Hi All,

So Richard and Amy our live in guides at Hudhuranfushi Resort, Maldives, have sent us through the latest swell report with pics. Once again we are filled with a seething sense of jealously, warm water, clear skies, great surf and super comfortable accommodation – what’s not to be jealous off? And another thing! How can Rich be so tanned if all he ever does is hang out in the green room?

May Swell Report

The World Surfaris/Hudhuranfushi surf season has been up and running for over a month now. I had hoped to post our 1^st Coastal Watch report two weeks ago, however, due to circumstances out of our control – the tragic sudden death of our laptop and the loss of many photo’s, our first report was delayed. Had I written this a couple weeks ago I would have reported, and posted photo’s of day after day of fun sessions at all our local breaks.  Our World Surfaris guests have been really enjoying the early season here at Hudhuran Fushi. We have been blessed with swell after swell, beautiful clear skies, light winds and minimal crowds. While it’s not been big, it has been so perfect. Last week we had seven days of light/no winds and consistent 3-4 ft S/SE swell. There were waves everywhere, all the spots were breaking so crowds were non-existent and the water clarity was incredible, making for amazing snorkeling! This week we still have swell, in fact it’s slightly bigger, however the wind has increased. It’s strong out of the West with the occasional gust from the South /South-West, meaning that Lohi’s is cross shore and rather ugly…. but Jails and Sultans have been good fun…. I’m not going to say “it’s been pumping” because the wind has been a bit stronger than ideal, but there have been some epic waves for those who have been keen. This has been a week to have a World Surfaris Boat Pass, a week to just jump on the boat after breakfast, no matter how bad it looks out the front, and ‘go for a look’ We have been rewarded time and time again and more often than not, have surfed alone.

All of these photos are of the last 10 days or so.  See you soon,

Rich.

jpeg #1- Idyllic island Hudhuranfushi

jpeg #2- Mid afternoon Lohis

jpeg #3- Paul Hughes, “from where you’d rather be”

jpeg #4- Paul lining one up

jpeg #5- Chris bottom turning with style

jpeg #6- Rip Curl’s, Pete Schick perfect positioning at Sultans

jpeg #7- Peter’s lip glide at Sultans

jpeg #8- Steve pulls in at Lohis

jpeg #9- Amy ripping in the light, afternoon sea-breeze at Lohis

jpeg #10- Casey on a beauty at Lohis

jpeg #11- Sergio’s apre-barrel sign off

jpeg #12- Mysto-Matt enjoying another solo-session at Lohis

jpeg #13- Barry rocking it in the pocket!!!

jpeg #14- Paul, evening light and light offshore

jpeg #15- Amy wrapping it around the end section

jpeg #16- Jackson cracking it at Sultans

jpeg #17- “Occy” Doug at Cokes

jpeg #18- Cokes end section

jpeg #19- The one that got away at Cokes

jpeg #20- Andy Arnott, into the strong offshore at Lohis

jpeg #21- Tony Paris, flying the flag and winning the heat at Lohis

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,

This has come in from our Surf Guide, Yusree from onboard the Handhu, some great waves and more coming. The Indian Ocean 2011 Season is here!!!!!

Get in on the action & Book Today!

Enjoy WS

Handhu -Male & Central atolls May 3 – 13

Day 1 we surfed at furana(full moon resort/n male) first. We had s/w winds which made it pretty good. and then decided to go to jails. It was pretty strong sw winds which made jails the best option. shoulder height in furana but about a foot over head in jails.

Day 2 surfed again at jails. Condition were great with a bit of crowd . The guests were happy staying in north male for sometime. They really enjoyed jails.  day 3 another day at jails. We had the option of going to muli with similar swell but would not have been as glassy with sw winds.  A guest got injured! (he had a deep cut from the board fin which  needed stitches. We took him to hmmafushi/jails  immediately). he had to stay away from surf for

Day3 SE swell was dropping and SW getting stronger.

Day4 Last day at jails. Though winds were strong , it was shifting a bit north sometimes so we decided to move to Muli in the morning. For the night, we came to Hulhu male.

Day 5 Left early around 3 in the morning. We were in Muli for a surf before lunch. Was very clean and around waist to shoulder height. They were a bit spoilt from the quality from jails but had some fun.

Day 6 After a morning cruise, we came to dhaalu at 11 am. Hadigilla wasn’t very good but surfable. Was sectioney. Didn’t join so wasn’t very good. Everyone was surfed out anyways so we went to an   island nearby to just relax, have some fun, snorkelling…   .Everyone was surfed out anyways, so we went to an island nearby to just relax, have some fun, snorkelling…

Day 7 Swell picked up as predicted from the forecast. And got pretty good. But the sw west wind made it a bit choppy. Later in the evening it became vey good. The sections joined an worked well with  the reforming inside section giving some powerful barrels. everyone n the water caught some barrels. I hit the reef pretty bad leaving my knees ankle and shins pretty swollen.  was frustrating  knowing that the swell picks up the most the following day

Day 8 Found out in the morning that the wind was south. So we left to kanimeedhoo. (jinni). it was good size. But even for this spot the wind was a bit too south. Was a bit choppy with super fun walls.  I got some good video footage.

