Tag: surfing

Surfing association attacks MNDF resort proposal over fears for local access: “Like England selling off Wembley Stadium”

The Maldives Surfing Association (MSA) has hit out at a proposed resort development on a Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) training island, claiming it will substantially reduce local access to an already limited number of high-profile waves in the country.

Ahmed Rifaee, a member of the MSA’s Steering Committee, claimed that while Maldivians were largely unaware of the significance of the waters around the island of Thanburudhoo to the country’s sporting heritage, the proposed resort development threatened to leave local people with access to just two world-class surf points.

Rifaee said that tourism laws presently prohibit non-guests from using prominent surf points based at the country’s resorts – legislation that threatens the future development of a sport he noted had gained the Maldives its greatest athletic successes and recognition internationally.

The resort proposal, first discussed under the previous government as part of plans to fund a state-of-the-art military training complex, was forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) this week to determine the legality of an island set aside for the military being leased for commercial purposes.

However, the private group linked to the development, Telos Investment, told Minivan News that a “robust development plan” was being put in place for local surfers, adding that discussions were already under way with surf authorities – including the MSA – over the issue.

Earlier this week, the MNDF confirmed to Minivan News that it would be leasing Thanburudhoo to a third-party that would develop the site as a surf resort. The island is currently used by officers for training and recreational purposes.

The country’s military authorities this month registered the MNDF Welfare Company in a bid to generate income to fund welfare services for the armed forces by investing in various businesses, including the tourism sector.

With an ACC investigation set to be tabled in the coming days, the development proposal was slammed by Rifaee, who claimed that the waters around the island were a unique experience for local and international surfers alike. He added that the waters housed two world class waves that had been used for generations to allow local surfers to hone their skills – no matter their levels of experience.

“We have been surfing these waves for a long time, they are one of the best training grounds for local surfers,” Rifaee said. “Outside the local community, it is little known by the wider Maldivian people about what a loss this would be to the country. I would say it was equivalent in England to selling off Wembley stadium to a foreign company.”

Former government proposal

In a proposal said to have been discussed last year between the government of former President Mohamed Nasheed, then senior MNDF figures, and Telos Investment, Thanburudhoo was to be leased for an initial 50 year period for development as a “boutique surf resort” to secure US$5 million in funding for an MNDF training facility.

The resort development plan was initially submitted by Telos Investment President Dr Gunnar Lee-Miller, who is said in the proposal to have experience “serving the Ministry of Human Resource, Youth & Sport, the Maldivian Olympic Committee, and several associations in a sports development capacity.”

MNDF spokesperson Lieutenant Abdulla Ali said this week that the concept of development of its training island as a tourist resort was approved by the former government in 2010, but that work had stalled “for various reasons”.

“However, we have started that process again, and the discussions are continuing,” Lieutenant Ali said.

No agreement at the time was reached on the proposals, which included a clause to allow local Maldivians “in good standing” with the MSA to have access to the waves around the resort twice a month, on every other Friday and Saturday.

While accepting that even limited access to local surf points was a less restrictive policy compared to other resorts in the country, Rifaee said even allowing access twice a month would be a major setback for national surfing.

“By allowing us to surf only on Saturday or Friday morning , when the waves are not always going to be there, this might not be too helpful,” he said. “It’s not just local surf spots that would be affected by such a proposal either. I’ve been told that there are one or two top dive spots in the waters. However, any resort development would need reclaimed land and a harbour, which will endanger these spots.”

Rifaee contended that while the MSA had yet to take a formal stance to oppose the resort development, discussions were ongoing over how to proceed.

“We are going to protest this if we have to. It’s part of our culture and has been for many years. Even my grandfather used to surf.”

Responding to the claims, Telos Investment told Minivan News that it would be issuing a statement soon regarding the project and the potential impacts on national surf development.

“To be sure, there is a robust surf development plan for local surfers and fruitful discussions with Maldivian Surf Association Leaders have already commenced,” Dr Lee-Miller responded by SMS at time of press. “We care greatly about the development of Maldivian surfers both in Male’ and the outer atolls.”

Minivan News was awaiting a full statement from Telos Investment at time of press.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Ahmed Adheeb was not responding.

