Rip curl - surfing in the Maldives

The explosion in popularity of the Maldives has brought with it a wealth of superlatives attempting to capture the allure of this Indian Ocean archipelago. ‘Dream destination’; ‘heaven on earth’; ‘paradise found’ – we’ve heard them all. And yet even this stunning holiday destination has its detractors. This significant minority have often claimed they have little interest in visiting the Maldives on the basis that if you’re not interested in sunbathing or diving, there’s ‘nothing to do’. In the past there was a degree of truth to this, however, recent developments are putting this one final objection to the sword once and for all.

One of the hotel companies ensuring the guest experience is better than ever is Four Seasons. The company has two properties in the Maldives, Kuda Huraa and Landau Giraavaru. Both have their own distinct identities, but one element they share is that while they retain all the core ingredients of the stereotypical Maldives holiday, they’ve gone way beyond this in a bid to enhance the guest experience.

The first shock when arriving at Kuda Huraa is when I discover it is home to a globally renowned surfing school. If I were in Hawaii, California or Australia, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, but my mental image of the Maldives was of the Indian Ocean looking like a millpond, rather than playing host to world-class surf.

A conversation with Tropicsurf instructor Chris Prewitt soon enlightens me. Chris is originally from Florida but after a couple of years chasing big waves on the North Shore of Oahu he moved to Australia, where he joined Tropicsurf, which has twice been voted Surf School of the Year. Tropicsurf set up its operation at Kuda Huraa in 2002 and has been catering to ‘luxury surfers’ ever since. Chris has the relaxed air and contagious enthusiasm of a man who is able to live out his passion every day. It is this, along with his 30 years of surfing experience, that makes him such an outstanding teacher.

As Chris puts it: “Surfing to me is freedom. It’s a bit like medicine to me. If I don’t have it, I’m really missing it. One of my most memorable moments is my first trip to the Maldives, when I realised that this would become my new office. It is one of the only places in the world that is as good as the postcards. The natural beauty is second to none. There are not many places in the world where you can share your surf time with manta rays and turtles, all within arm’s reach.
“The atolls in the Maldives are located in a prime position in the Indian Ocean to receive perfectly shaped swells from miles away. In addition to this many of our guests will spend 10 days on a trip and not see another surfer in the water. There are not many places in the world that this can happen anymore. It is truly 
a surfers’ paradise.”

As well as those guests who travel to the resort specifically to surf, Chris and his team also offer introductory sessions for novices in Kuda’s beautiful lagoon, and I can testify based on personal experience that it’s a captivating thrill regardless of skill level. Lying on your board at the end of a lesson, with the marine life swimming below you in the clear water and the sun blazing above, you suddenly understand those surfing addicts who talk about feeling at one with nature. It’s a spectacular setting and a truly immersive experience.

A visit to Four Seasons’ other resort in the archipelago, Landau Giraavaru, reveals a ground-breaking initiative that not only provides an enthralling guest experience, but also plays a substantial part in protecting and preserving the unique environment of the Maldives. The team at the Marine Discovery Centre work tirelessly on sustainable projects ranging from sea turtle protection to building coral frames (artificial reefs). The centre is managed by Swede Patrik Svensson PhD, who has extensive experience in ecology and environmental biology. Svensson did his first-ever dive in the Maldives at the age of 13 and says, “It was exciting to be able to go back to the birthplace of my underwater experience. Our aim here is to help tourists to understand the importance of marine protection – the plight of turtles, sharks, dolphins, coral reefs and related ecosystems.

“We offer a lot of environmental awareness on the simple things tourists can do to contribute. If a guest walks away with one or two eye-openers as to the fate of the ocean ecosystem and how they may be able to help or spread awareness to friends and family, I will be very happy.”

To that end, the centre runs a number of nature-based guest experiences. There are guided tours of the centre itself, where you can learn more about the invaluable work that is being done, and during that there is the opportunity to participate in turtle feeding sessions. Visitors can also sponsor, adopt and name one of the resident turtles, and the team subsequently keeps them updated on the progress and growth of each turtle. They are also developing a website that guests can log into after they have left the resort, to see how their adopted ‘baby’ is thriving.

In 2001, Four Seasons started working with Maldivian environmental consultancy Seamarc to improve coral cover around Kuda Huraa. This partnership has gone on to become one of the most successful projects of its kind in the world, Reefscapers (www.reefscapers.com). The project has transformed previously empty reef flats into thriving marine ecosystems and again, guests are invited to play an active part in this through building and sponsoring some of the coral frames.

With many of the leading resorts adopting Four Seasons’ approach to a more holistic holiday experience, one suspects the biggest challenge facing future visitors will be having the time to squeeze in some of the more traditional pastimes – after all, who wants to just sunbathe when you could be surfing in one of the most spectacular environments on the planet, and who wants to just snorkel when you could be getting your elemental energies balanced? Whatever activities visitors eventually opt for, the one thing you can guarantee is that the small minority who have somehow resisted the lure of paradise now have no excuses left.