Day 9 We stayed in kanimeedhoo again. The swell dropped a bit but the winds were sw which made it glassy.the guests were very happy surfing here.

Day 10 Surfed kanimeedhoo. But today was a bit too small and waves weren’t very frequent. But still had fun. The guys did some fishing and snorkelling too. We even had some locals coming from a nearby island.  nearby island.

Day 11 We surfed at kanimeedhu and left to the airport around noon. Still there were some nice waves coming to kanimeedhu. We had some n in the winds which made it a bit choppy later. We left to (No Suggestions) at noon.

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

2011 has kicked off, already reports from the outer atoll trips onboard the Handhu and Handhu Fahli have come in, and they are glowing reports. We are predicting that the 2011 season will be another cracker.

All the pics below are from the Maldives and were taken last year. We’ll be blogging about the Indian Ocean products in upcoming entries with a bit of an in depth look at each one, the breaks you can expect to surf and other tid bits of info to either get you excited for your trip or excited to book your trip. So stay posted, in the meantime have a flick through the images and get ready for the 2011 season.

Ma

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

Maldives 2010 What a Year! The sinking atoll delivered consistently throughout 2010 producing epic back to back swells to the delight of surf travellers. But enough talk……. have a flick through the images grab a ‘cuppa’ and 5 minutes to yourself and if you feel a searing regret that you missed out remember there’s always next year & now is the time to Get In Early!!!!

Big shout and huge thank you to Richard and Amy Kotch for being amazing guides, great photographers and letting us know what our World Surfaris guests at Hudhuranfushi get up to.

See y’all next year!

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

The last Hudhuranfushi Resort Swell Journal has hit my inbox…… Its quite saddening despite the relief that I will no longer have epic surf slammed brutally in my face whilst sitting at a desk. The sun set is setting on the 2010 Indian Ocean Season leaving a handful of great memories, some awesome pics and hell of  a lot of surf stoked customers grinning like loonies. World Surfaris are pumped to be a part of it and stoked to offer the oppurtunity for you to Get In Early and cash in on some savings for 2011 surf trips.  So read on flick through the pics and enjoy the last Maldives Swell Journal for 2010 …….

Last report from Hudhuran Fushi.

All photos courtesy of Richard and Amy Kotch

I’m writing this from Sagana at Cloud 9 in the Philippines. I’m looking out over a flat ocean that was by all accounts 4-5ft and perfect for three days just prior to our arrival.  Not to worry, the last two weeks of the World Surfaris season at Hudhuran Fushi left us feeling quite surfed out – it wasn’t big but the wind eventually dropped off, the skies cleared and the swell pulsed from the S/SE. Initially Jails and Sultans were the best options but for the final week with the light W/NW wind it was all about Lohi’s. There were only a handful of surfers on the island so most sessions had less than ten in the water resulting in a very relaxed atmosphere. It was a great way to end an epic season.

See you next season!

Rich

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

More surf stoke from Richard and Amy Kotch……not a sterling report but a whole lot less fickle than the local.

Want to visit Hudhuranfushi 2011 for less? – Get In Early and Save – Click Here

19^th September – 3^rd October.

Report and Photo’s by World Surfaris Guides, Richard and Amy Kotch from Hudhuran Fushi in the Maldives.

I guess it had to end sooner or later…

The amazing run of waves we’d been having is now but a beautiful memory. A memory we cling to as we try to make the most of a tiny S-SE swell while dodging crazy W-SW squalls.

No matter how bad it’s been, most guests have still managed to surf every day. I’m not trying to gloss it over, it has been the worst run I’ve ever seen, in fact the local surf guides are calling it the worst they’ve ever seen. I suppose that in a strange way it all evens out– in a season that has been so epic, in which we witnessed so many back to back swells, including one of the best swells ever seen out here, we’re now experiencing one of the worst periods ever known! However, we are still riding waves!

Most days mid to high tide Lohi’s has been the best bet – sure it’s been windy and uninviting, but there’s been hardly anyone out and the odd nugget amongst the chop. 

Sultans and Jails have been crowded with desperados but still rideable … especially to those with the foresight to pack short, fat, voluminous craft. Cokes had a couple days that, well, it wasn’t Cokes as we know and love, but it was surfable…..Kinda. Unfortunately it was pretty crowded with crew who wouldn’t want a bar of it if it was the real deal…but we moved over to Chickens and got a couple of windy ones.

I must say that the guests have been incredible about it. We have had a lot of repeat guests who have been here for the same two weeks the past few years and like them, I have always really enjoyed this time of the year – September and October are usually great fun – not big, but perfect with light winds and sunny skies… anyway, it is what it is and there’s nothing we can do about it so we just make the most of what we get, after all it is still a magical tropical island surrounded by some of the nicest water in the world. The food is great, the beer’s flowing free, and the Spa’s a bargain!!

Anyway, that’s it from me for now, I’m going surfing – Lohi’s is 2-3ft, junky but fun and there’s no one out.

See you soon,

Rich.

