Play Dhonveli Pro online

Go to the events official website at www.srilankanairlinespro.com and follow the links to www.fantasyprosurfing.com and www.youriding.com to access these two online games.




Both games have detailed easy to follow instructions on how to play. Like many sporting games, fantasyprosurfer.com engages participants by choosing a team of surfers with points awarded according to performance while youriding.com tackles the SriLankan Airlines Pro from an interactive wave riding perspective.

Play either or both and you’ll at least feel a little bit like you are in paradise; picture and dream of the perfect peeling points, unbelievable 30°c water temps, tropical climate... Almost as good as being there in person, maybe !

Nationals will happen on June,7th, Sunday at Dhonveli to select 2 wildcards among the top 8 Maldivian surfers. Good luck !

Past 7 WQS winners

2007 Dhonveli Sri Lankan Pro : Heitor ALVES (BRA)

2006 Dhonveli Sri Lankan Pro : Luke MUNRO (AUS)

2005 Lohifushi Deep Blue Oneill : Daniel REDMAN (ZAF)

2004 Lohifushi Deep Blue Oneill : Toby MARTIN (AUS)

2003 Lohifushi Deep Blue Oneill : Trent MUNRO (AUS)

2002 Lohifushi Deep Blue Oneill : Tim CURRAN (USA)

2001 Lohifushi Deep Blue Oneill : Chris WARD (USA)

Follow this event live, beginning next Monday at www.srilankanairlinespro.com/

Seaplane crashes but no casualties

On June 02. A Maldivian Air Taxi seaplane crashed into the lagoon of Halaveli Resort in Ari Atoll this morning during a photo excursion, reports say. The incident occurred around 10:45 local time, according to Haveeru News.

All 7 people on board, including 4 photographers and 3 crews all escaped without any major injuries, according to Civil Aviation Ministry. The photographers are foreigners whilst the crew are Maldivians nationals.

A similar incident occurred on July 14th last year when a plane sank near Bathala Resort in Ari Atoll after it crashed with a Dhoni on landing.

Maldives is home to the largest sea plane operation in the world, as part of the the logistics to support the tourism industry. Most visitors take a sea plane from Male' International Airport to their destined holiday resort in outer Atolls. The operation and the fleet has an excellent safety standard and incidents of this nature rare occur. Earlier, frequent accidents in helicopters resulted in the seizing of the operation and no helicopters are currently in service in the Maldives.

SriLankan Airlines Pro : June 8-14

SriLankan Airlines Pro in the Maldives set to deliver paradise to ASP World Qualifying Series

ASP Australasia Office Casuarina NSW : Widely regarded as the most striking event on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Qualifying Series (WQS), the SriLankan Airlines Pro in the Maldives has again drawn a brilliant field of 128 international surfers from 20 nations around the surfing world.

Current ASP World Tour surfer and 2007 SriLankan Airlines Pro Champion Heitor Alves (Brazil) heads the field as the events number one seed with a long list of magnificent surfers in the line up that includes Phil Macdonald (Australia), Sunny Garcia (Hawaii/ASP 2000 World Champion), Aritz Aranburu (Spain), Pat Gudauskas (USA), Masotoshi Ohno (Japan), Travis Logie (South Africa) and current number one rated ASP World Qualifying Series surfer Adam Melling (Australia).

This year’s event also welcomes esteemed international surf brand Ocean and Earth as a supporting sponsor. “We have seen the amazing perfection that the Maldives event has delivered to world surfing over the past five years through the webcast, images and vision and Ocean and Earth are excited to be involved” said Ocean and Earth International Chief Executive Officer, Paul Munten.

“I understand it’s the warmest waters of any ASP tour event in the world and with most surfing nations either just out of winter season or heading into winter it has to be the perfect place to be “ added Munten. Perfection off the reeling Pasta Point reef, set on the glorious Chaaya Island – Dhonveli is what this event has become famous for.

The event runs from the luxurious Sunset Beach Deck Bar and Restaurant, a location that delivers highest quality surfing at close range to the judges, spectators and media making for one of competitive surfing’s truly unique quality experiences.

Sunny Garcia, one of ASP’s most experienced and venerated competitive surfers ever, summed up his first experience in the Maldives last year saying; “This place is amazing with fantastic waves, crystal clear warm waters in a setting that is so perfect for a high level event – I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get here and I’ll certainly be back.”

A quarter finalist last year, Sunny is back in the field for 2009 and in such quality waves will be a certain contender. As an ASP World Qualifying Series Prime Six Star rated location the SriLankan Airlines Pro offers maximum points and prize money and the event is vital to the chances of all competitors surfing not only to win this event but also to qualify for the elite 2010 ASP World Tour.

It’s the perfect midyear venue to the ASP World Qualifying Series season and whoever wins this year’s 2009 SriLankan Airlines Pro will be ideally set up for the years tour.

ASP Australasia as the event managers will ensure a quality live Webcast along with Television News Feeds, class complimentary Digital Images for newspapers and websites, Web highlight packages and a dedicated 30 minute international television program.

SriLankan Airlines Pro 2009 is made possible thanks to the following sponsors: SriLankan Airlines, John Keells Group, Chaaya Island – Dhonveli, Atoll Travel, Atoll Adventures, Ocean & Earth International, Dhiraagu, Maldives Tourism & Promotions Board, ASP Australasia

Flight booking : Malé is not Mahé

When booking a flight to maldives, don't get mixed up between Malé (MLE) and Malé (SEZ). That's what happened recently to a french surfer due to arrive in Malé on EK flight. When boarding his flight in Dubai, he looked at the route map on TV and was wondering " why do they show the Seychelles map ?" before he understood his blunder. He got mixed up. Fortunately, there was enough time to exit the flight and re-book for Malé.

