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.

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.

Round one

Blake Wilson – Wins his first heat with a heat total 13.34

Round two

Blake Wilson – Wins his second heat with a heat total of 13.67 over current WQS # 6 Patrick Gudauskas and former WCT surfer Leonardo Neves!

Blake’s got a tuff heat in round three against Jihad Khodr (BRA), Travis Logie (ZAF) and Medi Veminardi (REU)

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

7th August, 2009 : - World Surfaris have today announced they will sponsor local hot prospect Blake Wilson in his qualifying charge for the World Championship Tour (WCT) of Surfing.

The 21 year-old from Alexandra Headlands who has only been surfing since he was 13 has embraced the opportunity to represent World Surfaris on the international stage. “Its great! Such a good opportunity to work with such an awesome company, sending me to the best waves in the world. You can’t ask for much more than that,”| Blake said.

The competitions begin in just a few weeks when Blake takes off to Europe with World Surfaris stickers on his board for an 8 week grueling contest schedule that will take him to France, Spain and Portugal. He will then head to a cold-water event in Canada in October before finishing the year in Hawaii.

“It is super fun travelling all around to different parts of the globe competing and experiencing different cultures but the contest side of things can get pretty tough,” he said. World Surfaris will also fly Blake to the Maldives, thousands of tiny islands south of India, to compete in an extremely important and highly rated 6-star event.

“I love going there, it’s my favourite place on tour and without World Surfaris I probably wouldn’t make it as it’s also the most expensive,” Blake said.

Managing Director of World Surfaris, Shaun Levings said “Blake is an extremely talented surfer and certainly has the potential to reach the pinnacles of world surfing”.

“He’s also a great young bloke with his head screwed on the right way which makes him a great ambassador for World Surfaris and the Sunshine Coast in general.” New signage at World Surfaris, unveiled on Tuesday at their Mooloolaba Offices on Brisbane Road, will feature Blake in action as he becomes the new face of World Surfaris.

“We are stoked to have Blake as a World Surfaris team rider and look forward to being affiliated with him over the course of his pro surfing career, which is still in its infancy,” Shaun said.

The signage will be unveiled at the official sponsorship announcement at 10am on Tuesday 11 August at the World Surfaris offices .

“You can also keep track of Blake’s success on tour by checking out his blog from mid-August at http://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.

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

Congratulations to Liza Hore The lucky winner of the Ocean Dancer competition valued at AU$6600 The winner of the World Surfaris/Coastalwatch.com Ocean Dancer competition from a total of 1191 entries is Liza Hore from Currumbin Waters, Queensland. Our panel chose 10 numbers between 1 and 1191 to narrow down the top ten and Liza’s answer was voted as the worthy winner.

Liza’s answer was

I would love to win a week on the Maldives Ocean Dancer as it would be a very memorable and special way to celebrate my 30th Birthday in August. For the past couple of years I have been rambling to my husband (who is a keen surfer) that it is my dream for us to sail around the Maldives on Ocean Dancer as my 30th Birthday celebration.If World Surfaris can make it come true I would be the happiest woman on earth. I could think of no better way to spend a week with my wonderful husband. I look at your Maldives Ocean Dancer web page at least once a week and dream for a few short minutes!

Congratulations Liza and we assure you your 30th birthday will be one to remember forever.

Total Prize Valued At AU$6600

Prize Includes 7 nights (one double cabin) onboard Ocean Dancer luxury Maldives Charter All meals, airport transfers, services of expert surf and dive guides and use of onboard equipment. Luxury surfing experience

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

This boat report was submitted by Gavin Clark the World Surfaris surf guide onboard Ocean Dancer.

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

This boat report was submitted by Gavin Clark the World Surfaris surf guide onboard Ocean Dancer.

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