In normal circumstances, generally by this date in May we’re all head down posting photos and highlight clips of some of the first swells to hit Kandooma and surrounds, celebrating one of the more consistent months of the Indian Ocean swell season with clients and followers.

We’d be even busier taking mid and late season bookings, and of course assisting May guests with flights, last minute schedules, transfers, surf passes, meal and drink packages and the like.

Our major partner, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives, staff would be extremely busy preparing for our April through October surf season, our ever expanding Surf Music In Paradise, infamous ambassadorial trips with Barton Lynch, Shane Dorian, Pam Burridge and much much more.

 

Not a soul in sight. Kandooma Right in lockdown on the Easter Weekend 2020. Photo @surfingwithsteve

 

Unfortunately, due to Covid 19, all events have had to be rescheduled for now, but out of all the restructuring and rescheduling comes a bunch of positives.

For the first time in decades, Maldivian lineups are empty, eco-systems are breathing, and our entire team are frothing to formulate more organized systems to put in place for when the world is ready to return and enjoy the wonders of Kandooma.

 

No one around in lockdown. Photo @surfingwithsteve

 

Stephen Lanfranco and his partner Courtney run our Perfect Wave Kandooma Surf Centre, organizing daily yoga sessions, photography, surf transfers to Riptides, Quarters, Foxy’s and all the other nearby breaks, as well as hiring our cutting edge AWAYCO range of shortboards, longboards and SUPS.

I caught up with Steve earlier this week to see how life at Kandooma is presently treating him.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Ben Horvath – Steve how are you? How is life in Kandooma under covid?

Steve – We’ve been taking it day by day and keeping our body and minds busy. Far worse places to be stranded that’s for sure.

 

When you arrived was there any sign of Covid at all in the Maldives?

When we arrived at Kandooma mid March there was only a few isolated cases of Covid confirmed in the Maldives at the time on a couple of islands which were in quarantine.

 

Not a person in sight in paradise. Photo @surfingwithsteve

 

When did the Maldives and Kandooma itself shutdown?

Within a week of us arriving, the Maldives closed their borders to foreigners and put all islands on lock down. First few days of April, Kandooma made a decision to temporarily shut down. Our last guest on the resort left on April 4.

 

It must be kinda surreal being in paradise with so few surfers and tourists around?

Yeah for sure, it’s like some kind of weird dream that you never wake up from. Very strange to have nobody here except a fraction of the staff. At the same time the weather has been great, this month we have seen the winds switch from onshore to offshore. We have had the surf all to ourselves and we’re stoked to be in good health and stranded on a tropical island far away from all the craziness.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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What are you doing? What’s an average day currently look like?

Our team are running daily yoga classes for the staff and working a couple of hours a day with some volunteer projects on the resort. I’m surfing whenever possible, going to the Gym each day, reading books, learning how to climb coconut trees and play the ukulele (practising for a debut at the next Surf Music In Paradise).

 

Do you have your usual team in place? What numbers are still at the resort?

No, the rest of our team were due to arrive straight after everything started going crazy with borders closing down and islands going on lock down so there are only 3 of us here.

 

Breathe Maldivian ecosystems, breathe. Photo @aPotts

 

How have the waves and weather been?

It’s still early in the season for Kandooma so we have scored a handful of days in April plus the Easter Wkd which was epic.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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You must have had some great empty surfs?

Easter weekend was amazing! The waves weren’t huge but it was perfect overhead and the odd barrel. Not a trace of wind, water was so still like an oil slick and blue sky, visibility was insane. It was kinda like snorkelling and surfing at the same time when you caught a wave, you could see everything underneath you. We had Kandooma to ourselves (2 of us) so caught more waves in an hour than you would catch all day.

 

Have you been visiting other breaks for surfs?

No since the lockdown we have been stuck on Kandooma, which has been fine as we are happy surfing that to ourselves. We can see Riptides and Foxys have been working on some of the good days from the water villas on Kandooma.

 

Foxys. Photo @apotts

 

How has Riptides been? Any boats at all or visiting surfers from Male or anywhere at all?

No boats or any surfers at Riptides at all, just a few local kids paddling over from Guirahdoo very so often.

 

Riptides in the foreground, Foxy’s and of course Kandooma Right in the distance. Photo @aPotts

 

Are the local lads surfing?

Yes the days we have had Kandooma working, Foxys left and Riptides have been working too. I’ve seen a handful of locals scoring waves at both spots.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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Have you been communicating with surfers or Perfect Wave guides based in other areas? We have seen some incredible images from a few epic days at Cokes and Chickens?

Yes I’ve been in contact with a few boys at Jails and Cokes. They have been getting some amazing waves especially over that Easter weekend. Also I’ve been in daily contact with our guides down in Central and Southern Atolls where it has been pumping consistently this last month. Most of the waves being surfed by locals are the ones right in front of the local islands. Because it’s Ramadan at the moment you may only see a few locals surfing really early or late in the day. So there are a tonne of waves being unridden, lots of empty, perfect line ups especially on some of the outer reefs where nobody at all has been able to surf at all.

 

Cokes at Easter. Photo @MaldivesSurfPhotographer

Written by:
Ben Horvath

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