The Atoll Adventures story starts in 1973, when Sydney surfer and traveller Tony Hinde was crewing on a private yacht sailing from Sri Lanka to Africa. The yacht was shipwrecked on a Maldivian reef and, following the salvage work, Tony travelled the atolls and discovered the great surf potential.
The Atoll Adventures Story

Tony spent 15 years living with the locals, assimilated into the culture and explored the country at the same time as the first tourist resorts were opened. He discovered, surfed and named all the main breaks, including the outer atolls breaks that are only accessible to visitors on live-aboard boats. He also introduced young Maldivians to surfing, married a Maldivian lady and added the traditional 'Hussein' to his name.
In the 1980s Tony began to arrange private surf tours for those in the know. As Maldives tourism expanded he recognised that the development of commercial surf travel was inevitable, and should be done in a responsible manner.
In 1989 he established Atoll Adventures Pvt Ltd (Maldives) as a registered tour operator and the first specialist surfing operator in the Maldives.
With the benefit of word of mouth advertising and a growing reputation for the professional operation of its tours, Atoll Adventures catered to an ever increasing demand for both resort-based surfing at Pasta Point and boat-based surfaris.
Atoll Adventures remains the most established operator of surfing holidays and surfing surfaris in the Maldives. All tours are planned and operated to the highest standards, with an in-depth understanding of the specific requirements of the international travelling surfer.


Atoll Adventures Guides
The Atoll Adventures surf guides are bilingual Maldivian surfers who know the waves and the local conditions. They are also great company and a fascinating source of information about the Maldives and its people.
Dara: Operations Manager
Dara has over 16 years surfing experience and has worked with Atoll Adventures for more than a decade. Only a few of the most experienced local surfers can match his intimate knowledge of the Maldives' surf breaks and conditions. Dara's other passion is photography, specialising in surf, underwater and island images. (Many of the photos on this website are from Dara's Oceanswell collection).
Iboo: Head Guide
Possibly the most surf stoked person in the Maldives! Iboo started surfing as a kid, spent a lot of time in the water and became the Maldives National Champion a record five times. Sponsored by Quiksilver, he's proud to be the first Maldivian surfer to gain support from a major surf company. Kind hearted and caring with a youthful vitality, Iboo is a pleasure to be with on land or in the surf. He has been Atoll Adventures’ Head Guide for over eight years.
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