every traveling surfer knows that now is off season for waves in the
maldives. every surfer knows that the waves are flat and the winds are
wrong at this time of the year. lots of my friends asked me why i was
coming in the off season because the waves are flat over here. lots of
my friends told me not to bother bringing my surfboard. to tell you the
truth, i almost wasn’t going to bring my boards because it’s so
expensive to bring it here and take it back home. but i trusted my
instinct and did what most people wouldn’t. i brought not just 1
surfboard, i brought 2.
we’ve been diving all day long and the waves have been really small, or
almost flat. 3 days ago, i got to surf for the 1st time on this trip
and i was totally satisfied with that. then today, we move spots and
outside on the outer reef had big waves breaking. i ask the dive guide
“how’s the waves?’ he tells me “i’m not a surfer, but there is a surf
spot outside on that island.” i ask him which direction it is. he says
“south/west.” i ask him what the winds are, he says “north/east.” ok,
for me, that’s like adding 1 plus 1. south/west swell with north/east
winds means perfect offshore surf. i grab my board, jump in the dingy,
and head to somewhere i’ve never been before. as i got closer, i seen
this perfect overhead left peel a 100 yards. my adrenaline went up, my
mind cleared, and all i wanted to do was surf! first wave, GOOD!.
second wave, BETTER! i did 7 full turns down the line, and rode that
wave a long way. i ended up surfing there for 1.5 hours by myself and
even got barreled. during the session, i felt like i got my surf soul
back. i knew there was a reason for this. being in the middle of
nowhere surfing a dream wave all by yourself is any surfers dream. i
could have been back in hawaii getting at backdoor, but today’s session
was one i will never forget. and the cool thing is, the waves are
getting bigger!
yes, it’s off season here in the maldives. there are absolutely no
surfers around. i haven’t been stoked on surfing in a long time. i was
screaming to myself after each wave i rode. i put my hands in the air
like i was kelly slater coming out of a 10 point ride at the pipe
masters. i felt right in place. i felt so at ease. i felt so happy.
i realized that surfing is my life, the rest are details.
**oh, not to mention getting picked up my my private driver in the
water, escorted back to our yacht, and had a 5 star lunch. if i’m not
dreaming, what the heck is going on here?
