Hi All,

So reports are still coming in from the Indian Ocean and it looks good – Damn Good! The whole 2011 season has been a corker as far as consistency and size has been concerned.  2012 is looking like another La-Nina year  (at least that’s what the Weather Bureau is saying). A lot of people have chalked up the surf and consistency throughout both Pacific and Indian Ocean to this atmospheric phenomenon so by all accounts its looking like 2012 is going to be another cracker.

But lets just get one thing down and clear! It’s the Indian Ocean, there is going to be surf no matter what, that massive wet gap between Australia and Africa tends produce swell regardless even on its worst day its still better than a good day at the local (definitely our local ).

So what now? Well its time to Get In Early of course.  World Surfaris have proudly launched their Get In Early Deals for 2012. Operator shave jumped onboard and now is the time to book Early and save on your next Surf Adventure.

To see all the deals – Click Here

PS- We’ve also created a really fun Facebook page full of Surf Stoke from the people that ‘Got In Early’ last year – Click Here (its fun)  Make sure you Get In Early this year sale ends Dec16th – If you need the inspiration check out the below from our participating operators.

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

Hi all,

The first Handhu Outer Atolls trip has begun and with it we launch the 2011 Indian Ocean season. Handhu has seen some face lifts since 2010 as some of the feedback we got indicated that the boat needed some love – you spoke, we listened and Now Handhu is pretty as a picture and should surpass your expectations. The first 14 day trip began on the 18th Feb after looking at the charts they should see some solid looking swell coming their way Mid week increasing by Sunday and hanging around for most of next week. I know where I would rather be ……

Below are some of the pics showing off the updates and comments from Handhu CEO Ibrahim Shaheen - 2011 is shaping up to be a hell of a season.

Handhu has sailed to Addu tonight at 2230hrs from Male’ to start the season. I have attached with pictures major works done on the boat. I hope the repeaters will see a complete change this time.

Much credit goes to Mr. Fazeen, captain Soba and his crews for the hard and continuous work done to complete the boat on time.

I plan to do some minor regular maintenance on the boat, so we can maintain the boat in good condition throughout the season.

Best wishes

Ibrahim Shaheen, Mr.

Group CEO

here’s the full list of upgrades

Deck Flooring and support frame renewed in 3 rooms
Toilets – all the cracked tiles replaced, 2 toilets- floor finished with non skid fiberglass tile like sheets
New mooring ropes, anchors supplied
Crew cabin – deck, cupboards, toilet totally renewed and renovated
Doors –new locks supplied and half of them replaced and the remaining will also be done in a day or two.
AC drains leaking to rooms – all fixed
New chairs and plastic table supplied
New stock of light bulbs supplied for replacement
Enough glass, plates, cutleries etc for kitchen and dining supplied
Towels, pillows, pillow cases – new stock supplied
AC’s serviced and tested in all the rooms
New battery sets for main engine and generators supplied
Additional tools, paint supplied for regular maintenance

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

Hi All,

            World Surfaris is proud to announce that we have launched our Specials for 2011 Get In Early – Click here and Get In Early for next year’s  Sumatra and Maldives surf trips !

-Need the inspiration to GET IN EARLY the below snaps were taken throughout 2010 Indian Ocean Season 2011 will deliver more of the same, Enjoy-

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

This E-mail has come in from a group of surf stoked customers. Some great waves and we at World Surfaris are genuinely pumped for them cause this is what it’s all about!!! Want your own swell stoke in the Maldives click here to see where we can put you !!

Sent: Monday, 26 July 2010 1:13 PM

To:World Surfaris

Subject: End of epic week in the Maldives

Hi Shaun,

We are nearing the end of this charter and what a hell one it has been for waves as the swell has hung all week. We have had a Southeast swell, so as you know it pushes into all the breaks including the breaks in the South Atolls, which we usually can head to for smaller waves. It has been the most solid swell I have had here, 6 to 8ft with bomb sets coming through cleaning everyone up. Mate people think the Maldives is mellow, it may be most of the time but you and I know that when there’s swell it’s game on. Talking to Brian and the other guides they reckon it has been the most consistent biggest swell they have seen.

