2024’s MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTS
Despite chatting daily, Renegade co-owners Simon and Dale don’t get to hang out in person all that often. With one living in Europe’s surf capital, Ericeira, Portugal, and the other living in Liverpool, UK (not known for its quality surf), the pair catch up just a few times each year.
Fortunately, they spent the start of 2025 together in Indonesia, chasing unseasonably large off-season swells and having a jolly good time before Simon headed off to Sumatra to guide our first coaching camp in Indonesia. This provided them with the perfect opportunity to not only plan to make the 2025 season even better but also to reflect on 2024.
Running 17 trips more or less back-to-back was a huge increase compared to 2023, and we couldn’t be more proud of our epic team for having pulled off an incredible season.
With countless unforgettable sessions, seeing every guest leave a better surfer than when they joined us was amazing. The words ‘ best wave of my life’ almost lost their impact – though not quite.
We’ve compiled some of our most memorable moments from 2024 below. For those travelling with us in 2025, this should give you some idea of what you could be in for.
sOUTHERN ATOLLS SCORING
Our trusty Assidha, the perfect vessel for discovering the remote Southern Atolls. Credit: @bethmorgan86
Our season began way back on March 1st, with 8 Level 2/3 surfers joining us on a domestic flight from Male to a remote airport 1 hour South.
The next 32 days were spent cruising from spot to spot in one of surfing’s last tropical frontiers, with Nic, Beth & Yaman (coach, Reneguide & local guide) ensuring the crew were in the best spot every day. With our first two trips of the year being Level 2/3, we hit the jackpot with Mother Nature providing glassy, chest-to-head high waves almost every day. Given there were just a handful of other boats in the area, we surfed alone for around 70% of sessions. This truly is a game-changer in terms of increasing your wave count, getting clips for video analysis, and generally having a bloody great time.
KM absolutely charging down the line… love the speed blurs of this shot! Credit: @bethmorgan86
Coach Nic. One of the best in the game and an all-round legend. Credit: @bethmorgan86
Warming up as the sun rises. Dreamy! Credit: @bethmorgan86
One particularly memorable moment came during our last Southern Atolls trip, where we welcomed an amazing mix of Level 3/4 surfers. Even before taking off on the flight south, the group bonded so well that we knew we were in for an epic time.
As predicted by Simon (Renegade co-owner and guide) – who spends a lot of time studying historic forecasts and trends – larger swells began to march through as we moved into April. The perfect test for our Level 3/4 guests.
As if by design, it was on the last day of the trip that things truly came together. The biggest swell of the trip came bombing through, awakening Beacons – widely regarded as the best and heaviest right-hander in the Maldives. With 8-days of shredding under their belts, our stoked (and extremely surfed-out!) crew paddled out with anticipation, scoring their best session of the trip.
Repeat guest Octavia charging on one of the bigger days. Credit: @liquifymaldives
Unlike the Central Atolls, there are more lefts than rights in this region. Perfect for some backside bottom turn practice. Credit: @bethmorgan86
MID-MAY MADNESS
We said these are our most memorable moments, not just the best moments. Our trip running May 16-26 was memorable for very different reasons, with some of the most prolonged and stormy weather we have ever witnessed in the Maldives – Thank you, climate change.
Around a week out from the trip, we could see that the forecast was looking a bit dicey, with strong winds and not much swell on the horizon for the first few days of the trip. Having said that, we’ve seen plenty of similar-looking forecasts before and we always find something to surf, so we weren’t TOO worried. However, predictability isn’t the tropic’s strong point, and what transpired was 5 days of storm-force winds, forcing us to stay put, batten down the hatches and ride it out.
Credit where credit is due:
- Theia proved to be an incredible vessel in the rough conditions. Whilst other boats anchored nearby were rolling and bobbing all night long, Theia held strong and stable in the 40mph+ gusts. With 5 anchors down, at times you would forget there was even a storm going on, and all of the crew on board managed to sleep soundly despite the maelstrom outside.
- Our guests turned what could have been an absolute nightmare of a trip into an enjoyable situation. Sure, we were all disappointed not to be surfing pristine waves in the tropical sunshine. But despite that, we had a bloody good time! We dashed out for a surf at Jailbreaks whenever there was a gap in the weather, we played A LOT of cards, we had deep conversations and without fail, we still maintained our daily surf coaching schedule with theory sessions and video analysis when possible.
