Words and photos by Louis from Liquid Destination.

July was firing, of that there is no doubt. The most significant reason for this was the weather; glassy days blended from one to the next and consistent swells rolled through where I swear you could drive a boat blindfolded it was that easy.

The first few days were windy but from then on I had some of the longest days of my life. It felt like days that went for about 55 hours...and then some. Waking up to surf perfect waves with no-one around and that indescribable feeling - that I am pretty sure only Liquid gets in the Maldives - that no one will ever show up at some of our spots is truly amazing. Nah, I'm just kidding on that point, everyone knows where we go in the Maldives. There's no secret spots left unfortunately...

Up until July it had been a pretty windy year by all accounts and the Male Atoll regulars have been claiming best season yet which I would agree with if I spent all my time in that zone. But I've seen other years, other times that make the sensation experienced in surfing the Male atolls feel like the difference between attending the Big Day Out versus Jimi Hendrix rocking up to your BBQ to play some tunes for you and you mates. It would never ever compare, I don't care what anybody says. 

A lot of people assume if Indo is firing so are we and there is a correlation between the golden Indo season and a region like the Male atolls in the Maldives experiencing one of their best season in years. We've had a lot of South East swells this year off the back of the Indo season swells. Quite literally off the back, and combining that with the higher winds that the Male atolls handle very, very well you've got a winning combo right there.

One thing I love about the Maldives is that places lay dormant in seasons like this. Some years regions are more active than others. I see these patterns emerge the more I am here. It's what keeps me here. I've learnt to become a patient man in chasing swells in the Maldives and in reality the season ain't over yet, if indeed there even is such a thing as a 'season'.

Visit Liquid Destination for all Maldives travel.