Only a few resorts attract surfers for the simple reason that only a few have a good surf point. Those that do (mostly on the east coast of North Male atoll) benefit from some of the most dedicated amateur sportsmen around. They don’t come for the usual ten days to two weeks but will stay for months on end, surfing every day and watching the videos and talking surf at night.

An increase of safari boats is now responding to the demand to find new sites around the country and the easing of regulations concerning itineraries. When and where the conditions are right, Maldives boasts some of the longest, most uniform and frequent waves a surfer can ride.

Just as importantly, there’s nobody else there.

What you need to know

The best waves appear from the transition into the Southwest monsoon and then right through almost to the end of the low season (so March to October), with the biggest swells in June to August. Waves range from 4 to 8 feet with left and right reef breaks scattered throughout the country.

The surf suits intermediate to advanced level surfers, although as resorts cotton on to the growing interest in the sport, several are trying to include surfing in what they offer to their guests.

Hudhuran Fushi is leading the way, hosting the famous ‘Lohis’ surf break and putting on two transfers a day to other points. Kuda Huraa is another emerging surf resort,  boasting its own surf school. The old-school place for surfing, where the interest first started and still a prime surfing spot, is Dhonveli.

After that you need to seek out resorts that are near to good breaks and provide boats to get there. Paradise Island and Kandooma are in this category, and there will be more as surfing gains popularity in the country.