Maldives Surf Holidays

The Country

The Republic of the Maldives is a sprinkle of coral atolls and tiny islands in the Indian Ocean, just south-west of Sri Lanka. These postcard-perfect tropical islands hold an amazing set for surfing, diving and sailing in the tropical 28 deg water.

The Maldivian archipelago consists of a chain of 26 coral atolls that extend over 750km of the Indian Ocean, to just south of the equator. The capital of the 1200-odd islands (only about 290 are inhabited) is Male (Mar-lay), a densely populated island of only 2sq.km.

The Surf 

All the waves in the Maldives break on coral reefs, with the best surf on the eastern and southern edges of the atolls where the reef catches the right swell and wind direction. There are a number of breaks throughout the atolls that vary in intensity.

The main surf season runs from April to October when swells are produced by winter low pressure systems in the southern Indian Ocean. However, this coincides with the south-west monsoon season which can bring rain and some tropical storms. The surf generally ranges between 4-8 feet during these months.

March and November are also good months for swell, with variable winds and tropical storms becoming less frequent. November is still quite consistent for small to medium size waves between 2-4 feet and the weather is usually perfect. The north-east monsoon season – November to April – brings fine weather but small swells in the Inner Atolls. Surf in the Outer Atolls is still very good.

Surf Packages

Packages are available to Cinnamon Dhonveli Resort. The resort has an exclusive perfect left hand (Pasta Pt) break out in front, limits its surfing guests to 30 and has easy boat access to the other breaks. The resort is on a beautiful island with amazing snorkelling and diving also available.

Island Holidays have access to a number of land-based resorts and adventurous boat charters that explore the Inner and Outer atolls for perfect surf.