I have not seen so much carnage on one trip as we have 3 broken boards, 5 with busted fins, 3 leggies snapped, dings, reef scrapes and aching bodies. The week started with 3 big days at Sultans and Jails, then another 2 big days at Kandooma. It was that big down they’re that the channel at Riptides was closing out!!

The last 2 days we have been at Cokes and Chickens where we have scored great 4 to 5ft waves and there have been us and 2 other boats.

Heard from Richard that it has been packed at Sultans so we have scored well.

Has been another great charter with a good bunch of guys, although very tired and sore Ha Ha. They were stoked with the boat, food and the service they received.

I will be on Handu next week and will leave early to be back on the boat next Monday.

Have attached some pics from the week for you to see.

Cheers

Gav

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

The Maldives Outer Atolls yielded some great conditions for a group onboard the Handhu and well…. we thought it would be remiss of us not to share it.  Especially now as Winter is  sinking her teeth into the usually warm pacific ocean chilling the water and leaving us shivering in our wetties. So if your dreaming of charging epic waves whilst maintaining a healthy body temperature why not try the Indian Ocean – Sumatra and the Maldives offer warm water, perfect waves, beautiful surrounds and all the while you can feel your toes.  Perfect tropical bliss…….

PS – Check out our surf guide “Stumpy”  in the double over head.

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

After recently returning  from the Maldives - Southern Atolls on a 12 day trip on the Handhu,  Andrew Johnston dropped us a line to fill us in on his trip. The report more or less sums up the ultimate surf trip and the pictures say what the words can’t.

The Maldives is looking more and more attractive with this season shaping up very nicely feel free to visit the link and have a look at what could be your perfect surf get a way.

A big shout out and huge thanks to Andrew Johnston for getting back to us with the great pictures even if they did make us a little jealous!

SOUTHERN ATOLLS – MALDIVES

I have just returned from the Southern Atolls surf trip in the Maldives. I used to work the area years ago as a surf guide and have not been back for about 7 years choosing to travel to Indo as a cheaper option. I have been telling my friends for years how good the Southern Atolls are and we should get over there but we have taken until now to make it over (what were we thinking)…

After spending 12 days on the Handhu we all  agreed that we had just experienced the best surf trip any of us had ever been on (and we have been on a lot). The surf did not get below 3ft the whole time and it was consistently in the 4 – 8ft range and we were  able to surf every break in area on our 12 day trip. And for the myth “The Maldives is for longboarders” the Southern Atolls has a whole lot on offer. The only longboarder I saw was one paddling in as his long board was not long any more after being snapped in two on one of the smaller days.

 Not only did we surf all day but our nights and early mornings were spent fishing with alarm clocks being set at 3am for the early morning Tuna run… We often found ourselves asking the question “Are we on a surfing holiday or a fishing holiday” even the guy’s who have never fished before were pulling monsters out of the deep which would then be straight into the kitchen and on the table for lunch and dinner.

 The Handhu is by far the best boat working in the Southern Atolls being large and spacious that you never felt liked you were living in each other’s pockets. The crew, the boat and the food was far above anybody’s expectations and I only had 2 things to do each day which was put suncream on and wax my board and 2 decisions to make each day which was when to surf and what time to crack a beer.

 On a whole I think the Southern Atolls of the Maldives would have to be one of the most under rated surfing and fishing destinations around which is still hanging onto its untouched beauty.

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

Working for World Surfaris has offered me a lot over the years, never more so than when

I was invited along to the boss’s yearly Maldivian pilgrimage.

Not only did I get to be part of a voyage of discovery to remote parts of the Maldives and

surf waves few have done before. The remoteness and flexibility of our itinerary enabled

us to roam with a sense of freedom and enjoy the sprit of travel few of us would feel again.

The vastness of the journey still lingers in my mind and I find myself day dreaming about

the deserted perfect set ups.  Not a reef pass went by un-scrutinised on our charts, as

our aim was to find a hidden jewel we would claim as our own.

