Mid August 2019, my 16 year old son and I travelled to the Maldives, to stay at Hudhuranfushi Resort and surf the world famous left hander, Lohis.
After working for World Surfaris for about 18 months, I was yet to visit the fabled Lohis and I was especially excited for this holiday knowing how much my clients have raved about it during this time. I’m delighted to let you know, the resort and the wave certainly lived up to the hype and my expectations were blown away. My son Jack, was simply at a loss for words!
For starters, I could not fault Singapore Airlines. Great with our surfboards which were checked straight through to Male and made it unscathed. Super friendly cabin crew and an in-flight entertainment system that made time fly…no pun intended.
I opted to stay overnight in Male at the Champa Hotel, which was great to experience the narrow streets, culture and the delicious food of Male. Authentic Roti and Dahl for breakfast which really confirmed we were a world away from our everyday lives. The taxi ride cost USD$5 one way from airport to hotel and the same heading back to the airport.
The following morning, we travelled to Hudhuranfushi Resort.
We knew we were in for something exceptional as the swell rolled underneath our boat during the 30 minute transfer to the resort. Excitement was shared by all on the boat who were majority surfers. The wind direction was coming from the West which made for perfect offshore conditions and swell about 2metres from the South East.
To our delight Lohis was pumping. First impressions were AMAZING. What a perfect left hander! Smooth, glassy, wave after wave rolling in. It was every goofy footers dream, and perhaps some natural footers.
Our Lohis room was so close to the break that you could hear every wave crashing along the Lohis reef. As day broke, a beautiful peeling wave could be seen from your bedroom window. How GOOD is that! Wax up, chuck some sunscreen and zinc on and walk less than 50 metres to access the break!
Lohis is so consistent that your surfing improves immediately from your first wave. Great wave to perfect your turns and airs as described to us by a number of experienced and professional surfers who were at Lohis doing exactly that! Sally Fitzgibbons, Keely Andrew, Bronte Macauley and one of Jack’s favorite surfers, Matty Wilko were all on hand taking advantage of the amazing waves Lohis is known for. They were all true professionals and super friendly in and out of the water! It was amazing to watch them tear Lohis apart and then share a cold drink with them on the deck at Lohis.
I was super impressed with the leadership of Richard Kotch, and the surf guides are amazing too. They are all great surfers and its fun to watch when they get out there. Their number one priority however is you and this was always felt in and out of the water.
Because my son, Jack was so hooked on surfing and hanging out with his surfing heroes, it gave me plenty of free-time to relax and unwind. I had a massage, dined in the Sunset restaurant one night, (if you sit out on the balcony you’ll see the black tip reef sharks swimming in the shallows at high tide). I participated in Yoga most mornings and my bill after 6 nights only came to about US$500.00 which I felt was fantastic value for money!
I highly advise to take your own first aid kit. Richard has some items in the surf office but it is limited due to the lack of supply in the Maldives. Antiboiotic cream, waterproof bandages and insect repellent are a must.
OH… and make sure you get everyone together and have a hermit crab race. Hint: Make sure your shell has a hermit crab in it! haha
Looking forward to returning and look forward to helping plan your next surf adventure to Hudhuranfushi Resort.