2:30... o_O

Neatly cropped so you can't see the ugly island right next door. 3 star resort with 5 star prices and only the occasional wave. Had a week there and nearly went mad - nothing over about a foot the whole week. Odd mix of Chinese honeymooners getting into the $90 a head buffets and Aussie surfers wandering aimlessly looking, hoping, praying for a wave. Local guide - "why did you come in May, it's unusual to get waves in May". You live and learn. Back to Indo where it's cheaper and better.

Showed the missus the clip and she is keen to go but reading toms review gives me some doubts anyone else out there no anyone who's been?

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I was here with a bunch of mates on a liquid destinations boat in '12. We cruised a long way on that trip and this was the last stop. It was fantastic. Admittedly our guide new the place like the back of his hand and landed us there as though he had a hotline to Mother Nature but it was the best way to finish. I reckon we were all in the water for about 8 hrs that day. Can't comment on the resort but the wave when it is on is bliss.

Interestingly I want to a dinner at Deus in Sydney just before going where Bob McTavish spoke and I bought a book. When he signed it he wrote 'have fun and make sure you get to Kandooma'. He said on its day it is one of the best spots in the Maldives. He wasn't wrong.

I say all this with the luxury of being on a boat where you can pick and choose to a degree,

Skip

Thanks fellas will chase it up some more, it does look good from what I can tell plus it's one of the only places the missus is keen on as they offer diving, happy wife happy life as they say!

If I have to endure anymore friggin drone footage I'm gonna scream. I'm a man, not a fucking bird

hahaha totally agree.

KanDOOMa is a HOAX. It requires an acute SE swell for it to work....not sure if you understand the swells that push across the Indian ocean in winter - but they don't track SE....ask Don weather - he is da man.

Its horribly expensive there (and the staff seem inept at basic tasks such as getting your pizza order right, or bringing you a beer), has a tiny swell window and that Adam Robertson video looks like it was the swell of the winter in 2014 for KanDOOMa.

If you want consistency try the north or go to Indo.....don't believe the marketing hype that the Perfect wave push out.

Oh and finally they constantly roll out the other waves, tucky joes, rip tides etc...but they all work on the same conditions. If one isn't working, none are.....no burger land or thunders here for small days....

It isn't the most southerly atoll Stunet. It's much further south than Male and the main waves, yet there are other atolls to the south. I stayed there in 2009 before it was known as a surf resort and had a great 'surf trip' (inverted commas because it was supposed to be anything but a surf trip). The wife and I were coming off the back of a rough time and the Maldives seemed the perfect destination, but four days of 3'-4' foot waves almost saw me come home alone.

It's not the place you'd go to get seriously barrelled and I dont know how consistent it is, but I had a great time (helped also that we got GFC prices)

Central Maldive atolls (those between capital Male and North atoll breaks of Lohis, Sultans, Cokes etc) used to be marketed as a softer option for beginners because always smaller than North atolls. If going to Maldives (I've been 3 times) its either North atoll breaks or way, way south, the further southern atolls (have to fly there) and breaks like Tiger Stripes, Blue Bowls, Love Charms

Wow! I am astonished by what I have read above. I don't know what to say really as it is pretty much all wrong. It's not in my best interest to correct anyone though so maybe just enjoy the Maldives for what it is. An amazing surfing destination that is riddled with misconceptions and inexperienced opinions about the place fuelled by clever marketing strategies by the surf travel companies (all of them) to put bums on seats.
It's pretty much like coming to Australia and surfing the gold coast points and thinking that is it... Ludicrous.
Tempered rant over.

no toobs?

I was there in july 2 years ago and while we were were gettin perfect 3-5ft surf at sultans, jails, chickens and cokes a friend of a friend was at kandooma and he got nothing over chest high. We eventually went down there ourselves after a week or so when cokes went north of 6ft and we got head high waves at riptides and kandooma. Riptides is ok but not a wave you travel for. Can only surf it 2hrs either side of the tide as well. Kandooma is a nice wave tho. Our guide told us only worth heading south when the north gets too big for ya and it did seem that way. Donweather is def the man to hit up for a forecast - he gave us the low down before we left and it was spot on. Kandooma needs se swell due to that blocking island whereas the north seems to get a lot more swell and from any direction.

The other thing to aware of is PErfect Wave promote it as limited surfer numbers and you have to buy a daily surf pass but reality is other boats can and do stop at Kandooma. Also they have no way of stopping other guests just bringing a board with them and surfing ( nor should they in my opinion) so you Perfect Wave guests and every day Holiday Inn guests can all surf. Not really limited.

I am there at the moment and it has only just dropped down to head high on the sets. Sunday the 10th was absolutely magnificent with Rob, the man here getting stunning barrels. I have got a few myself at Riptides, Foxeys and Quarters. I flew over Sultans and Honkeys on the way in to Male and there were boats everywhere so it would have been busy I think but we have been sharing the water with a couple of other people at the most.

We have lucked into the biggest swell that this place has seen this year and it is offshore every day. Surfable at any tide as long as there is enough daylight.

