Mada Surf Tours (Tulear, Madagascar) ★★★

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 there`s nothing happening on the outer reefs there`s 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. It`s a hot doggy little left hand reef break that can absolutely pump on its day. Fittingly we call this break Googles. There`s also a tonne of beach breaks to be had between Pete`s and Googles.

We`ll 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!!!

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.

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.

When the conditions are right we`ll pack everyone up and head off towards Efaty and Mangily to surf the reef passes which are situated a couple of km`s off the beach. You`ll 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.

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! We`ll 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 we`ll 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 don`t 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. Don`t 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.

-Fishing, Kitesurfing, Windsurfing-
I reckon that even if the surfs ratshit you could probably still have the trip of a lifetime in Tulear. It`s 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 80`s, Zaza Club is dollar nite every day of the week with $1 long necks and I won`t even bother trying to explain the chick scene cause you either wouldn`t understand or wouldn`t believe me! Put it this way, if you`re 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 Huey`s not cooperating. As the old saying goes, it`s always 6ft and offshore at the bar, and this couldn`t be any truer of the legendary Zaza Club!!!