti proper had some fun waves there, locals said was great surfing never made it
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Chocki

mpequignot

OTF status
Nov 4, 2009
158
9
18
Trying to avoid anything that requires booking a boat through Tropicsurf any time I want to go surfing. I've kind of zeroed in on Niyama and Veli.
Stopped at Niyamu in a seaplane on the way to somewhere farther out. Looked stunning from the plane (we "parked" at their dock). Also surfed one of the nearby breaks - great wave. Maldives is very expensive but worth it if you get good weather (no way to predict). I had a picture perfect two weeks (with waves up to 1.5 overhead...but also with flat couple of days). Weather is a factor to consider in surf season for obvious reasons. People who had been there longer before us complained of the rainy weather prior. Male itself was stressful in the overnight on the way there, but the airport location is beautiful. But if you can stay in one of the remote atolls away from the sight of Male etc. and tick the other boxes, I'd personally recommend that - "remote" - which means sea plane (which is itself an incredible experience).

I'd do it all again in a heartbeat but for covid...and I've been all over the world.

As an aside, met some of the Tropic Surf guys and surfed with them (at a different resort). Good people but I think the guys I surfed with moved on to Mexico.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Watervalley
Mar 27, 2018
6
3
3
Maldives is vastly overrated if you're going there just for the surf in relation to how expensive it is. It is very far away from the storm track, so the size is usually nothing great, although the swell is very groomed by the time it gets there. IMO there are many places that have better waves that are less expensive. I lived south of there for 7 ½ years (Reunion), and several friends went there and also Indonesia. They said Maldives was a waste of money for waves that weren't as good as home. Indonesia on the other hand, they didn't stop talking about it for weeks.
 

mpequignot

OTF status
Nov 4, 2009
158
9
18
Maldives is vastly overrated if you're going there just for the surf in relation to how expensive it is. It is very far away from the storm track, so the size is usually nothing great, although the swell is very groomed by the time it gets there. IMO there are many places that have better waves that are less expensive. I lived south of there for 7 ½ years (Reunion), and several friends went there and also Indonesia. They said Maldives was a waste of money for waves that weren't as good as home. Indonesia on the other hand, they didn't stop talking about it for weeks.
Sounds like he's going for a honeymoon. Indonesia has lots of great things...and can also be great for a honeymoon. I've been all over Indonesia (including for the honeymoon of my first thankfully failed marriage...good riddance to her), and they're just entirely different flavors of places. Plan Indonesia wrong and you might have an unhappy wife. Certain places are very crowded with very aggressive locals trying to sell things. But, you can also go where no one else is around. I've been on islands where we were the only westerners anywhere within miles and treated like a spectacle (everyone was watching US) because tourism hadn't become a thing there yet. In short, Indonesia is an incredible place (especially if you consider islands beyond Bali...or as an add on to Bali) but confusing to plan if you haven't been there before.

I can't judge Maldives surf consistency from one trip, plus all atolls are different, but Indonesia has certainly always been consistent for me. I've had amazing waves every time I've been there, usually with a dose of all swell sizes and at least one huge swell event. Last two trips I saw 2-3x overhead.

Maybe I got lucky with the Maldives but - for pleasing a wife (my second/current one) - it offered a great balance. Incredible beauty, an island to yourself where all the employees know your name on day one, bikes for transportation, and great diving and snorkeling for days when the surf went flat. But...EXPENSIVE food and drinks and everything else. Food prices can be downright outrageous, for example, and with no other options possible since you're on a private island. And don't expect much of a cultural experience...just heaps of luxury if you're at a good spot. Expense aside, apart from a private wave I visited in Indonesia, all of the surf in Maldives was far less crowded and even empty at some spots. But I was in a remote atoll...supposedly the places near Male including the Four Seasons have big crowds. Surf in Maldives was also less heavy than Indonesia (which is good or bad depending on your perspective).
 

mpequignot

OTF status
Nov 4, 2009
158
9
18
Saw plenty of waves like that (or bigger) when I was there...though there were a couple of tiny days....and one day as flat as you can image an ocean ever getting. Entire sea looked like sheet glass to infinity...stunning looking (especially with crystal clear water) but hot because no wind.

Only place I've been where I feel like most of the photos are re-used to oversell the consistency was Pohnpei/P-Pass. I got incredibly lucky for the first half of my trip. First session started waist high, grew to shoulder high by afternoon. Next two days were 1-2x overhead...couple of smaller days after that...then nothing/zero for a good seven days (made for a good visit to the nearby atolls). People that were there before me said they hadn't seen good waves in months (but maybe their experience was the exception rather than the rule).

Anything can happen though...at least a good Maldives resort is a romantic honeymoon regardless. Check out Six Senses Laamu. Heard good things but I haven't been there personally.

As an aside, I tried a remote island of Fiji once...completely skunked. Didn't even bother to unpack my board.