Mada Surf Tours (Tulear, Madagascar)

ABOUT THE SURF CAMP

LOCATION AND SURF CONDITIONS

Surfing in the region is very fickle and heavily affected by winds, tides, swell direction and access. Good news is that Tulear itself is home to the most consistent waves in the area and when theres nothing happening on the outer reefs theres usually always a pretty decent wave to be had just 15 minutes away from the hotel by either 4WD or Boat. There are 4 main breaks that we surf in Tulear, a world class left hand reef break called “Joeys“ that was named after ex pat Maroubra boy Joey Adams who spotted the wave from 30000ft back in 75 whilst flying over Madagascar on his way to Mauritius Island from South Africa! The second wave is another classic left hander called Petes after the mad missionary from Newport Beach that surfs the break more often than not by himself. The third wave is called Jeffreys Reef and no prizes for guessing why or which way it breaks! The last wave is my personal favourite as I discovered it whilst doing a google search for waves in the area. Its a hot doggy little left hand reef break that can absolutely pump on its day. Fittingly we call this break Googles. Theres also a tonne of beach breaks to be had between Petes and Googles.<br /><br />Well hang in Tulear and surf the local breaks until a big swell rolls in and then hit the outer reefs down south. When the surfs completely flat Tulear is also the place to be, with a population of around 150000 and somewhere in the vicinity of 3000 bars in the town, its always offshore somewhere and you can be sure that the legendary Zaza Club is double overhead and cranking!!!

CAMP CHARACTER

Please note that this is a real back to the roots surfing adventure for hardcore surfers wanting to share a full on no frills surfing experience with just themselves and their mates.

ACCOMMODATION AND CATERING

ACCOMMODATION TYPES

Your base camp will be set up at a beach front hotel in Tulear and within walking distance to numerous restaurants, bars, the city centre and nightclubs. One of the few hotels in Tulear with a swimming pool, it also hosts an excellent restaurant with bar, wireless access and a pool table. The rooms are fitted out with AC or ceiling fan, double bed, TV, shower and toilet. Your accommodation here includes a continental breakfast everyday. No worries for finding a good cheap restaurant to eat at in the area either, there are heaps of them and most serve local Malagache and European dishes as well as pizzas etc.

CATERING

Your accommodation here includes a continental breakfast everyday. No worries for finding a good cheap restaurant to eat at in the area either, there are heaps of them and most serve local Malagache and European dishes as well as pizzas etc.

SURF COURSE AND ACTIVITIES

SURF COURSE DETAILS

When the conditions are right well pack everyone up and head off towards Efaty and Mangily to surf the reef passes which are situated a couple of kms off the beach. Youll be staying in beachfront or beachside bungalows with malagache shower and toilet facilities on B&B. Mangily is a little Vezo fishing village that has become somewhat commercialised but still remains pretty much laid back and a nice place to hang. Plenty of cheap restaurants around too and you can even get the local fisherman to cook you grilled lobster on the beach for a round five bucks.<br /><br />There are two main breaks that we can surf here. The first is called the right and the other is called the left lol. They are both reef passes and can absolutely go off on their day. Probably best in the 5-6ft range the right can handle up to a solid 10ft if the swell is clean and the right direction. The left although less consistent can get really good too if the conditions are right. When the trades kick in its chill out time and no shortage of little rasta bars around to help you relax in style! Well hang here as long as the swell does then head back to Tulear which is about an hour away by 4WD. 

SURF MATERIAL

Do I need booties?

Not really as well be getting to most of the breaks by boat. There are however a couple of breaks where we have to wade across the reef from the beach and at low tide booties could be useful. Personally I dont use booties at all.

What sort of wetsuit will I need?

In summer boardies are fine with maybe a wetshirt to protect yourself from the sun. In winter a springsuit is more than enough.

What should I bring?

Everything is dirt cheap here so I would recommend bringing a minimum of clothing as you can buy up big time when you get here. It is a good idea however to bring a heap of old hand me downs as they make great gifts for the locals and are well appreciated. Dont forget to bring wax, and spare leg ropes as they are a very scare commodity around here and also make great presents for your surf guide! Also a good idea to bring sunscreen and insect repellent.<br /><br /></p> <hr /><p><strong>OTHER ACTIVITIES</strong></p> <hr /><p>-Fishing, Kitesurfing, Windsurfing-<br />I reckon that even if the surfs ratshit you could probably still have the trip of a lifetime in Tulear. Its pretty hard to put this place into words for those that have never been here. Full on third world with the wildest party scene goin down that you could ever imagine. The Zaza Club is folk legend amongst all that have been there. If anyone remembers dollar nite at the Patch back in the 80s, Zaza Club is dollar nite every day of the week with $1 long necks and I wont even bother trying to explain the chick scene cause you either wouldnt understand or wouldnt believe me! Put it this way, if youre a faithful and loyal loving husband and want to stay that way, avoid this place at all costs!! Open 7 nights a week the Zaza Club is definitely the place to cut loose and let off some steam when Hueys not cooperating. As the old saying goes, its always 6ft and offshore at the bar, and this couldnt be any truer of the legendary Zaza Club!!! 

