Maldives Forecast

funpeeler's picture
funpeeler started the topic in Sunday, 11 May 2014 at 2:13pm

Just wondering if there are plans for a Maldives Forecast (or a general Indian Ocean category)

I would have thought this would be an easier and more useful pick than for example the west coast of Montenegro!

(Which will be flat for the foreseeable future apparently)

Keep up the good work!

FP

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Monday, 12 May 2014 at 6:29am

Actually, we've had it configured in the backend since the new website went live but just haven't got around to pushing it to the public website yet (along with a thousand-odd locations across North, Central and South America, Europe, Asia etc). We're hoping to get around to this in the next few weeks.

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Monday, 12 May 2014 at 11:40am

FP, what part of the Maldives are you going to and when? I'll do up a forecast for ya if ya want?

funpeeler's picture
funpeeler's picture
funpeeler Monday, 12 May 2014 at 3:03pm

Thanks Ben. I reckon it would be a pretty good incentive to upgrade to pro to get good long range forecasts for these high surf tourism volume destination. I think a Maldvies report needs at least a North Male and South Male report as its smaller in the south. Last time i went there on a LD boat trip we surfed a righthander on the west side tht was catching a SW swell coming up from around Madagascar.

Don - going on June 15 and staying at Kandooma. would be good to know what boards to take.
Ta

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Monday, 12 May 2014 at 4:10pm

Ummmmm, June 15 is over a month away mate. Come back and see me in 2-3 weeks time and I'll have a better idea. And Kandooma only picks up SE swell, which means the fetch is between the Maldives and the west coast of Aus, so travel times are less than for other locations in the Indian Ocean, hence even 16 day forecasts aren't overly reliable.

funpeeler's picture
funpeeler's picture
funpeeler Monday, 12 May 2014 at 4:59pm

Don - yeah I know it is way out.

Would not really expect to get anything even vaguely reliable a day or two out.

captainoftheworld's picture
captainoftheworld's picture
captainoftheworld Tuesday, 13 May 2014 at 4:22pm

I have just got back from Kandooma and the day that I got there, Magicseaweed were forecasting 1-2 foot swell with a 2 foot wave and Natives was actually WELL overhead. The rest of the time their forecasts were just as bad so an accurate forecast would be fantastic for future trips.

maddogmorley's picture
maddogmorley's picture
maddogmorley Tuesday, 13 May 2014 at 7:26pm

donweather is more accurate than magic seaweed - he was pretty much spot on when i was there season before last.....

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Tuesday, 13 May 2014 at 8:23pm

Cheers Maddog. Kandooma area is a little out of my expertise though as I've never surfed that area hence I don't know how much swell gets in there. But I'll still give it a shot.

funpeeler's picture
funpeeler's picture
funpeeler Tuesday, 3 Jun 2014 at 1:02pm

Hey donweather - are we in the window for a South Male forecast for a trip starting June 15? The long range magicseaweed reckons 2-3' offshore for the first few days at Kandooma. Perfect for a kook like me. Appreciate any comments... Ta FP

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Tuesday, 3 Jun 2014 at 1:11pm

The coming two weeks are looking great FP with a couple of good S'ly groundswells and then a solid SE trade-swell, but the ridge creating the trade-swell looks to break down around the 14th and this will result in a steady drop in swell as you arrive. Bit too hard to go any further than this at this stage.

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Tuesday, 3 Jun 2014 at 8:42pm

FP at a very quick glance it looks like you should have some good 3-4ft+ SE swell for the first few days you arrive, waning slowly throughout your first week, but this is still some time away (partic for the end of your first week) so likely to change around a bit as the models tighten up there forecasts over the coming week.

I'm not sure what direction Craig is referring too when he's talking about the S'ly swell but my understanding is that anything south and west of south doesn't get into kandooma. You want swells east of south.

Winds look stupendously strong offshore based on current forecasts too so that could make conditions a little challenging.

Also just checked the latest long range GFS charts and you should be praying for the rare S/SE fetch that appears on the SW flank of the low pressure system progged to deepen in the SE Indian Ocean around Tues 17th June.

http://www.swellnet.com/reports/indonesia/sumatra/simeulue-island/wams

Of course this is a mile off in terms of chart reliability so it ain't ever gonna happen!!! ;)

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Wednesday, 4 Jun 2014 at 10:44am

I was referring to the Southern Atolls re S'ly groundswell sorry. And looking again, that ridge looks to strengthen just on the periphery of the Maldvies swell window. So side-band S/SE energy is on the cards, although that front pushing up from the south-southeast early next week should generate a better pulse for the weekend just before you arrive.

Does the Male region pick up this trade-swell fairly well Don?

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Wednesday, 4 Jun 2014 at 12:41pm

Male region ONLY picks up the S/SE tradeswell Craig. My understanding (again I've not much experience in this area) is Kandooma needs more SE swell than say the North Male atolls in order to get good waves due to the atolls to it's south (south of Kandooma).

Have a look at that hook shaped atoll to the SE of Kandooma. Blocks any real south swell.

funpeeler's picture
funpeeler's picture
funpeeler Thursday, 12 Jun 2014 at 9:01pm

Hey Donweather... We leave on Sunday for Kandooma.. Whats the call? Appreciate your advice!
Thanks Heaps