Maldives Spring '08 TR

Watching as we go through our standard Spring weather in Jackson, (Sun, rain, cold, hot, snow, wind, change at random….)
My mind has drifted towards warm waters, coconuts, flip flops, and glassy walls. How quickly it switches over in my head. Winter season done? Boardshorts, now.
Got some shots from a trip last Spring to Shangri-La La Land for waves.
Spring is a good time there for a variety of waves, you can be riding fun 3-4 ft peeling crumblers in a protected cove, or head to more swell exposed outer reef spots and ride overhead perfection. Almost all of the breaks are reef, which yields picture perfect walls, but the cool thing is that a lot of the reef is flat and uniform, not razor style like Indo. There are some shallow breaks, and if you hit the reef you’ll definitely be feeling it, but the majority of the spots we went to we could surf at a high/mid tide and if you bailed it was no big deal. In 10 days with 10 people only 2 people ever touched reef, and came away with small scrapes.

Green wave with no one out
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3602/...fa7e6ffaf3.jpg

A quick ride to the break, just hop in.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3336/...3fda9d072f.jpg

Lip smacker on outer reef
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/...6125803963.jpg

Crumbly fun at Tombstones
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3390/...fd6fe389e4.jpg

Luke pulling in on a fast one
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3365/...9b690de391.jpg

Sunsets were like this every night
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3363/...026bf77586.jpg

Me on a damn fast left
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3614/...5aa64dd847.jpg

Island chillin
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3570/...c2bdd4935a.jpg

Diving on down day
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3309/...043fd05d24.jpg

Pirate surf ride
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3582/...dab4b67eeb.jpg

Yes! Me likey! Are we talking mega $$$ though?

Very sweet CP. I'm going back to Indo this spring after going there last year for the first time. Trying to decide on a boat trip to either Maldives or Mentewais. What we're the details? Company, cost, etc.

that looks fun.

I'm headed there in July. Everything booked...not a surf trip, a honeymoon.

Looks fun!

Misty, it's not the cheapest place in the workd for surf that's for sure, but I would say the cost/benefit of trip is pretty freekin high. Right now due to the crash of the Aussi dollar operators are offering some better deals, but you're still looking at the $2000-3000 range.
I run surf trips there sometimes, and have only used higher end boats, but there are boats are are more affordable. There are trade offs though, the cheaper the boat you go on the less travel you will do and thus the breaks can have more people on them. Also if you go on a boat with randoms you are at the mercy of the mixed ability levels.
It's very similar to heli or cat skiing in that the most idea situation is to have enough friends to get either an entire boat or at least half of one. (Which can be tough unless you have some motivated friends). But you could also end up with some great folks you don't know on a boat and become friends.

Robnow, I've only been to the Maldives, but have multiple friends who have been to Mentawis too. I hear it like this, Maldives reef is flatter and less sharp, and there's lots of sweet waves. There are the most popular spots which if 3 boats show up can have 20+ people at them, but over all if you have a good captain you'll get to some goods. The mentawis have tons of waves, lots of them perfect, but the reef is very sharp and more than less of the waves are performance style and pretty darn fast. Lots of pros/photogs go there to shoot. Again, if you can foot the bill and get on one of the nice boats they will get you into spitting barrels if that's what you want.

Did you tailor the trip for less hollow fast waves? They look fun, but not hollow barreling perfection

Hugh, Yeah, the ability level for this group was split between beginners and some intermediates, so we started out on fun and smaller, and then hit some bigger ones, 10 foot was the biggest day. But it was also wave selection that determined size, for example here's 3 shots from the same day, just surfing at different breaks near each other. So there are barreling spots there for sure, but you can dial it in with ability level.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/...90639827e7.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3312/...e2a27e3671.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3595/...f818b117f8.jpg

The Maldives =


http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...a/LeoStorm.jpg


The sickness.

..nice TR.

Wow, I'm jealous. It's been on my list of places to visit for a long time. Nice work.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...a/LeoStorm.jpg

....'where Aggie?'

Definitely on the to do list. I've seen great photos of Pasta Point.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

Did you tailor the trip for less hollow fast waves? They look fun, but not hollow barreling perfection

---

The Maldives aren't known for their surf.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by supermodel159

The Maldives aren't known for their surf.

---

They are, it's just the surf is not of the heavy powerful sort when compared to Indo.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Long duc dong

They are, it's just the surf is not of the heavy powerful sort when compared to Indo.

---

erm, there's all kinds of surf in Indo and all kinds of bottom.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Long duc dong

They are, it's just the surf is not of the heavy powerful sort when compared to Indo.

---

Exactly.

I really wouldn't want to travel all the way to the Maldives to surf waves comparable to ones where I live. If I was going to spend $$$ on a surf trip, I'd pick a place with better surf.

heh.. that's what I was getting at. The heli-ski analogy is perhaps more valid for hollow indo barrels - more think they can than can, so empty fun not so gnar is probably a better call

Yeah Stein!
Sick TR for your first one!
Can't wait to see some more.

That is some hotness...water looks sooo nice right now.