Proposal

In a proposal submitted in July 2011 by Telos Investment and senior Ministry of Defence figures, Telos Investment would pay US$5 million dollars for a 50 year master lease for Thanburudhoo to develop a surf property for tourists. The money would be used to fund the development of a ‘Leadership and Management Centre for Excellence’ at the MNDF’s Girifushi facility.

The proposal stated that Thanburudhoo had originally been given to the MNDF to carry out combat training exercises – a purpose that it could no longer maintain due to the number of surrounding resorts.

“So rather than letting an under-utilised island continue, MNDF believes that Thanburudhoo can be utilised to give a new lease and life and strong future to Girifushi and the emerging leadership of MNDF and the country,” the proposal stated.

The proposal was not an attempt by the MNDF to enter the tourism market, collect a yearly lease from an island, or form a joint venture with a foreign investor.

Former Economic Development Minister Mahmoud Razee, who was acknowledged in the same proposal as having provided “constructive counsel” to Telos Invesment and senior MNDF officials, confirmed to Minivan News that discussions over the proposal had taken place. However no agreement was reached with the Nasheed government, Razee said.

Razee claimed the decision to not move ahead with the proposal was “partly due to timing”, but also concern over providing access to the surfing areas around the island for “young people”.

The government of the time had checked the offer in line with its wider Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and found it comparable to other privatisation projects, Razee said.

“However, what we didn’t do was make the project a joint venture with the MNDF,” Razee added.

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Young people set new tone for Male’ party scene

Hundreds turned out yesterday for the Maldives Surfing Entertainment Surf Show near the tsunami memorial, perusing merchandise by day and dancing to music by local and guest DJs late into the night.

The event, which runs September 16 and 17, was organised by Maldives Surfing Entertainment. Sport clothing companies Sea Sports, Sony Sports, and Round-Up displayed their wares in tents evoking the minimalist surf shack atmosphere.

The surf show sign posted on the outside wall of the event site

Maldives Surfing Association Event Organiser Mohamed Shabeen was optimistic about the event, which is the first in an annual series of surf shows.

“The goal was to raise awareness of surfing culture. Surfing has been picking up lately, more young people are coming out and we have had good feedback on the show so far,” said Shabeen.

Shabeen said that local groups were supportive of the initiative. “This wall you see here is not normally allowed, but we were allowed to build it for the event,” he said, pointing at the wooden barrier that demarcates the area as a festival space.

Set-up for the event was done by approximately 40 local surfers over three days, said Shabeen. The set-up includes surf board displays, plant decorations, and a light and sound system for the evening concerts.

While the surf show attracted families and children during the day, youth turned out in swarms for the concert at night. The show featured trance and techno music in sync with light displays and fog machines. DJs regularly called out to the crowd below, “Are we having a good time? This is a new era, we are here to celebrate!”

The crowd cheers as DJs shout out from the sound booth

DJs and staff noted that this is the first time an outdoor rave has been held on Male in some time, and said most parties take place on a smaller, more subdued scale.

“What do you say when you just want to go ‘AHHHH!!’?” said one concert-goer. “That is how we feel right now, this is our outlet, we are finally able to express ourselves out here and have a good time.”

Others suggested that religious conservatism on Male’ has kept the youth from celebrating in public, and said they hoped that events such as the surf show would be held more often.

The event was organised by Maldives Surf Entertainment Director and Surf Guide Ahmed Azniel. Shabeen said he hopes this weekend’s surf will garner attention for a surfing contest to be held in November at South Foahmulaku, in honor of the 17th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit.

Correction: The article previously stated that the 2011 Surf Show was a cooperative event between Maldives Surf Entertainment and Maldives Surfing Association. It should have read, “The event, which runs September 16 and 17, was organised by Maldives Surfing Entertainment.”

Correction: The article previously stated “The event was organised by Maldives Surf Entertainment Director and Surf Guide Mohamed Azniel. It should have read, “The event was organised by Maldives Surf Entertainment Director and Surf Guide Ahmed Azniel.”

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Six surfing legends compete for trophy in inaugural Maldives comp

Australian surf legend Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo narrowly defeated seven-times female world champion Layne Beachley yesterday in the single fin division of the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy.