Shaun Levings, Managing Director of World Surfaris and a surf veteran of the Maldives 

(this trip being his 12th visit), planned the voyage. He invited along a band of misfits 

and before we knew it we were touching down in Addu Atoll where the good ship 

‘Handhu’ and crew where waiting our arrival.

Our first surf wasn’t all time but the sun was out, the water was translucent and not 

another surfer for 1000 miles. We couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. We surfed a 

right and a left off the island of Villingilli as they were the best on offer.  Then the 

conditions led us towards Gaaf Dhaal Atoll. With a six hour crossing under our belts 

we arose the next morning to 3’ Blue Bowls, our surf guide vowing it would be better 

on the mid tide. A quick steam to Tiger Tracks, a consistent left was in order. Tiger 

Tracks, has a unique wave pattern with strips of reef with stripes of white sand run 

adjacent to each other giving a tiger stripe effect that stops you mid paddle to gaze  

in awe. As our surf guide predicted Blue Bowls was pumping. 3’ to ‘4 foot magic. 

Again ‘Handhu’ anchored in the channel.

After a few days in Gaaf Dhaal we were steering north again. Back in search of the 

unknown and with not much swell predicted morale was still high. Until it became 

evident we were nearly out of beer only a few days into the voyage. To cut a long 

story short Shaun managed to get a fresh supply flown in, which was no easy feat. 

To the Maldivian crew it might have seemed a little eccentric, but what’s a surf trip 

without a few arvo beers!  We passed amazing set ups, if only the swell and wind 

would be in our favour. “World class” and “potential” were among a few words thrown 

around. We could only imagine what might have been as we cruised through the narrow

reef passes.

Fishing was a highlight onboard and there was always a line or two out as we cruised 

between atolls or breaks. Some memorable catches were landed from Wahoo, Barracuda, 

Yellow Fin Tuna, Coral Trout and many more varieties of fish even the odd small shark. 

As we continued north a further assessment of conditions was made and we needed 

to head northwest to Thaa Atoll to squeeze the most of the predicted one meter 

southwest swell. A blessing in disguise, as it was flat everywhere else on the East side 

of the Maldives at the time which was totally unseasonable.

We were the only surfers in the Maldives at the time on track to catch the small southwest swell. 

Thaa Atoll became home for the next couple of days.

We held anchor at a wave we named Handi (Ghost wave). Named after our Captain 

Igay who claimed he saw a ghost while we were anchored there. We surfed Handi at 

3’ to 4’ and a fraction bigger on the low tide pulse.  Not another surfer in sight just 

the odd passing fishing boat on the horizon. The wave was similar in characteristics 

to Point Cartwright and walled up for over 100 metres into a classic little tropical bay.

As the swell was almost gone and the trip was nearing its end we were treated to a 

few unexpected moments.

We visited a small remote fishing village which had been hit hard by the Boxing Day 

Tsunami. The villagers faces told stories of hard times, mine must have looked like a 

blank canvas in comparison. We were granted permission to go to the village school 

where we received a celebrity style welcome.

A final throw of the dice and we ended up in Dhaal Atoll and surfed a right later to be 

named Mauroof after Martey our surf guide. Martey managed to get a couple of barrels 

in the 2’ waves. The place has huge potential.

Even though we were not blessed by Huey with epic swell, it’s all part of the adventure 

of surf travel. It was an amazing situation to be in, leaving it totally up to Mother Nature. 

As she supplied us with waves for our soul, fish for our belly, good weather to travel in 

and memories for a lifetime.

Graham Elder, Brad Lawless, Malcolm Haylett, Shaun Levings, Keith Anderson & Gary Salkowski (in front)

For more info go to www.worldsurfaris.com

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

As I’m often asked about suitable boards for the waves here in the North Male region of the Maldives I thought I’d write a quick, general answer for guests who might be on their first trip and who are unsure about the most important part of their luggage. Though I do think that Board choice is a very personal issue and the range of Boards so varied that it’s quite a difficult topic to address!. I’ve also covered a couple other points that may or may not be of interest to Surfers visiting the Maldives.

