Maldives Surf Report and Forecast, May 2021
The Maldives Male Atolls surf season officially kicks off in April as most Maldives surf aficionados would know – but so far May has been incredible, great winds, pulsing swells and epic sessions going down across the archipelago!
Flawless Kandooma Right on the pump 7 May 2021, exactly as we forecasted a week earlier
Although much of the world is facing travel restrictions, there are lucky surfers who have been able to take advantage of Maldives open travel. The Covid-safe plans at the resorts and charter boats have enabled surfers to score the Central and Southern Atolls though March and April. However, when it got to May, is was time for the Male Atolls to turn on!
A series of south groundswell at end of April and start of May led to some epic sessions at Cokes and Chickens on North Male Atoll.
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When the new SE swell began to push in from the 5th of May all the South Male Atolls breaks started to fire, progressing from good to epic! Steve from Kandooma took the crew up to Tuckey Joes and scored this fickle left as good as it gets.
Kandooma Surf centre manager and surf guide Steve slotted at Tucky Joes
Tucky Joes on the pump in early May
Flawless Kandooma early May
Surf Forecast Male Atolls – Late May 2021
The SE trade swell that has graced the islands in early May is now easing to about 4 foot before fading to a background level swell (green line) after Monday 17 May 2021. The strong and occasionally stormy westerly winds of last few days will also ease slowly, trending light and variable from Thursday 20 May 2021.
A significant pulse of south groundswell is inbound from Sunday 16 May (orange line) that should fire up the North Male Atolls breaks. Expect south magnets like Cokes to throw some solid overhead plus plus sets from Sunday 16th before settling back for a great week of overhead waves under good and improving local winds.
East facing breaks will be smaller but still super fun in the 3 plus range as the S swell trends SSE and background SE swell filling in.
From Friday the 20th May, the south groundswell will have dropped right back however a renewed energy from SE will supply plenty of fun waves for the East facing breaks like Kandooma. Winds will trend from West toward the South West and remain strong over the course of the entire week to 26 May so the focus will shift to the right handers.
The combinations of fun SE swells and SW winds will be heaps of fun at east facing breaks with some protection from winds out of the southern quadrant. Waves like Kandooma Right, Jails and Sultans will be the go-to.
Unfortunately, the lefts like Lohis and Pasta Point may be wind affected and side-onshore so surfers will be looking for sessions when winds trend more West.
Looking in to the crystal ball for the end of May, there looks to be a couple of swells developing. A pulse of long-period SW groundswell is set to impact from 28th May onward.
At the same time, a strengthening SE fetch south of the equator extend across a wide area of the Indian Ocean south of the equator, building from around 25 May. This indicates another round of SE swell will build and hold in the last days of May and possibly in to early June 2021.
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