Just the title of this post promises adventure! I mean, Madagascar is this wild place off the coast of Africa that’s home to incredible wildlife but feels so far removed from the modern world — and for good reason, it is!
We were anchored in Tanzania not too long ago, deciding whether we should stop in Mayotte on our way through to Madagascar. Before that, we weren’t even sure if we were able — or wanted — to stop there at all.
Sailing to Madagascar by boat from Tanzania is quite the mission. It requires crossing the Mozambique Channel (infamous around the world for its strong winds, big swells, and crazy currents) not once, but twice — again when you want to leave! So, like I said, it’s an interesting task.
The main reasons we were keen to do it were:
- It’s a good move for weather, as you can head down the coast instead of stopping in sketchy Mozambique.
- There’s good surf — like, really good surf — which is what we’re here to talk about!
Where the Waves Are
Before I tell you how we got there, let me tell you where most of the waves in Madagascar are.
Madagascar (or Mada, as sailors call it) is a huge island — the fourth biggest in the world. Up in the northwest is where you’ll find the best sailing, and it’s absolutely beautiful.
But the waves we were looking for were way down south. We surfed the southwestern point of the island, but the breaks continue around the bottom as well.
Here, I’d circle it on a map for you — you’re welcome.
The Journey There
Right, this is where the mission begins. You ready?
Welcome to Tanzania. We’ve just left and are motoring into the wind to get off the coast before nightfall. At the moment, we’re aiming to arrive in Mayotte in about four days. The weather looks good, and we’re keen.
Then, around day three, we decided to push one more day and head straight to our final goal — Madagascar — instead of pausing in Mayotte to wait for more weather.
Overall, the passage was actually really good, and our first crossing of the Moz Channel was a success. The main thing against us (literally) was the current, but we dealt with that.
And just like that — we were in Madagascar! We cleared in the day we arrived and even found some local takeaways as a reward for finishing the passage.
The next morning, we were off again to an island 30NM away. There, we found crystal-clear water and faced a tough decision: continue with another five-day passage down the west coast of Madagascar after just one full night of sleep… or stay and risk missing the opportunity to get south.
By dinner, we made the decision: send it.
So, the next morning we were up and off again — five more days of passage, but at least this time we had friends sailing alongside us.
This leg was definitely more challenging, with the wind swinging 360° off the coast due to temperature changes — and not light winds either, often 15–20 knots.
The sail changes were endless, we were once again battling the currents, and we had a weather deadline to meet — the next round of 30 knots was forecast to hit only a few hours after arrival.
But finally, at 2 a.m., we dropped anchor in Toliara.
Finding Waves
We’d made it. Now all that was left was to find the waves we’d worked so hard to reach.
Before you get your hopes up too much, I’m not going to tell you the names of the breaks — but I will tell you where to find them if you’re interested: The World Storm Rider Guide. It has all the breaks and info on each, I was well impressed at how accurate it was and how many of the places we’ve surfed are in there, if you haven’t got it, buy it, you will not regret it.
The morning after arriving, we anchored and headed out to an island — well, more like a big sandbank — off the coast. Once again, the water was crystal clear, and this time we didn’t have a decision to make — just exploring to do!
Off the point of the island was a world-class left-hander. Admittedly, when we first saw it, it wasn’t working at all. But by that first afternoon, we took the boards out in the dinghy and… I was close to speechless — though I might’ve been yelling in excitement instead.
What we saw was spectacularly awesome (yes, that’s a lot of awesomeness), and I could already tell it was going to be worth the mission to get here.
So we paddled out to an overhead offshore reef break and, man, we frothed hard! We surfed until sunset and couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Over the next several days, we started to figure it out and got a few more banger sessions. The thing about southwest Madagascar (as we learned) is the unique wind: mornings would be calm-ish, but by afternoon it could blow up to 30 knots. Sometimes those winds were offshore, sometimes onshore — it depended.
The good thing about those strong winds ripping around the southern tip of the island was that they brought the swell. And swell we got.
That first week, we scored several hours of pure bliss — with some sessions reaching double overhead. It was unreal.
What It Was Like to Surf
It’s kind of hard to summarise what it was like out there, but let me try:
Uncrowded. World-class. Barrels. Reef breaks. Rights. Lefts. Dreamy.
Sitting out there with just you, your family, and a couple of friends is an unforgettable experience.
There you go — I said I’d try.
On the Boat
As for what it was like living on the boat while surfing, let’s just say Madagascar is very remote. Especially when you’re on a boat anchored in the middle of nowhere with only a small fishing village nearby.
The main struggle was getting fresh food. Town was 9NM away — not too bad — but with those afternoon winds, it was tough to find a safe anchorage or go far in the dinghy.
In the end, we figured it out: some of us went on our friends’ boat for a “town mission,” while the rest stayed onboard and waited.
Those who went came back with fresh food (thank goodness) and some stories: military lining the streets and supermarkets closed. That’s when we realised Madagascar was experiencing some unrest. Thankfully, it didn’t affect us, and we kept surfing.
Leaving
We didn’t stay long. Despite the incredible waves, there wasn’t much else for us to do. Of course, we wanted to see lemurs, but when a weather window opened up after about two weeks, we took it and cleared out.
The passage back across the Mozambique Channel was another success — though the first 12 hours were rough — and soon we were back on the African coast once again.
Summary
Would I do it again? Absolutely.
Was it an absolute mission? One hundred percent.
Worth it? Yep.
So, if you’re keen for some seriously remote surf with nobody else around and world-class waves, you should definitely consider heading to Madagascar — by land or sea.
Thanks for reading! I hope you learned a little more about this crazy island off the coast of Africa. If you have suggestions for future surf missions or thoughts on Madagascar, drop a comment below!
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