The waves here in the Maldives are all about fun. It’s one of the most consistently “surfable” areas I’ve ever lived in. “Lohis” had rideable waves pretty much every day last season and now, nearly four months into this season, it’s a similar picture.

Of course there are degrees of “rideable” – I started surfing on the English Channel,(where knee high onshore slop would get us excited!!)before moving to Angourie on the far North Coast of NSW where the variety, consistency and quality of waves is just incredible.

I’ve never returned to the English Channel, though I’ve never forgotten it! Those early days instilled in me a philosophy that dictates my life today, and is obvious whenever a guest asks me “is it worth Surfing today?” My reply, 95% of the time, is that “it’s always worth going for a Surf!!”  I’ve found that nearly everywhere in the World, the Waves are better once you’re out there and also, that you feel physically and mentally refreshed after being out in the Ocean.

However, It’s not a case of me pushing guests to surf every hour that God sends!  a common complaint here is “burn out” – new arrivals will often get up for the early at “Lohi’s”, then have breakfast before coming  on a three hour boat trip to the waves nearby. After lunch they Surf “Lohis” again before the afternoon boat trip – on which we Surf until sunset….after a couple days of this even Laird would need a rest so “listen to your body”  – there’s a fine line between pushing yourself to get out there and pushing yourself to exhaustion. This is when using the Internet swell forecast sites is wise, – if you’re getting tired or pressured to spend time with your partner(??) check the forecast – if it looks good for a few days before a period of less swell or unfavourable winds the smart move would be to push yourself to surf as much as you can while its good, but at the same time promising your body/wife/girlfriend a day or two of not surfing so much - to coincide with the forecasted drop in swell/on shores, but do you trust the forecast?

Anyway back to boards!

Abilities range widely. If you’re very much a beginner you have to ask yourself if you really want to be surfing over reef, even if it’s the most forgiving reef !! At the same time if your favourite waves are big Chopes, Pipe or Mav’s you may find the waves here too mellow. However the beauty of surfing the Maldives is that there’s usually something for everyone, which in turn means a variety of board’s can be ridden. On the “typical” Maldivian day (3-4ft “not too heavy not too light” with light winds or glassy conditions) whatever you ride at home is going to go just fine for you out here. On this “typical” day, if based at Lohis with a “Boat Pass”, you can choose to surf a wave that best suits your ability, expectations, and surfboard. If you want to surf a right you have Jails, Sultans or Cokes to choose from….on this “typical” day Jails might be smaller, just waist to shoulder high  with a bigger set every twenty mins.. but it’s peeling perfectly down the reef and so much fun on your Fish/Quad or twinnie…or Mal. While on the subject of longboards out here, let me just stress how easy it is, on a day like the one I’m describing, to have the “best surf of your life” on your longboard – The waves are so glassy and you find yourself in the perfect position time and time again! Its breaking perfectly down the reef, you make all your waves and never even have to duck dive, you’re back out the back in no time and theres another perfect wave coming your way…..how could you not go it?!!  You know what I’m getting at here!! If you’re out on your Longboard really try to be the Surfer setting a good example and don’t be greedy: don’t take a wave every set, or even every other… be extra aware of the other guys in the water and you will make many friends!?!….If there’s three or four guys out the back on Longboards, and they’re getting most of the good sets you can be sure that resentment is building in the pack….take time out, sit wide, look around and really notice where you are…as Surfers we can become so “Wave Blinkered” – I’ve had guys miss huge Manta Rays glide beneath them, or pods of acrobatic Dolphins not fifty meters away! I’ve seen guys not noticing amazing “light show” sunsets and even say they “didn’t hear” the haunting intonating of the Mullah calling the local faithful to prayer….stop, breath, take it all in…what we’re doing is so much more than just the moment we’re actually riding a wave…

anyway…on this “typical” day in these small, fun, perfect waves at Jails, whatever you’re riding is going to be so much fun….