A screenshot from Simon’s phone of just how rough conditions were at times. A harsh, but honest reality of how conditions can occasionally be in the tropics. Credit: @renegadesurf
After what felt like forever, with a couple of days still to go on the trip, the clouds parted, the wind abated and the swell showed up. We, unfortunately, didn’t have the time to make it to the Central Atolls and back, so we went to work in North Malé Atoll, putting in multiple sessions a day until the crew was surfed out ahead of their journey home. Mission complete!
I think one of the most telling things from this whole experience, is that of the 10 guests who joined us for that trip, 7 have booked to come again in 2025. We look forward to welcoming them in June.
DREAMY JULY DAYS
If you asked ChatGPT to create a perfect Maldivian wave, it would look similar to this. Credit: @surffoto
Our June 29th – July 9th trip scored arguably one of the best forecasts of the season. Nothing huge, but consistent, fun-sized swell and next-to-zero wind meant that pretty much every spot in the Maldives was working. This doesn’t only mean that any potential crowds are spread out, but also provides us with an endless feast of spots to try, completing a perfect circular loop from north, to south and back up to Male for departure day.
Reading the above, you’d almost guarantee that the waves would be the highlight of the trip, right? With 10x hungry level 3/4 surfers from all corners of the globe, what could beat 3-4ft glassy walls like the one above?
What made this trip one of the most memorable this year was just how well the group gelled on board. To say we had an eclectic mix of people is an understatement… from corporate London office workers to the head of marketing of a global luggage brand to the legendary Mike from the US – 67 years young and shredding harder than anyone else on the trip.
Reneguide and all-round frother JJ lays some serious rail. Credit: @surffoto
Legendary Mike O’Connell, 67 years young, out there charging each day! Credit: @surffoto
A particularly memorable moment came towards the end of the trip, with Male just coming into sight. Several members of the group gave incredible, heart-felt speeches after dinner, explaining just how much the time spent on board with the other guests meant to them. Emotional stuff, and in an age where surf lineups are becoming more and more hostile these words felt particularly poignant about how surfing can, and should, bring people together.
This speaks volumes to the type of surfer that typically joins our trips. Given the fact it’s a coaching trip, most people who join know they’re there to progress, to learn, and to leave a better surfer than when they arrived. This creates an ego-less environment where everyone is genuinely invested and froths off seeing other people improve. We’d argue that this is not always the case on non-coached trips.
Some seriously surfed-out individuals… (missing a few of the crew here) Credit: @jonisstrom
We were lucky enough to have Jonathan Stromberg (@Jonisstrom) filming on this trip. He created an epic edit that you can see HERE. We highly recommend checking it out!
AUGUST MEGA-SWELL
Aussie Craig makes the drop on one of the biggest days of the season. Credit: @surffoto
Some say it’s luck, others say it’s fate, but when the swell of the season marched through with PERFECT TIMING for our August Level 3/4 trip, we like to think it was down to good planning…
With a boatload of chargers from Australia, Hawaii, USA and Portugal, we set the compass south towards the Central Atolls.
The trip started slowly, scoring fun, but not super memorable waves in North and South Male, as well as Meemu Atoll. Looking back, these sessions proved to be the perfect introduction for those who fit more into the Level 3 category.
This is one of the ‘not super-memorable’ days… still pretty good! We love this shot of Lottie charging down the line whilst her brother, Ru, cheers from the boat. This is what it’s all about! Credit: @surffoto
On the morning the swell was due to arrive, we flew the drone over and saw stacked lines marching in towards the spot we were anchored close to in Thaa Atoll. Given that 4ft @ 13s often means overhead surf in The Maldives, we were super excited and incredibly intrigued to see what 7ft @ 16s was going to look like.
These bigger swells are the perfect time to explore lesser-known areas, with deep water energy wrapping into often-flat reef passes. Areas which rarely see waves can turn into perfect setups. We checked a fast barreling right, breaking super close to the rocks. Then an Indo-style left slab that would have undoubtedly been epic if the tide wasn’t dropping.
