Chef and Surfer JOAO ALCÂNTARA visiting the Maldives Islands

Maldives is a Muslim country. The highest point is only 3 meters from sea level. According to National Geographic, we can expect the oceans to rise between 2.5 and 6.5 feet (0.8 and 2 meters) by 2100. If that is true, the inhabitants of the Maldives have real reasons to worry. Maldives Islands may disappear one day. There are 26 atolls and about 1,190 islands – of which 200 are uninhabited and 90 are about to win resorts. The population counts 280,000 people, of whom 80,000 live in Malé, the capital. The official language is Dhivehi, however the southernmost islands have their own dialects.

“In August 2017 it was time to realize my dream of visiting this paradise of surfing with the support and excellent coach and guide services of Mahalo Surf Experience Team composed by Head Coach Felippe Dal Piero and Melanie Bonella”. They accompanied Chef João Paulo Alcantra during his adventure filled with a lot of surf, culture, quality cooking and positive vibes!

João Alcântara, 32 years old and a culinary phenomenon. A resident of Barcelona for five years and Chef of the restaurant called Alquimia Fogo. He keeps a very busy schedule with many appointments, but made time and booked 7 days to be part of a wonderful surf trip to the Maldives.

“Joao is a great surfer, stoked for catching the swell and make the most of those waves. Spending hours in the water during the day of surfing demands the maximum of his physical ability at all times. It is a tremendous pleasure to organize and serve this surf trip to him. 

Head Coach Felippe has the honour of traveling with him as a way of celebrating the old friendship between them. It is more common that the meetings take place in Peniche – Portugal, but in that opportunity the destination was another! 

The swell forecast promised great powerful waves arriving during the same day of our arrival which provided a perfect timing and a great opportunity to catch the best of the swell.

After organising and planing many surf trips to Maldives the Mahalo Surf Experience Team was looking forwards to the opportunity to find perfect waves in the north Malé Islands.  

Looking at the swell forecast we did the whole planning for trip in the way chef could enjoy some great waves in paradise.

Every day was a lot of surfing and also a lot of fun exploring the surf breaks of northern Malé. We surfed Jail Break, Sultans, Chickens, Cokes more often and we surfed some more surf spots around. Many of these breaks were virtually empty due to the size of the waves (which were more than 2 meters) and the combination of shallow corals. 

The surf sessions lasted about 3 hours! After those long session, we were tired and the feeling of stoked was Cleary visible in our faces

During the trip we paid a quick visit to the Cinnamon Dhonveli resort. There is the famous wave Pasta Point located. The resort was presented to Chef João Paulo Alcantra with exclusivity and gave the chance to surf one of the most famous left hander in the north of Malé. The resort hosts up to 30 surfers, offers a very friendly line up and great lefts. It was an excellent experience and the next itinerary to be prepared by the Mahalo Surf Experience Team for the Maldives will count on a stay for a few days at this resort. 

Every year we customize one world exclusive travel experience totally tailor made for Chef João Alcantra. He has been traveling with us to different parts of the world…But the Maldives he says was one of his favorite sport! 

We are specialised in creating special surf travels, special for those who are looking for the ultimate private guided experiences, or simply to travel and try something different. 

Let’s share some photos of this amazing experience with you here.