Beacons
In line with the name, Beacons is the first spot surf charters usually stop at when traveling to Huvadhoo Atoll from the central atolls. Yet, even though it is first, it may not be the best break to ease into your Maldives surf trip, as many consider it the most powerful wave in the Maldives.
An exposed reef break, Beacons is a righthander that is both fierce and fickle. While consistently providing surf, it is really only surfable in a clean southwest swell. Swells from any other direction almost always lead to straight close-outs onto an unfriendly and unrelenting coral reef. Thankfully Maldivian summers are partial to southwest swells, and Beacons often lights up during the clean ground swells of summer.
Although the reef is always a little shallower than preferred, the right swell direction causes the wave to break cleanly down the reef in all stages of the tide. When the northerly wind meets that southwest swell, Beacons barrels up into the type of wave you have set as your computer screensaver—beastly, hollow, and beautiful. Ranging from two to ten feet, Beacons is certainly not the safest wave to surf in the Maldives, but it may very well be the most exciting—especially when it gets big.
You can return to the main page for the Northern, Central, or Southern Atolls by clicking the buttons on the right. Or you can navigate to any of the breaks within the Southern Atoll region by clicking on the break name below. If you have any questions regarding regions and waves, what is included on the surf trip, or any other questions regarding the maldives surfing experience, please visit our FAQ page or contact us.