Beachley knocked out two-time world champion Damien Hardman in the semi-final, while Occy defeated world longboard champion Josh Constable to go on to face Beachley.

The first day of the invitational event saw the six surf legends – Occy, Beachley, Constable, and Hardman, as well as four-time world champion Mark Richards and Nat Young, compete at the Sultans break near Four Season’s Kuda Huraa resort.

“This morning I surfed with Mark Richards and I kept on falling off in front of him and he said ‘I’m hexing you’, but it was the pressure of competing against my idol,” said Occy, following his win.

Speaking to Minivan News between heats, Beachley explained that it was unusual for female surfers to compete against men at such an elite level of the sport.

“The ability and depth of skill has really improved in women’s surfing and has helped bridge the gap in performance [at the professional level], but it’s not really fair to pit a lightweight boxer against a heavyweight,” she said. “One big difference is that our hips get in the way when we turn – it’s an anatomical disadvantage. It’s not a worry for recreational surfers but it matters at a professional level because women can never have the technical finesse of the top guys.”

Despite the camaraderie between the champions there was, Beachley noted, a very strong competitive undercurrent.

“When you’re surrounded by world champions there is a mutual respect because we know what it takes, but when we’re paddling out no one’s there to lose,” she said.

“It’s very competitive. No guy wants to lose to a girl. The boys are amped. Their pumped up, even if they’re pretending to play it down.”

Female professional surfers, Beachley observed, tended to take not just the sport but also their responsibility as role models for other female surfers very seriously, and most were “well-spoken ambassadors.”

Beachley herself was on a board at Manly beach in Sydney Australia by age four, competing in mens heats at 15 and turning professional just a year later. By the age of 20 she was ranked sixth in the world, and in 1998 went on to win the world championship for six consecutive years.

“I always took pride in training harder than anyone else. I would be doing boxing, swimming, dune running, weights and yoga. I had a very strict cross-training regime,” she told Minivan News.

Beachley's husband, INXS sax/guitarist Kirk Pengilly, gives his wife a quick massage between waves

Asked about developing the female surfing scene in the Maldives, Beachley suggested that female surfers should “band together, and make sure the guys understand that girls have as much right to be in the water as them. Then work your way up the food chain. Don’t cry victim, it’s not the best way to get respect. Instead show tenacity and confidence and let the guys know it.”

Beginner surfers, she noted, faced not just the technical challenges of learning the sport but also the unspoken etiquette and rules that could only be passed on by other surfers.

“Beginner surfers really need to utilise a surf school,” Beachley said, “not only to because they teach the fundamentals but also the unspoken etiquette. One of the problems with surfing is that the rules are unspoken.”

In contrast to many famously territorial surf destinations, Beachley said the Maldives had a reputation for hospitality and the breaks for being “playful, fun, user friendly, more relaxing and peaceful than places like Indonesia and Tahiti.”

The country’s reef breaks, she said, were more predictable than beach breaks in that they followed a certain shape, and were easier to read.

“With beaches you have to quickly adapt to changes. The advantage to a beach break is that a sandy bottom is softer to land on,” she laughed.

Local surfer ‘Bongo’ was on hand during the Four Seasons competition to help out with conditions.

“Sultans is a right-hander, a very good wave for beginners and intermediate surfers. It has an easy takeoff and a slow first section, with time for 1-2 turns, and a nice barrel inside. On a big day it’s still a challenge. I like hollow right-handers, because I’m a natural footer,” he said.

The day saw offshore winds and 2-3 foot waves, “clean and glassy”, according to Bongo.

The competition, he predicted, would be “good for tourism” given the international publicity the big names would generate.

“Apart from that, we’re lucky to be out here seeing the legends of surfing ripping,” he said.

The Maldives has “2-3 guys like Ibu and Issay who might be able to bust a few aerial maneuvers and maybe challenge these guys, but Occy is tough competition,” he said.

“There’s also the matter of the handicap in the scoring system – older guys get more time in the heats, so I reckon the younger surfers stand no chance.”

He acknowledged that the Maldives had few female surfers dedicated to the sport, “which is really sad.”

“We’ve had a few girls try out, and some of them did very well. The problem is that it’s not easy for them to be out surfing every day, and you take a lot of bumps in a shallow reef break. All surf breaks in the Maldives are reef breaks, which makes it difficult for beginners.”

