The Stormrider Surf Guide: Maldives

It’s strange to think that the lowest, flattest country in the world is in fact perched atop one of the most impressive mountain ranges on the planet and that these lofty peaks are flecked with sand instead of snow. From the Lakshadweep Islands off India’s west coast all the way to the British Indian Ocean Territories of Chagos, the 2000m high Deccan Plateau is a result of two tectonic plates meeting. The magma spewed out, massive volcanoes were formed, before sinking back into the sea, leaving behind the rings of limestone and coral we now call atolls. Circular reefs and their passes have turned out to be a pretty good shape for wave creation and this chain just happens to have 26 atolls slung across 2200km (1370mi) of ocean that receives plenty of pulses from the Great Southern Ocean.