Two Top Surf Destinations 2020

It has been a great year for surf all over the globe, with both the northern and the southern hemisphere delivering excellent waves throughout their respective seasons. Two spots that experienced brilliant seasons, and have many wonderful accommodation options are both Indonesia and The Maldives. The two destinations are our two top surf destinations for 2020.

Visiting Indonesia

An archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia is without a doubt one of the best surf destinations in the world. Home to a large proportion of some of the best waves on the planet, Indonesia is the go-to for so many traveling surfers

Economics

The Indonesian currency is the Rupiah, and there are 14,000 Rupiah to the US Dollar. So if you’re traveling in Dollars, Pounds or Euros, you’ll do well in Indonesia. Apart from the positive exchange rate, living in Indonesia is cheap, with accommodation and food and drink totally within even the skimpiest budget.

Bali

Bali is the tourist centre, and it is a great place to be based from. It has the hustle and bustle that is Kuta, and the whole of the Bukit Peninsula has excellent waves. Bali is quite crowded however, and sometimes those crowds can get a bit wearisome after a while.

For a 2.5 hours Beginner’s surfing lesson at Kuta Beach – Click here 

For Intermediate Surfing Private Lessons in Kuta – Click here

Grajagan

Just a short speedboat ride (or shorter helicopter ride) across the channel will take you to Grajagan, or G-Land, the exclusive surfing camp based on the edge of the Javanese jungle. With one of the best left-handers in the world right in front of the jungle camp, G-land is a mecca for traveling surfers the world over. The experience of living on the edge of the jungle, filed with real dangers like snakes, scorpions and black panthers, is exciting for some but scary for others. The wave makes it worthwhile regardless, and all surfers should go there at least once in their surfing lives.

See G-Land surf here – https://youtu.be/j4vzMjlqXtk

Mentawais

Further north, and exactly 100km due west of the port of Padang on Sumatra, lay the Mentawai Islands. These islands host a plethora of the best waves in the world – perfectly shaped waves barreling over coral reefs in gin-clear warm water. All surfers yearn for a Mentawai venture, and these days there are plenty of boats doing charters in the ware, as well as a number of surf camps sprouting up in front of the some of the best waves that the islands offer.  

Nias

Even further north one can find the island of Nias and the bay called Lagundri Bay. In the middle of this sheltered bay is Nias, a horseshoe shaped reef that delivers some of the best right-hand waves in the entire chain of islands,

Accommodation is cheap and readily available right in front of the break, and the water here is also warm and inviting.

See Nias surf here – https://youtu.be/cIa29oyxU3g

Visiting Maldives

The Republic of Maldives is also an island nation, albeit a small one, it is situated in South Asia, lying southwest of Sri Lanka.

It too has many wonderful and very popular waves, with a few of them having restricted access. Due to the ‘house reef’ rules in Indonesia, land owners and resort owners can lay claim to waves that break in front of their islands and resorts, as the reefs over which the waves break are attached to the islands and are thus classified ‘house reef.’

Tony Hinde discovered the Maldives surf locations and waves. He was an Australian surfer and a sailor who was shipwrecked on the Northern Atolls in 1973. Today it is a thriving surf tourism destination.

Hudhuranfushi

There are many well-known surf spots. Hudhuranfushi is one of the most popular surf spot, and the Hudhuranfushi Resort. It is a perfect left, reeling over coral reef for any takes. Within a quick dhoni (boat) ride’s distance, one can find the perfect right hand barrel of Cokes that breaks in front of a coke factory. Across the channel is Chickens, fast left that is the favourite of goofy-footers.

See Cokes surf here – https://youtu.be/QvIGvY-V0W4

Pasta Point

Around the corner is the exclusive Pasta Point, the premier wave in the area. It is surfed exclusively by the guests staying at the Chaaya Island Dohnveli Resort. This is the island and wave that Hinde chose to surf and to build a resort around, and it is the best wave in the whole of the Maldives.

See Pasta Point here https://youtu.be/Zpzx2S4sC-E

Across the channel is the exquisite Sultans, and it is a long and reeling right-hand wave with fun sections and a barrelling inside section. Around the island is a left-hander called Honkeys that barrels somewhat fiercely over the inside reef. Just a short drive away is the three-section wave called Jailbreaks named after a jail that was on the island back in the day. Jailbreaks loves a bigger swell because then it all joins up to make one perfect and long right hand break.  

The Maldives is one of the best surf destinations in the world and will be a popular choice for 2020.  

Useful Links

For Tours in Indonesia or the Maldives – Click here to go to Viator

For flights – Click here

For hotels – Click here or go to www.hotels.com