Why May in the Maldives is one of our favourite times of the year and why a boat charter is the only way to go.

It’s shoulder season, and the conditions for SUP can be dreamy. With fewer crowds, we often get breaks to ourselves. July and August are peak season in the Maldives, with European holidays and the southern hemisphere winter having the biggest impact.

Of course, a small disclaimer — it’s a weather-dependent business, so I can’t make guarantees at any time of year. But we’ve been running trips in May for almost 10 years now, and they have consistently been some of our best!

Stats might show slightly bigger swells in August, but believe me, the waves in May are real and can get big enough for the most enthusiastic. However, that’s not what we’re chasing. We’re hoping for head-high to overhead waves, and that’s generally what we get. Sometimes it’s smaller, sometimes bigger — but that’s true any time of year, including August.

SUP surfing in the Maldives is quite unique compared to other destinations. First of all, the number of suitable SUP waves on a Maldives boat trip is second to none. You’ll be welcomed where we surf, not chased out of the water — and you’ll have a local Maldivian surf guide (our manager and guide Big Naan is the very best) to support you. In the Maldives, every resort and charter boat is required to have a local surf guide. They set the standard for how surf destinations should be managed: welcoming, polite, respectful, and accepting of everyone. Whether you’re on a shortboard, SUP, kneeboard, boogie board or tyre tube — there’s no prejudice, and that goes a long way on a SUP trip.

The Maldives is a long, slim country. You can cruise east–west in a day or two, but north–south stretches some 2,000 km and would take many days. At the heart is Malé, the capital. To the north, an hour or two by boat, is North Malé Atoll, home to the highest concentration of surfers, resorts and boats. This area is the swell magnet of the Maldives and has some very famous world-class waves — Pasta Point, Cokes, Sultans, Jailbreaks and Lohi’s to name a few. To the south, again only a couple of hours from Malé, is South Malé Atoll. The waves here aren’t as heavy or hollow as those up north, but they offer slightly fewer crowds and some really fun breaks — Kandooma, Quarters, Foxy’s, Riptides.

North and South Malé are where most operators focus, since they’re quick, easy and cheap to reach from the capital, with lots of resort options. For charter boats, shorter distances mean less fuel and lower prices.

We very rarely surf in North Malé. It’s crowded, the waves can be intense, and the surf culture is more prominent here — though still well managed. There are fun waves to be had, but we generally avoid it, preferring to grab a surf in South Malé on the way south or on the way back to harbour.

The next atoll down is Vaavu, which strangely has no surf breaks — maybe the locals are keeping them to themselves! From there we’re into the Central Atolls: Meemu on the east, Faafu and Dhaalu on the west. South of these are what we call the Southern Central Atolls — Thaa and Laamu.

This is where we spend most of our time. With fewer crowds and fewer resorts, boat trips here are more expensive due to the distances and limited resupply options — but that also means fewer boats. The wave choice in this region, especially with the flexibility of a charter boat like ours, is second to none on the planet.

The Maldives sits in the middle of the Indian Ocean, exposed to swells wrapping from a broad arc between southwest (SW) and southeast (SE).

• Main source (May–September): Long-period SW swells from the Southern Ocean (southwest of Madagascar and below Africa). These are the dominant “engine room” swells that deliver the consistent head-high to overhead waves the Maldives is famous for.
• Secondary source: SE trade-wind swells also reach the Maldives during the Southwest Monsoon. They’re shorter-period and less powerful, but they still add size and consistency — especially for South Malé and Central Atoll

We’d love to have you on board with us in the Maldives this May. It’s one of our favourite times of year to be out there chasing waves, soaking up the atmosphere, and enjoying everything a boat charter has to offer. If you’ve been thinking about joining, now’s the time — we can’t wait to share the line-up with you.

Any questions at all, please reach out — we’d love to hear from you.