Surfatoll | Maldives surf trip

Madihera

To the east of Approach Lights on the south side of Villingili Island, off the tip of Madihera islet, a pristine lefthander starts out at the point and wraps all the way into the inner lagoon. A long and sectiony wave, Madihera can turn from good to incredible with a sudden change in the wind.

Particularly susceptible to the wind, Madihera is a place you want to convince the rest of the passengers on your boat charter to hit early before the winds pick up too strong. It picks up a ton of swell but needs northeasterly winds to make the whole wave rideable. Any southerly or even northwest wind will totally kill the heavier barrels on the outside. The speedy, if smaller, inside waves, however, can suddenly light up during southeast winds, so keep your eyes open. The direction of the wind should definitely judge what part of the wave you want to campout on.

Madihera’s uneven reef bottom causes it to change as it breaks, meaning it offers a lot of variety as it wraps into the lagoon. The several different sections also lead to several different takeoff points, so it can be an entirely different wave depending on when and where you decide to drop-in. The sections break in long speedy walls that barrel up the heaviest where the wave hits the reef from deep water. The changes in the reef mean the wave transitions from absolute pounding to mushing out within a few feet. Typically breaking between two to ten feet and in all stages of the tide, Madihera always has a little something—and on occasion that something is incredible.

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.