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,

Richard Kotch has once more seen fit to rub our noses in the general ‘epic-ness’ of the Maldives legendary surf with this fortnights swell journal. Hudhuranfushi Resort in fact all our Maldives surf range has seen epic conditions consistently producing swell after swell. It’s not over yet if you’re really keen click here to see what trips are leaving soon and you can get your own surf stoke.

Report and Photo’s by World Surfaris surf guides – Richard and Amy Kotch from Hudhuran Fushi Island Resort in the Maldives.

In my last report I foolishly penned the line “the wind has been offshore for as long as I can remember”. Well, of course the very next day I felt a strange sensation as I took my early morning walk to check Lohi’s – the wind that had been offshore for so long had swung around to the South and was blowing straight in my face! Lohi’s was unrecognizable from the sheet glass perfection of the night before. However, all was not lost as hidden under the wind chop, was a 3-4ft S/SE swell. The World Surfaris guests set off to Jails with fairly low expectations so were pleasantly surprised to find that Jails, even though it was far from the ruler edge perfection we know and love, was handling the wind, and the waves were looking pretty good. Jails is a great wave, I often describe it as “mellow, warm water J-Bay” – You take off way out the back and see a 200 m wall stretching out in front of you. There can be multiple barrel sections, which on a good swell can connect all the way through to the channel. The only problem, aside from aching legs, is that it can be very racy and hard to fit in a full turn between pits without the wave leaving you behind. On this day though it had slowed up and with the light onshore producing a “foamy lip” it was looking super rippable! I don’t think there were many barrels, but it sure was a great session for linking a few turns together and working on technique. I even found myself thinking that I hoped it stayed onshore for a couple days!!

The next few days are a blur. We spent most of our time between Jails and Sultans. The wind stayed light onshore for two days before it dropped altogether and we had a fun session at Honkies – the left just across from Sultans. Honkies is quite unique in the way it bends and breaks back towards the island then grows into a big barreling end section. However, it is very fickle being most susceptible to wind and current. But when it’s glassy we’re on it!

From the 10^th through to the 16^th we had very consistent 3-4ft S swell with light W/NW wind. We spent a lot of time up at Cokes and Chickens splitting between the left and the right. It’s not been big, but it has been so consistent – even these last few days, as the swell fades (17^th/18^th) there are still head high sets at Lohi’s, Sultans and Jails and there are rumors of a building swell tomorrow!!

OK, that’s all from me, see you soon.

Rich

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

        The latest has just come in from Richard Koch our one and only live in surf guide at Hudhuranfushi Resort-  Maldives.

Time to start palnning your trip 2010 is going off and the sesaon is running out NOW IS THE TIME!

See what trips are departing NOW!!!

Hello again from Hudhuran Fushi Island in the Maldives. We have been enjoying yet another great run of waves and weather.  I’m sitting here sun-burnt, surfed out, and very, very satisfied, trying to find a different way to say that, once again the Maldives has delivered…. It’s been pumping!!!

Our World Surfaris guests have surfed every day for as long as I can remember, though there were a couple of not so good days with small swell and bad weather back around the 9^th and 10^th of June, but generally it has been a very good few weeks. The wind has been very light so we have been able to surf everywhere. The boats have been going North and South and scoring too many times to isolate individual sessions.

The last swell built gradually – We had a week of it picking up daily from 2-3 ft sheet glass to 3-4ft to 4-6ft to an epic peak on the 18^th and 19^th, now it’s dropping off slowly. I find that guests are way more confident when the conditions improve slowly over a number of days, rather than going from shoulder high to double over-head over night. More than once I was told “that was the biggest/best wave of my life” by very happy guests. We have had a great group here this week, I must mention “the Zilla’s” who managed to break out from the stereotype to such an extent that the Aussies wanted to surf every session with them. Also Poppie, from Snapper, who at 60yrs old was paddling into set waves up at Cokes. He was here with his son Dazza who had to leave a few days earlier than his old man. “you’ll look after him aye, Rich?” he said to me during a session up at Cokes, I replied “no worries Dazza!” and promptly called the charging grandpa into one of the thickest sets of the day! Poppie made the air drop and made it to the channel in one piece, then paddled back out and gave me a roasting for not having been on the boat to get a photo!!! He’s now known as “Air drop Pop” to all!!

Inspirational stuff.

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

No pros in the Maldives in 2010

The ASP have announced the cancellation of a few events for 2010 including the Maldives Pro in early June 2010.

More info can be found at http://www.aspworldtour.com/2009/pdf/aspschedule2010.pdf

This is a prime time for great waves and the event has always been blessed with great conditions.  World Surfaris usually have a bunch of pro surfers onboard our boats over this period and with the cancellation of the event we have now opened them up for sale.  World Surfaris sponsored surf Blake Wilson is disapointed that the event has been cancelled as this event offerred quality high performance waves.  World Surfaris instead will fly Blake to The Maldives to warm up, prior to the 5 star Sri Lankan Airlines pro in Sri Lanka in Mid June that replaces the Maldives event. 

See details on our Maldives range at http://www.worldsurfaris.com/surf-travel/surf-trips/Maldives/ 

Maldives Pro 2010 cancelled

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

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