Ask Huey - Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update

Home

Polarized Eyewear

SMS Weather

Rain Radar

Wind 7 Day Forecast

Wave 7 Day Forecast

Wind Observations

Tides / Lunar

Sea Temp

Forecast / Warnings

Current Observations

News / Forums

Join Here

Contact Us

Ask Huey Forum

home | post reply | threaded view | help

Boardwalk :: Forum List

Publications

Australian Surfer

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/08/18 11:53 Welcome to this installment of Maldives surf travel information. During peak season we provide our subscribers with information regarding surf conditions for the past week and the projected forecasts. Included is our “Wave of the week section” and information on different surfboards to consider for surfing in the Maldives. See you next week with the latest update in the Maldives.

Board of the Week

McTAVISH FIREBALL

Easy wave catching, fast acceleration with the most natural feeling turns are just the beginning. Step forward to the mid-trim zone, and the FIREBALL simply speeds down the line. Two more steps and you're on the FIREBALL'S wide nose, just walking on water with no visible means of support!
Comfortable, predictable, natural. The best Longboard going! Click here to find out more.

Tricks of the Trade

I don’t truly understand the pro’s and con’s of different fin systems all I know is I have 4 sets and some work really well in some boards and not so much in others. I have swapped around fins in all my boards and have seen remarkable differences in performances and the feel of boards through different fins. Speak to your local surf shop owner about fin systems. Let him know what boards you have and the level of surfing you are at. Depending on your local waves or the surf trip you are about to embark on he may suggest some fins to try. FCS are doing a fin trial system through some surf shops so you can actually try different fins without purchasing them.

What’s happening!

Since last weeks report we saw another couple of days of perfect waves then things got a little ugly, a dreaded onshore surfaced in the Maldives. It was only about 10 knots but it sure did spoil the party for 5 days straight. Luckily we had good weather and a boat of Emirates Hostess girls to entertain us for a couple of the days. The waves dropped from perfect 4 to 6 foot last week to end up at 2 to 3 foot of pretty average conditions. Still the sun was out and the call was made “at least it is better than at home and not a wetsuit in sight.” The winds are currently from the North West and the reports look like some waves in the future will be on offer. We have had 2 weeks of South East swell direction and this has been pretty much the first good run from this direction all year. A new swell is on its way (4 foot) so we should see a bump in size later this week. As we enter late August/September we should a more consistent run of glassy days and the Euro’s go home as their summer holidays are over!

Surfer Profile

This weeks surfer profile is Michael.

Michael is one of those older guys who has obviously surfed his whole life and has one of the best styles I have seen. I loved the soul arch bottom turn and the hang five nose rides on his carbon fibre fish. Michael felt comfortable in all conditions and his experience from surfing all round the world shows. He knows where to sit in a line up (even if it is on the inside of everyone) and has a good sense of what’s makeable and what is not. He was one of those guys who is extremely interesting to chat to about surfing history and pretty much anything. He was one of the original inventors of the wax comb and has had his share of other ideas utilised in surfing that we now take for granted.

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/08/26 10:44 What’s happening!

I’ve just got off the phone to one of the surf guides over in the Maldives as I’ve been at home for the last week on a well deserved holiday…. The waves have been consistent once again from the South East direction. The swell hasn’t been big and there is a bit of cloud cover around and some rain but the waves have been good. The wind is from the North West so the lefts are working again. A new South West swell is on it’s way and I will arrive just in time on Monday to surf it. It should be around the 4 foot mark with winds from the North West so my favourites will be working Cokes, Chickens and if the swell direction changes in a few days down south. Speak to you next week with an update of how the waves have been.

Wave of the week

The Peak is a big wave spot that will only break well when the swell is above 6 foot. Located in the middle of a channel this deep water break is one hell of a take off on it’s day. This place can hold 10 foot easily. It also has a barrel section on the wide ones to keep it interesting. The break although big is really easy to surf as the water is very deep and the wave itself is not that critical. A friendly lip and exit point make it fun for intermediate level surfers as well. The wave stands up on a reef bombie and “peaks” into a right hander that walls up for quite a distance. It’s not the most consistent break and is pretty rare to have it firing but it’s a must to check it out on our travels south as there is not many waves like it in the Maldives.

Surfer Profile

Paul is the legendary Mick’s dad as described above. Paul managed to score a few epic waves on his holiday. Paul was one of the biggest frothing 40+ year old…… oh come on mate 50+ surfers i’ve seen. A previous “Vicco”who saw the light and moved to Ballina/Lennox heads Paul spent more time in the water than anyone, First in and last out of the water on almost every session. Paul’s first session in the Maldives involved a 300 metre paddle across the channel to the left we were about to surf. He couldn’t contain himself and jumped overboard to get out there. Little did Paul know we actually drop surfers into the line up but that was irrelevant at the time.

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/08/30 09:31 What’s happening!
It's been a bit of a slow week here in the Maldives. As expected the waves showed up on Monday but due to the South West swell direction the wave heights were a little smaller than expected. We had North West winds which limited our options as well. We managed to dodge the crowds well and had quite a few uncrowded surfs with moments of really good waves. The swell was a little inconsistent but we saw waves around 3 foot (above head height) on the sets. We are stuck in a bit of a bad weather pattern as the winds have come in hard from the North West and are predicted to be strong from the west for a few days now. There is some swell around so we will tuck in behind a few islands and should get some good waves in the next few days.