Meanwhile, on this same day, if you chose to go up to Cokes you might find some heavier  head high waves barrelling over shallow reef. Cokes is a wave that really suits a standard short board, the take off is faster, especially at low tide, and it really is a case of take off and set up the barrel. Most longboarders struggle to fit their board into these fast breaking waves, sometimes with a couple 4′6 ’s  as a reminder that perhaps they’d have been better off at Sultans or Jails!! Though funnily enough I recently warned a guest who wanted to surf Cokes on his longboard, He patiently listened as I told him how it’s “not the best longboard wave’ and gently tried to persuade him elsewhere, before telling me he’d give it a try anyway… straight off the boat he swung late under the lip of a double over head wave, made the critical drop look easy, then proceded to carve five or six huge turns right past me!!! turned out he was Australian U18 National Longboard champ! So there are exceptions to the rule! Also, generally, fishes and other wide tailed craft don’t do so well on the sucky take offs at Cokes but I’ll talk more about that later.

The third Right that I mentioned is Sultans. This wave suits pretty much everyone!. Its great fun on a Mal, Fish, Quad, Twinnie, Shortboard you name it!  There are so many different take off areas the crowd can spread out. Again, on our “typical” day, the sets might be head high or a bit bigger but hitting in two or three different areas of reef. –  The end section is the hollowest, often throwing out some good barrels and is the favourite haunt of guys on short boards. Where as the furthest peak out is usually the mellower takeoff and the domain of guys on longer boards. Between the two areas is a “fun park” of peaks, ramps and walls where anything goes!.

There is actually a forth Right – just across the channel from Lohis is Ninja’s – an occasionally very fun, but usually very weak, mushy right that is rarely crowded. If it’s small and clean, Ninja’s can be a lot of fun. We have had some arvo sessions out there with just a handful of guests wishing to surf alone. Just recently we loaded the Dhoni with a Stand Up Paddle Board, two longboards, two fishes and a single fin and some swim fins and everyone took turns riding different craft and going five up on a wave!!

Ninja’s is the best option if you’re not super confident but be aware that it’s still reef and the channel can have strong currents…

Going back to our “Typical” day. Now you want to go left and again you have three options: Straight out the front – the wave we check every day, possibly the most consistent wave in the Maldives…Lohis its head high and breaking quickly down the reef. the bigger sets are overhead and breaking wide down at “Bobbys” while the smaller ones hit deeper up the reef. It’s powerful and quite “sucky” even when only head high and the “goofys” are getting good little tubes…Not the best wave for Mal’s unless it’s small, when it becomes great fun.

Lohi’s deck is a perfect filming platform and a really nice place to hang out… It’s also a great place to try a couple different boards – leave one in the racks while surfing another, then come in and switch…you never know you may be able to persuade someone to film you – by far the best way to learn about your surfing!

Across the channel from Cokes is Chickens – a long long left.  If the winds still good it’s an easy take off before peeling down the point getting faster and faster. A truly World Class wave on its day, though far more fickle than Lohi’s.   Like Sultans, the peak further out is the mellower take off on a longer board. The inside is more sucky and often a good barrel. Ideally you make it all the way through, laying down some big turns “out the back”, before getting barrelled through the inside! Chickens is not a good place to get caught inside especially if you’re riding a long board that’s hard to duck dive - the end section seems to break further and further down the reef….It will let you out eventually, just keep on paddling! A great wave for pretty much any board, though wide tails on the super sucky insiders can be an interesting combo!

The third and least consistent left we surf is Honkys, situated just one hundred meters across the reef from Sultans. A classic wave that sometimes “bends” around the island getting more and more intense.. Again the outside is the easier take off. Boards aside it’s a wave that if it’s “on” just get out there whatever you’re riding!

So, back to packing! 