Despite the laid-back reputation of the sport, surfing remains largely a male-dominated sport with a reputation for being fiercely territorial and hostile for beginners. This was less of a problem in the Maldives given the seclusion of most breaks and the country’s dependence on tourism, he suggested.

“The locals are much more laid back than other places like Hawaii or South Africa, you don’t see scenes like the Hui or Black Shorts here. It’s mainly because all these breaks are secluded and the country is dependent on tourism – everyone is really friendly,” Bongo said.

Dhonveli’s Pasta Point and Huduranfushi’s breaks were exclusive for tourists, he said, “although if we want to surf them we just need to give the resorts a ring and ask. There’s no problem for local surfers.”

Modern surfing was famously introduced to the Maldives by Australian national Tony Hussain Hind, who was shipwrecked in the country but on his departure saw so many perfect surf breaks that he turned around and made the Maldives his home.

“He introduced modern surfing, but before that locals would body surf using planks of wood,” Bongo said. “Really, the full history of surfing in the Maldives is unknown.”

The Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy continues over the next few days with the double fin and triple fin events.

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Surfing Champions 2011 trophy to be held August 31

Four Seasons Kudu Huraa resort will host six of the world’s most famous surfers for the 2011 Surfing Champions Trophy, starting from August 29.

Competing surfers include Josh Constable, Mark Richards, Layne Beachley, Nat Young, Damien Hardman and Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo, with over 20 world titles to their names.

The five-day event will take place from August 31 to September 4. Representatives from the resort said the event would highlight the Maldives as an attractive surfing destination alongside its already widespread fame as a dive destination.

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Local surfers launch documentary at Male’ event

The Maldives Surfing Association (MSA) held a barbecue and screened a local surfing documentary earlier this week in an effort to promote the sport in the Maldives.

The MSA’s Chairperson, Mohamed Shiuneel, says such events are necessary to promote the sport because surfing’s development in the Maldives has largely been restricted to the resort industry, which in some cases he says have even claimed ownership of surf breaks.

“Maybe it’s because tourism is growing so fast – even safari boats are now [claiming] surf breaks,” he says.

Local surfers have competed very successfully in countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, Shiuneel notes.

“The government can help us – we need to protect the surf point areas,” he says. “There are many environmental issues that can affect them. For example, when the artificial beach was reclaimed it really affected the Male’ surf break.”

Pro surfing was famously introduced to the Maldives in 1973 by an Australian surfer called Tony Hinde, who was shipwrecked in North Male’ Atoll during a voyage from Sri Lanka to Africa. Hinde named many of the country’s most popular surf breaks, giving them names like Sultans, Jails and Honkeys, before falling in love with the country and deciding to stay.

He converted to Islam, changed his named to Tony Hussein Hinde, married a local woman, opened his own surf tourism agency, and died of a heart attack after riding a wave in 2008.

Shiuneel explains that while Hinde introduced pro surfing and introduced short boards, “Maldivians have been here since the second century. Many people like my grandfather talk about Maldivians surfing on a plank of wood.”

In recent years the Maldives has begun to attract an increasing number of professional surfers, drawn for the same reasons as Hinde. Accessing many of the breaks remains a challenge however, with many restricted to those with either local knowledge or those who stay in a nearby resort.

“A lot of people don’t know how to access some of the breaks, and beginners can struggle to get access to surfboards,” Shiuneel says, acknowledging that sport is not as easy to take up as it should be.

“I think we live on a small island and have a very defensive mentality. It’s a geographical problem as much as anything. And While the Surf Association tries its best to run development programmes, we do struggle for funding.”

Surf politics and issues of funding matter little to many of the clubs members. Asim ‘Chin Chon’, who describes himself as “a local legend”, says surfing “is the best sport for the Maldives. You shouldn’t be driving around the island in a sports car – instead, every house should have a surfboard. This should be normal for an island city.”

“Look at it, it’s God’s gift,” he says, sweeping his arm at the waves breaking on the nearby seawall.

“It’s relaxed; there’s no jet skis, just paddling out on a board – that’s nature.”

The surf documentary will be available from the Sea Sports store in Male’ and the Maldives Surfing Association in a week’s time.

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