Surf’s up in the Maldives

Ahmed Fauzan Abbas is on a ferry headed towards a popular surf spot an hour from Malé, the capital of Maldives.

The surfer, better known as Karo, remembers a time when locals were arrested for surfing in spots where well-heeled foreign tourists were charged US$25 (MVR375) for access to the waves.

“Back then surfing had a particularly bad perception. It was something only drug users or ill-behaved young people did. At least that is what people thought,” Karo told the Maldives Independent as the blue and white Lucky Star ferry steered out of Malé harbour.

The government-run ferry chugging through the Indian Ocean shows the perception of surfing has changed over the decades, with Maldivian athletes celebrated for achieving international acclaim in the sport.