What better way to spend a vacation than on a surf trip around some of Madagascar’s favourite surfing and kite surfing spots…
The Crew
Captain Pete, born in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, has surfed for over 30 years all over the world. Having first surfed Madagascar in 2001, he has expert knowledge of all the breaks in the area and the swell and wind conditions they best work on.
Caroline is the Chef and Hostess on board providing guests with delicious meals after a hard day on the waves.
Captain of Security is Mickey, the small surfer-friendly Jack Russell!
Surfing & Kiting Spots
The southern province of Tuléar (Toliara) offers favourable conditions to surfers, kiters and windsurfers alike.
Anakoa is a two hour sail south of Tuléar and offers a clean, hollow left hand break over a fairly exposed fire coral reef aptly named Flame Bowls (or Flameballs). Flame Bowls is a world-class kitesurfing wave. The wind, mostly cross-offshore SE from the left, kicks in around midday and is usually around 15 to 20 knots which is still very surfable.
Conditions at Flame Bowls work best later in the day and there are several other left and right hand breaks to surf in the mornings. Mornings often start out at TT’s, a sheltered reef break working best in offshore easterly winds, which delivers a winding left-hand wave that reels off a horseshoe reef for approximately 200 to 300 metres. There is also a classic right-hand wave on the other side of the reef called Deans Inners and about 5kms further out another good right-hand wave called Outers.
Jelly Babies is another right hand reef break that works best when the wind is offshore.
Chefs, also in the Anakao area, is a left hand wave over an exposed point reef break that provides pretty consistent surf with offshore winds from east to north-east.
Puss-Puss is a seriously fast, hollow and dangerous wave over exposed reef ideally surfed on a full tide with good swell and NE-NW winds. Resort works on offshore winds from the SE with a left and right hand break over exposed reef.
Ifaty, another great spot on the south pass of Ifaty to the north of Tuléar delivers a left and right break on either side of the pass. Its best surfed in the morning on outgoing low tides with an offshore easterly wind.
There are approximately 18 spots in and around Tuléar which are all included in the charter itinerary.
Surfing Charter Itinerary
Arrive at Tuléar airport where you will be met by Captain Pete or local ex-pat South African surfer, Tony Adkins.
You will be transferred to Tuléar Harbour where the boat is moored. A sumptuous dinner will be prepared for you on board. Following a very relaxed itinerary, your Captain will check the swell and weather predictions to ascertain where the best surf conditions will be and decide on the following day’s destination.
During a surf trip of around 10 to 14 days, one can visit up to 18 of the local surf spots, with a few more spots further north for the more adventurous at heart.
Departing Tuléar harbour in the early morning hours of day 2 and setting sail north or south depending on swell predictions, you can spend this 1 to 2 hour sail relaxing on board or fishing en route. A typical day will see you surfing the 5 available uncrowded waves in the Sarandrano area while the offshore is blowing in the morning and heading out to Flameballs when the wind switches to Southerly.
Flameballs is suitable for surfing and kiting as it usually stays cross offshore in the afternoons. The yacht is anchored as close as possible to the waves and a tender is used to get even closer when necessary.
The evening anchorage is either on the leeward side of Nosy Ve where one can enjoy a few sundowners followed by a sunset walk on the beach, or Sarandrano where guests can visit the local village.