Vindhu2 hit the reef and sink with surfers

On 06 May 2009, A safari vessel called ‘Vindhu’ carrying 9 German surfers and an Indian has ran around Farukolhu Fushi (Ex Club Med near Hulhumalé anchoring spot) reef while travelling to Male’ from Kaafu atoll Dhihfushi.

According to Maldives Police Services, at the time of the incident, a total of 13 people were onboard. Police reports that when the incident was reported at around 2015 hours on Tuesday, a police rescue launch was immediately dispatched. The 13 people, including 9 Germans and one Indian was brought to Male’ onboard the rescue vessel.

Police also rescued many of surfing equipment belonging to the tourists on board Vindhu. At the time of the incident, in addition to the German tourists, the vessel owner, one Indian and Bangladeshis were onboard.

Although no causalities were reported, the vessel Vindhu sank just hours after running aground reef. At the time the paper went to press, Maldives Coast Guard has commenced activities to salvage the vessel.

World Longboard Champs at Pasta Point

The 2009 World Longboard Championships will be finalized in Maldives from October 26 to 31. After a 1st event in Tahara in Japan from July 28 to August 2, the best longboarders in the world will battle in the turquoise waters of the Maldives to win the World Longboard Championship title. They will meet at the legendary Pasta Point in Chaaya Dhonveli.

The two stages of the 2008 circuit took place in Anglet and San Clemente with the championship title going to Bonga Perkins and second place to the young Frenchman Antoine Delpero.

After the LFX Maldives in 2004 leading to the exploration of Central Maldives, Oxbow is putting again the atolls on the longboard map.














www.oxbowpro.com
www.oxboworld.com

March Central atoll report

March 03-13 : more lefts than rights !





















For the 5th Maldivesurf season in the Central atolls, that was the earliest departure ever. Eventually, that 11-day trip on MTC Cruiser (Vaareydhuni refurbished) was completed without a drop of rain and a sight of any other surf safari boat. If the swell remained in the 2-4ft league with light NW winds on the first 8 days, it finally reached a peak of 4-6ft with unreal 20 second period. Between Mikado's left, Malik's and the newly discovered "Haimark" facing Hadigilla, that's the 1st time lefts get predominant on rights for any Central atolls cruise.

Domestic flight connections between Malé and Laamu being not as quick as before, the french dentists group had to spend 6 hours in Malé upon arrival. Some took advantage of that stop to get an uncrowded surf in Malé while others were walking around town. Thus, the trip started at YinYang because YinYang never gets flat even on a 0.7m SSW swell and 9 seconds. There we surfed for 4 days in the 2-3ft range with 2 glassy days. Much is happening around the Hithadoo Pass at the Olhuveli Resort (www.sixsenses.com/Six-Senses-Latitude-Laamu/index.php) is about to open next October. The good news is that SixSenses headquarters are planning to set-up some surf service with speedboat transfers but the bad news is that it will be 5 star, so expect rates to be upmarket. It brings some wealth to the neighborhood and Maamendhoo island now owns a deep water harbor were Fishing Dhonis can anchor. For those who remember the jammed channel between the 2 islets with zillions of ropes, noisy boat operations, especially from Horizon Fisheries canning ship, that's history ! No more flies too !

As expected, Mikado did not delivered the goods, the light / mid North wind blowing strong enough to bring cross-wash on the rare set waves. However, Finnimas lefts really act as swell magnet and on the best days, it produced long racing 3-4ft walls and at worst, 2ft offshore peaks, that you could ride like a good beachbreak wave. Things are changing here too since following Anni new president election in October 2008, both neighbooring islands with farm and fish factory have been closed. In Thimarafushi, you can navigate on internet through Wi-fi ! Wi-fi is spreading over in the Maldives ! As in April 2008, SE winds did show up so we could surf twice Malik's lefts on the western Pass. Waves breaking really close to shore, we decided to walk through the village and there we met Abdul Majeed. He's a 42 years old local "surfer" riding with a basic scooped wood plank and no fins for years.So we did a little trade for a bodyboard and Fabien left his to Ashraf so the bodyboard community is spreading in Maldives. By the way, the group was made of 3 longboarders, 3 surfers and 2 bodyboarders.

Once we spent some time celebrating TomTom's birthday so we could kill the only bottle of alcohol onboard (wondering what happened to the other bottles) and once Etienne and Cedric caught some decent fish ( 1 good-size batfish, 2 big jobfish, 1 Emperor...), it was high time to get ready for the miracle swell who was forecast since the trip departure. After tough negotiations regarding the location we were gonna milk that swell, we headed for Hadigilla (ex-Bibeacons) for 2 epic days. Not only the rights were cooking, but we had a go at the lefts opposite the pass : first time ever ! Believe me or not but we always overlooked that spot that is often plagued by onshore winds and wrap so much that you can't even see how it breaks. Each rider anchored to one spot (natural footers on the rights and goofies and bodyboarders on the lefts) until everyone had spaghetti arms ! Before we made it back to Malé after 12h cruise mostly at night, another premiere ! A few hours before embarking on 09h30 EK Emirates flight.

For more, click and watch 120 shots slideshow.
www.flickr.com/photos/64357569@N00/sets/72157617091010526/

P.S : check the boyz as well in Malé shot with a GoPro (not bad for a small camera but it requires really good light and Lithium batteries) and Davidoo, Ocean Dancer Boss who caught on SUP !


www.maldivesurf.com