Yes it is expensive to stay here but everyone of the 40 at the most surfers that i have spoken to over the last week has said that it is the best trip that they have ever done and the waves that we have had have been well worth it.

If I can work out how to post pictures on here i will as i have a million to back up my story as i sit in my villa overlooking an almost empty break currently at 3 to 4 foot.

I have just come back from 2 weeks at Kandooma and had a week of great overhead waves and a week of small but fun waves. I have been 3 times now - late April, late June and mid September, and have had great waves each time. Yes it is fickle and needs SE swell, but it does turn on. It is a couples and family surf trip, not a boys or singles destination, so anyone bagging it hasn't done their homework, and had the wrong mentality going to the place (it's best to never 'demand' mother nature delivers waves to you just because you have forked out a lot of money for a trip).

There is a heap to do if it is flat - sensational diving, windsurfing, SUPs, a very good aircon'd gym etc. The vibe is really laid back - a pleasant change to the busy North Male spots. It is expensive compared to Indo, but your partner will want to come back again and again, and you only live once. So if you do go, make sure you take the right sort of attitude and you might be surprised.

Whats the cost of a 2 week stay @ Kandooma ?
Whats included ?

Is the hudhuranfushi surf resort any good?

trying Kandooma in June with the Wife/Kids. fingers crossed. Do they take you North if the swell is gonna miss K rights? We stayed at Lohis a few years ago and thought the food/resort was crap but the Left out front was nice

Kind of coincidental this popped up but I'm looking at places now that need to be wife friendly for a potential trip next year. It will be just her and I.

Given the choice and having never been to Indo or the Maldives, where would you prefer to go- Resort Lattitude Zero, Telos Is. or Kandooma, Maldives?

Gotta agree with Tony Barber and his saaale of the century.
Pasta Point is best when you have XX chromosome accompaniment.
Cracking left out front (Pasta Point) and Sultans right and Honky's left a short dhoni ride away - so you can watch when those breaks free up and head over.
Max 18 surfers on the island
Great bar over looking the point so the sheila can watch your skills and call you in for a cleasing ale when required
There's also a pool area and lagoon on the other side the chick will like
Can also do cultural tours closeby easy
Book through Atoll Travel
Never been to Kandooma so can't advise
Resort Lat 0 is also a cracking spot with a great crew - Wally is always good for a laugh and knows the joint back to front
Its real quality but you gotta go on the boat to waves, so unless the leg rope come with you she has to wait back at the resort while you galavant
On the upside, great waves, plenty of variety and cold Bintangs on the boat ride home!!

Fiji is another option if you haven't been yet zen.

Cheers guys.

My bro likes to take his missus to Fiji Fitz.

I'm just looking for something a little special for mine. As long as she's got good food, feels safe and has aircon and somewhere to read her books she's sorted.

For me, I just want to maximise wave potential.

I've read back a few of the posts and Kandooma seems more of a destination and waves if you're lucky so probably skip that one.

RLZ is on the short list though, looks good and heaps of waves to choose from.

I went to Kandooma in Sep last year and your assessment of the place is pretty accurate, Zen. It needs a very specific swell direction that isn't common to the storms that send swell into the region. Having said that though - if it's on, it's a really good wave with manageable crowd. Pretty good resort but I wouldn't call it cheap. Food is good but all in usd and you can't take grog into the country (so no duty free stash to rely on). If you score a run of s/e groundswell you'll fall in love with it. If not, you might be a bit disappointed

Cheers Kaiser.

I'm quite a ways off booking just yet but I won't be in a position to track a swell and then go so I reckon the Telos or Mentawais would be my best bet.

Agree with a lot that has been said re Kandooma. If you wanna go on a holiday where you are there to wine and dine the misses, do a bit of snorkelling and throw a leg over a few times then surf if a swell happens to appear go Kandooma.

If it's a surf holiday then get a shot off in the eve whilst wifey does her own thing when your surfing go with other options or consider booking a room on a luxury surf charter.

Moorea. most beautiful place on Earth. tons of surf. lots of things for the missus to do.

been to Kandooma a couple of times both land and boat, Liquid destinations got us great waves on the boat there and stayed with the family on the resort,on a second trip, nice place and things to do but scored a flat spell. as an indication, my tag photo is kandooma, had a 3-4 day spell of this size and bigger

not sure now, stories of exclusivity come and go, we were there on the boat in 2008 when it was still pretty quiet and then on the resort when Holiday inn first took it over and the surf guiding thing wasn't exclusive so you didn't pay extra to surf , check with Louis at Liquid what the current situation is

Yo Louis @ Liquid whats the go with exclusivity and butting heads with the perfect wave at Kandooma or the mobs at Lohis or Pasta?

We are locked in for June at Kandooma. I was happy to go on a non surfing holiday with Missus and 2 littlies but She reckoned it ticked all boxes. Fingers crossed for swell. I was at Lohis in May 2012. had 2 days of waves then flat. I could have handled it if the resort was a bit nicer. I know I am repeating myself but food there was like grade 6 camp and resort tired. If I was only going for Surf prospects it would be RLZ. Maybe sans kids though!