If you ride a standard short board bring it, plus a back up of similar or the same dimensions – you might be thinking “I hardly ever snap boards” but I think that it’s a shame to come all this way without a back up just in case you snap your favorite board… It’s also a very good idea to bring a step up board. By this I don’t mean a gun, rather a board just slightly longer and perhaps more drawn in than you’re every day board. For EG, most days here I ride a 6′0 x 2 1/4 x 18 1/2 rounded square tail. (I’m 5′8 and 71kgs) this board is fast and responsive and is my board of choice for most days out here. However, when it’s pumping and “Cokes” is barrelling or “Jails” is “freight training” I’ll step up to a 6′1 or 6′2 of pretty much the same dimensions, maybe 2 5/16  but  a round pin – I find at Cokes, where ideally you take off behind the peak and “back door” the barrel sections, having a pin tail gives so much more confidence. “Cokes” can really “draw” off the reef and a board with a slightly narrower tail holds in so much better than a typical squash. If it’s a big thick swell with some chunky “double ups” I ride a 6′3 x2 5/16 x 18 1/2.  Guys sometimes turn up with 7′+ guns because they’ve heard about big barrels at Cokes but the reality is that they’re better off on a shorter board that fits into the curve of the wave face. I think that good positioning and paddling power are far more beneficial than extra inches in sucky waves – often I see guys on longer boards paddling for a wave just a bit too far out on the shoulder, which ironically is where they feel safer, however they don’t find themselves in the sweet spot and end up getting into the wave so late or in that dodgy situation where you’ve not caught the wave but you’re going too fast to pull back and you end up sucked over in the lip!!

However at “Jails” and “Sultans” on big days a slightly longer board can feel so good. Sultans especially, is a big peak that can rear up out of the deep channel. I’ve seen “Stumpy” – the guide from the “World Surfaris” charter boat “Handu fahli”, paddle into some beautiful peaks at “Sultans” on his longer board, with plenty of foam under his chest. The bigger board with a greater planing surface enables him to build up his paddling speed and get into the waves with a minimum effort.

Also at Jails, to make the wave, it’s sometimes essential to “take the high line” ie, the wave is breaking quite fast, so rather than dropping down and doing a bottom turn, you need to get into it early and angle your take off and do a “mid face pump” to race the section. Once you’re flying “down the line” you can start to link your turns together. A bigger board can help you get into the wave early, and allow you to set up your first turns with out getting “caught behind” the section.

The other time I sometimes ride a bigger board is if the waves are good but the current strong. The currents can be an issue here, though they rarely last more than a couple hours and can in fact work in your favour. If it’s crowded I actually quite like to surf when the current is running as it spreads everyone out. If you’ve put your time in and have good paddling arms the current is your friend!! If you have a bigger, longer board, you’ll find it really helps while paddling back out – put your head down and focus on your breathing and you’ll be back “out the back” before you know it!

Back to “degrees of rideable”!  So far every day this season it has been possible to ride a wave, either at Lohis or down at Sultans. Most days your standard board is going to be just fine. But like anywhere, the Maldives can have periods of small, weak waves. These are the days when you’ll be so pleased you packed that board that goes good in junk!! I remember a week last season when the waves were really quite bad, but luckily I had two guests who had seen the poor forecast before they left Australia and packed a couple 5′4 Fish’s (one shaped by by Skip Frye and another by Rich Pavel), a 7′0 Mini Mal and their normal short boards. It was one of the most fun weeks I’ve ever had here! – everyone sharing boards and having so much fun in the small waves. (and the swell picked up, un-forecasted for the last two days of their trip!!) It is so clear the extent to which your attitude really dictates your overall experience – if you see small waves or a bad forecast for your holiday it’s so important to try to stay positive. If you’re travelling with your Wife of Girl friend don’t let the small waves spoil your time together (it’s no ones fault!) – in fact she might be so grateful and happy to be able to spend more time with you that she wants to do more “Surfing Holidays” …. Anyway, if you have one, and the space in your Board bag, pack a board that will go good in case it’s small.

So, to summarise: 

Your everyday board is going to be fine. If you can, pack for the possibility of both bigger and smaller days. Also consider what you’ll ride if you break or damage your favourite everyday board.

Booties…most guys don’t wear them. If you’re surfing from the boat you jump off “out the back” and get picked up after your last wave in the channel. (Boat anchors in the channel so feel free to bring a second board/water/camera etc) Ideally you don’t spend any time on the reef!! The only place some guests do like to wear Boots is Lohi’s, as you do get in and out over the reef but it’s very much a personal choice and most people wear them only once.

Also bring a Mask and Snorkel – this really is some of the nicest water in the World!

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.