MORE INFO, HOW TO GET THERE & FAQ

In general all reef breaks in the 4-6ft range although for those coming in winter probably be getting quite a lot of 6-8ft days even bigger stuff for those who want it.
Most of the breaks are pretty deep although they can get a bit shallow on low tide.

The Southern Reef Breaks

With modern internet surf tools its pretty easy to forecast when big swells are going to hit. When this happens well let everyone know the night before and head on down south towards either the legendary Flameballs or TTs depending on how big the swell is. Flameballs is situated off the northern tip of a tiny offshore island and is a screaming lefthander which rifles off down the reef over a carpet of fire coral, hence the name Flameballs! At 4ft the wave is pretty fun but when it starts hitting the 6-8ft range is time to pull out the guns cause its pretty full on and definitely not a kooks wave. Stand up barrels are the order of the day, and thats when youre only just trying to make the wave. Forget Saint Leu, this is the real deal! When the swell is too small or the tides or winds wrong for Flameballs there are also several other left and right hand breaks in the area we can surf too that can be really hot doggy and fun. You will be over nighting in beachfront bungalows with double bed, shower and toilet on B&B for the duration of our stay.

The Southern Spit

When the swell gets really big and Flameballs starts closing out its time to hit the southern spit which hosts TTs, on its day probably the best wave in the area. This winding left hander reels off down a horseshoe reef for around two to three hundred metres and is without a doubt a world class wave. When the wind is wrong or the swell too small there is also a classic right hander on the other side of the reef that can be really good fun. The right is called Inners cause about five kms further out to sea there is an insane right hander called Outers that can handle anything that Huey throws at it. If youre looking for big waves Outers is where you wanna be on a big swell, just make sure you bring the right board to surf 20ft and while youre at it, grab the premium travel and medical insurance plan! Your accommodation is in back to the basics beachfront bungalows with double bed and outside share facility toilets and shower. The spit is a tiny Vezo fishing village with around two hundred inhabitants. Theres a tiny store just behind the restaurant but not much else in the area, this is the true deep in the heart of Africa travel experience! 

SURROUNDINGS / REGION

Characterization of surroundings/region

-The wild west mixed with Bali back in the 70`s-

Considering the fact that Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world, yes it is surprisingly safe and robberies or aggressions are very rare indeed. In saying that, still a good idea to keep a very close eye on your valuables.

Stinking hot in summer and a bit chilly in winter. Myself I wear just boardies from October through April then whack on either a short john or a pair or arms in winter. Don`t worry too much about bringing big bulky jackets and stuff cause you can pick them up here dirt cheap.

Activities and facilities

Dirt cheap, you`ll get a decent feed for around 3€ in a tourist restaurant or for around 1€ in a Malagache resto. Long neck beers are around 50 euro cents in a malagache bar or about 1€ in a nightclub or tourist bar.

JOURNEY

Ways to get to the camp

If you`re coming from the east coast of Australia the best bet would be to grab a low cost to Bankok then a connecting flight with Air Madagascar to Antanarivo (Capital of Madagascar) then another flight down to Tulear with Air Madagascar. You also receive a 40% discount on the domestic leg when you book the international flight with Air Mad. Alternatively if you can get yourself to Reunion, Air Madagascar has direct flights to Tulear during the holidays.

If you`re coming from the west coast of Australia you can try Air Mauritius to Mauritius and then onto Tana and Tulear with Air Madagascar or alternatively fly with Air Austral to Reunion then continue on to Tulear with Air Mad.

If you`re coming from New Zealand get yourself to Bankok and then take Air Madagascar to Tana and down on to Tulear.

If you`re coming from the States or Europe best bet would be to get yourself to Paris and then take one of the numerous companies that fly to Tana including Air Madagascar, Air France and Corsair. In saying that however savings can me made by flying Air Mad as you will receive a 40% discount on the domestic leg to Tulear!

In anycase, if you`re not sure drop us a line and we`ll let you know what the best and cheapest way to get here is.

Important details

Malaria is pretty rampant throughout Madagascar although in the Tulear region it`s quite rare due to the dryness. It only rains 4-5 days on average per year!

PACKAGES & PRICES

PACKAGE A - SURF TOUR - 495€ FOR 10 DAYS

This offer includes:

- Continental Breakfast 
-Accommodation in Beachfront hotel and Beachfront or Beachside Bungalows 
(Tulear Base Camp, Mangily, Sarodrano and Anakao)
-All surf transfers to local and northern and southern breaks
-Experienced local surf guide 
-Meet n Greet at Tulear Airport
-Return airport transfers
- 50€ for extra days

(Surfing lessons and or board rentals available as add on)


Special offer: 395€ for 10 Days
(from 01 Oct. to 31 Dec. `13 ONLY)
NB: No breakfasts or airport transfers included in this offer.