There are surf trips, and then there are the ones that feel like they were dreamt up just for you. The Billabong Women’s team, Josie Prendergast, Lilliana Bowrey, Marina Alonso Rojas and the dream team who made it all come to life set out on a Maldives surf trip with The Ocean Spell Surf Travel Agency, chasing warm waters, empty line ups and days where all you needed was a bikini and a board. Life on the boat rolled out in a rhythm of reef breaks, sunrises and shared plates of fresh local food. “Crystal clear water and waves for days with good people is always exciting,” Josie shared. “The Maldives will always have a place in my heart.” For the team, this was women’s surfing at its purest: stripped back, salt soaked and unforgettable.
What are the waves like?
The Maldives is a surfer’s playground, with reef breaks scattered across the atolls and long, turquoise walls that suit both beginners and intermediate surfers. With The Ocean Spell Surf Travel Agency, the Billabong Women’s crew floated between secret spots, scoring fun, playful rights one day and clean, glassy lefts the next. The boat meant freedom, waves on call, and no crowds. “The highlight of my trip was surfing pumping Cokes with only a couple of people out,” Lil remembered, “and then coming in to pancakes and a fruit platter after a long session. That’s what dreams are made of.”
Wave 1: Cokes
A punchy right hander that comes alive with swell, offering plenty of power for those chasing a more playful challenge.
Wave 2: Secret Reefs
The beauty of a boat trip with The Ocean Spell is discovering lesser known breaks, reefs where it’s just you, your friends, and the ocean rolling through.
Wave 3: The Long Lefts
Soft, wrapping walls that peel for days, perfect for practicing flow and style, and some of the best surf trips for beginners and intermediates alike.
What to Bring on a Surf Trip
You don’t need much to make the Maldives feel like home, just the essentials for a surfing holiday that’s light and carefree.
Surfing bikinis
Start with a rotation of Billabong Women’s bikinis, designed to surf in, stay put, and move with you through every session.
After surfing
For sunset on deck or dinner under the stars, pack a soft overswim or pieces from our new arrivals. Easy layers that carry you from saltwater to the night sky.
Surf accessories
A good hat, zinc, wax and a few trusty fins are the finishing touches, surf accessories that keep you comfortable from your first paddle out to your last.
Athlete Perspective: Josie Prendergast
“For me, the Maldives is so special, it was where I went on my first overseas trip with the team when I first signed with Billabong Womens. The water, food and culture are all so beautiful. Most days were filled with delicious curries, lots of surfing and time with each other. There’s a breakfast dish called mashuni, tuna with grated coconut, onion and chilli, eaten with roti, that I always look forward to. The Maldives will always hold a special place in my heart.”
Athlete Perspective: Lilliana Bowrey
“Our trip to the Maldives with The Ocean Spell was none other than a dream. We scored waves and were so well looked after on the boat, the food was amazing. The highlight for me was surfing Cokes almost empty and then stepping back onto the boat for pancakes and fruit. That balance, waves, food, friends is the dream surf holiday.
Videographer Perspective: Mike Calvino
Out in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the nights roll by with the boat rocking gently under a blanket of stars. You drift off to the sound of water lapping the hull, then wake to a sunrise so blue it hardly feels real. First job is always the same, instant coffee on deck, before slipping into the little daily rituals: cleaning lenses, formatting cards, scribbling through shot lists, and a heavy layer of sunscreen. Those small habits anchor the days, even when everything else feels dreamlike.
Cokes was the session that stuck with me most. Three to four foot, offshore, barreling, about as perfect as you could script it. Just two other guys out, and the tender dropped us straight into the lineup.
Woody and I floated with our cameras for a few hours, constant grinning, while Josie and Lily turned the place into a surf party. Wave after wave, followed by hoots, shrieks, and laughter echoing across the reef, it was a pure joy to witness, and even better to capture.
Another morning, we set up on the sandbar at sunrise. The light was soft, golden, and weightless, one of those rare gifts where everything aligns. The girls looked incredible, the product shone, and after two decades of shooting for Billabong, I found myself thinking: this might be some of the best moments I’ve ever captured.
Afternoons slipped into more playful surf sessions, then back to the boat for dinner on the deck, sunset rinsing the sky. By the time your head hit the pillow, the ocean rocked you back to sleep, though the days already felt like a dream anyway.