Featured Photo
This is a photo taken at Cokes in June. The swell this day started peaking with an 18 second period at 6 to 8 foot. The session was quite difficult to surf as the wave was peaking and shutting down a fair bit. It was perfectly glassy all day and with a bit of size around we were pretty much the only boat out. As luck would have it our boat had a few drinks the night before so the morning session was a little sketchy. Once the heads cleared we went onto score some pretty big waves that day and it was one of the biggest swells this season.

Tricks of the Trade
When trying Stand up paddle boarding for the first time there are 3 things to remember. Firstly have your feet side by side on the board toes level, not like a stance when you are surfing. Secondly look at the horizon, don’t look down. This will keep you balanced. Thirdly don’t paddle past your hips. Paddle from as far in front of you until level with your hips. Give stand up paddle boarding a try it is heaps of fun and as long as there is nobody around you it is relatively safe, just stay clear of the board if you are catching waves as they are big and heavy and will take someone's head off.

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/09/21 07:11 Welcome to this installment of Maldives surf travel information. During peak season we provide our subscribers with information regarding surf conditions for the past week and the projected forecasts. Included is our “Wave of the week section” and information on different surfboards to consider for surfing in the Maldives. See you next week with the latest update in the Maldives.

Lifestyle Shot

One of the features of our tours of the Maldives is the banquet on the beach one night when we head down south. Weather permitting we spend an afternoon/evening sitting on a deserted island eating dinner and having a couple of beers. The food prepared by the chef is spectacular. Sometimes the crew even bring out the traditional drums and go nuts playing and singing. It has a real tribal/African flavour and is thoroughly entertaining to see the crew go off. They are a little quiet the first few days but warm up to the guests and are good for a laugh.

Surfer Profile

This weeks surfer profile is Richard. Richard surfed a Napapa board (he is the Aussie distributor) on most of the days. The board went awesome in all conditions from 2 to 6 foot. It’s a quad set up and I’ve ridden a few boards like this and find the quads go much better than the thruster in this style of board. The best thing about these boards is the paddle power and forgiving rails. You can catch anything and glide through sections with ease.

Board of the Week

7S ÜBER FISH STAND UP PADDLE BOARD

The Über Fish is designed for Stand Up Paddle surfers who have progressed in their ability and want to add another element to their surfing.
In small to medium sized waves, you will find the Über Fish performs sensationally. It is very responsive indeed. It comes standard with a Quad Set of FCS fins but also comes with a centre fin box so can be ridden with a variety of fin options. Click here to find out more.

Tricks of the Trade

I find the best thing for your surfing is to try different shaped boards. If you get the opportunity jump on a Fish, Mal or any board you can get your hands on. It gives you a better understanding of how surfing works. You actually have to feel your rails on new boards. You will find after trying other shapes that you jump back on your old board and can push turns harder as you feel more comfortable and your confidence is up as it’s your board. You only need to catch a few waves on someone else’s board and then you feel like so much better when you jump back on your own.

What’s happening!

What a week it has been in the Maldives! The last 7 days can only be described as epic. The waves have been 3 to 5 foot depending on the tides/currents. Winds have been non-existent with the North West wind only kicking in 2 days ago with a maximum speed of 10 knots at it's worst. We surfed a barreling right for the first 4 days with only our guests out. I have never seen so many long barrels had by our guests and the performance level increased dramatically over the week. Once we had our fill of perfect rights we travelled to a long hollow left for a change of scene. The left was on fire and once again 5 to 10 second barrels were not uncommon. The swell looks a bit smaller for the next few days around 2 to 3 foot but hopefully we will see a pulse to push it back up to 4 foot. The winds will be light from the North West all week.

Post edited by: tony, at: 2008/09/21 07:13

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/09/21 07:14 Wave of the week

Jails is located in North Male and was not surfable as late as the nineties due to the jail being located on the point. It needs a South East swell direction with a bit of size. The best thing about this wave is at size the barrel on the inside section is quite an easy barrel. Last year we had this at 6 foot plus and it was the best I’ve seen it. We had a high level of surfers on board who were very capable and the barrels were coming thick and fast. This wave has 3 distinct sections and is one of the longest waves in the Maldives. It has a fatter outside section with a barrelling middle section. Down the end of the line it can get a bit nasty but pick the right one and it will spit you out every time.

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

tony

Admin

Posts: 3127

Karma: 14

Re:Liquid Destination - Maldives Update - 2008/09/21 07:14 Featured Photo

This photo was taken by Swilly on the girls pro longboard trip we did this year in late June. The shot was taken from behind the wave underwater and is an awesome photo. If you get the opportunity to surf the Maldives spend a session in the water with a mask on in the line up. It is amazing to see the wave shape and boards fly by from under the water. The water is so clear you can see everything including the surfers from behind the wave as seen in the photo.

| | The administrator has disabled public write access.

Boardwalk :: Forum List Publications Australian Surfer