thanburudhoo-maldives
#3. Thanburudhoo, Maldives: A sliver of land in North Malé atoll in the Indian Ocean with the quality waves of Sultan's and Honkies breaking on each side, uninhabited Thanburudhoo Island was once the exclusive surfing paradise of Tony Hinde-Hussein and friends in the 1980's. The island later became a military firing range with bullets flying around and no surfing allowed. More recently, with no more shooting and surfing allowed again, the island became a favorite location for the many surf charter boats active in North Malé atoll and the growing number of local Maldivian surfers. Under the control of the Maldives Ministry of Defence, one of the last undeveloped islands in North Malé atoll may soon become a "boutique surfing resort" with exclusive surfing rights to two of the better waves in the entire Maldivian archipelago. Image: Callahan/surfEXPLORE
Surf is everywhere. It rolls past our coastlines, whipped up by storms off shore, held up by offshore winds, and can go from playful to terrifying the blink of an eye. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes green, sometimes gray. Whatever it looks like, it’s always beautiful. Islands have some of the best waves, and this gallery shows twenty of the world’s best surfing islands. From India to Indonesia, there’s a wave for everyone.