a brief guide to SOME waves of madagascar
This surf location is suited for surfers of all abilities (but not beginners). With multiple reef set ups, good consistency and uncrowded set ups.
The outer reef surrounding Befasy village lagoon in the South Western corner of the island offers a very consistent long right hand wave, three lefts, a shorter right and many unridden waves around the corner!
Each wave is challenging for mulitple skill levels depending on the tidal & swell states.
The surf resort hosts training camps for elite WQS surfer athletes to train in the uncrowded conditions a place to get away, eat right and work on physical movement.
The main right towards low tidal states offers a hollow boiling take off with a racing wall section and a smashable lip. As the swell bends around the reef it mellows out into a cutback section then into another faster running inside wall, often offering an inside barrel section before spilling out into the deeper lagon.
During bigger swells the main right can be surfed towards the higher tidal states and walls up consistently. Often wave two or three in a set draws off the reef and offers a double up take off for advanced only!
When the surf is bigger, across the channel where the boat anchors, is a more mellow walling left hander that breaks a little closer in to the lagoon and is about half the size of the right. Perfect for intermediate and even improver level surfers.
There are three more alternate lefts. The main left is actually an A frame peak but we call it a left because it is more consistent and offers longer left hand rides.
With a take off spot easy to locate, this wave is very consistent and offers a rideable wall whenever the surrounding area North and South is flat. The wave peaks on a boomerang section of
reef offering a fairly mellow take off to cutback section into a racing wall with a nice air section on the inside during lower tidal states.
As the tide flows the wave wraps into the inside and offers a consistent lip to hit with vertical re-entries. On a dropping tide the currents can be strong as the lagoon drains out through the channel.
Looking North of the pass from the left, a steep right, not so consistent but super beautiful as it breaks over an old reef filled with coral sand creating an clear aqua colour.
South of the left is yet another mellower longer breaking left perfect for improver & intermediate levels.
When the swell is on and the trade winds swing & strengthen in the afternoon, there is a world class left hander. Located off the northern corner of an barrier reef, the bigger period swells refract from a SW direction to Northerly direction as they bend around the reef. Too much South in the swell and it will march past up the Mozambique channel. SW swell over 2.4m with a solid interval will wrap in and create long barreling, critical waves over a shallow reef with muliple sections where the lip throws over. Can even be fun during stiff offshores.
Advanced to elite surfers only or prepare to bounce off the reef. This wave has similarities to medium sized “Cloudbreak” in Fiji.
For the hellmen/women there is “Kamikazees”. The name sais it all. It is a super hollow short left that starts working on swells above 3m and is a little brother version of the monster Tahitian wave, “Teahupoo” good travel insurance covering surfing recommended.