After seeing one wave do an incredible Backdoor impersonation, coach Pepijn was super keen to give it a crack. However, Dale (Co-owner and Reneguide) decided the proximity to the reef meant and slabbing nature of the wave wasn’t ideal for most of the surfers on board. The crew headed north, having not surfed on the morning of the swell – every guide’s worst nightmare…
The forbidden right… what you can’t see is the dry reef sticking just out of the shot. Credit: @renegadesurf
So much potential at this left. With a bit more water it would have been world class. Sadly, with the promise of pumping surf a few hours north, we couldn’t wait 6hrs for the tide to be better. Next time! Credit: @renegadesurf
Fortunately, the break that Dale had in mind was just a couple of hours north. With everyone on board itching to get wet, you could almost feel the tension as we rocked up to the wave. As we approached from behind, large plumes of spray began wafting into the sky. We saw the first set march towards the reef pass. Well overhead, clean as can be, and breaking about 100m further out than usual. Some waves were sucking so hard further up the reef it looked like a reverse Teahupo’o…
We jumped out for the first session, with sets easily pushing double overhead. Fortunately, the defined channel meant that those who were less confident could sit wide, whilst some of the crew paddled deep and caught some incredible waves.
The next few days were as good as surf trips get. Anchored close to the spot, we had eyes on the wave at all times, jumping out when a couple of other boats finished their sessions, scoring perfect waves with just our crew. As the swell dropped to around 4ft @ 15s (which would be a peak swell on most other trips), the wave arguably got better – hugging the reef more and getting hollow on the inside.
The best moment for us? Watching 11-year-old, Grace, face her fears and charge the biggest waves she’d ever seen. She sat wide with Pepijn, gradually shimmying to the peak and picking off a medium-sized one. The smile on her face was etched on for the rest of the day!
Grace laughing in the face of double-overhead bombs! She managed to snag a few wide ones, too. Credit: @renegadesurf
SEPTEMBER EXPLORATION MISSION
A screengrab from one of Coach Shannon’s first waves at this secret right. After a long, nervous sail north, it’s safe to say Simon was more than relieved to see waves like this. Credit: @surffoto
Renegade is about doing things differently. That said, even for us it’s still easy to get into a routine of sorts when we have our tried and tested go-to spots, favourite routes and surprise activities etc.
However, with the season drawing to a close, Simon felt like time was running out to go and explore a remote region of the Maldives – very rarely visited by surfers – that had been on his radar for quite some time.
As if to make up for his stormy stint of guiding in May, the swell charts lit up ahead of our final (Level 3/4) trip of the season. This proved to be the perfect opportunity to take the punt and set sail.
However, just because the forecast looked promising, doesn’t mean there wasn’t an element of risk involved. There is little to no information about any of the spots in this region online, the reefs sit a long way from the swell source and it’s no short cruise from Malé. We’re well aware that our trips are not inexpensive, and to take a punt when guests have paid a lot of money to travel with us felt like a big call. With that in mind, Simon called a team meeting and presented the options. Unanimously, everyone voted in favour of adventure! With that decided, at 4 am the following morning, we pulled anchor and headed for our destination.
With one spot in particular on Simon’s radar (due to a grainy video he had seen a year ago), we had our starting point. Almost 12 hours later, the spot was in sight. With no swell lines in the water and no whitewater crashing on the surrounding reefs, there was a sense of disappointment on the boat. However, we were still a good kilometre or so from where the wave broke.
Louisa with speed to burn @surffoto
As we got closer, we started to see whitewater from behind and swell bending around the small headland. It wasn’t big, maybe shoulder high, but there wasn’t a breath of wind or a soul around. We ended up surfing here for 2 days, completely alone, before moving onwards, to another atoll where we surfed one of the best right-handers I have ever seen in the Maldives. Unfortunately, the session didn’t last long but the vibes were through the roof as we continued on our exploration mission.
Over the following few days, we surfed a handful of different reefs, completely alone (apart from one session with a couple of locals) before heading back to the Malé Atolls as the swell dropped.
It was an incredible adventure and everyone was stoked that we took the plunge. That is what Renegade is all about.
There we have it! In truth, there are hundreds of moments we could have shared with you here. These are the ones that sprung to mind over a couple of post-shred Bintangs here in Indo.
Again, we’d like to thank our amazing team for making the season run so incredibly smoothly, and also our beloved guests, many of whom have already booked to join us again in 2025.
COMPETITION TIME
We ran a competition where guests who travelled with us in 2024 could let us know the top moment of their trip. The one which grabbed our attention the most would win a FLORENCE hooded rash vest.
With great pleasure, we’d like to announce Kale McNaney, who travelled with us in August, as our winner, recounting a hilarious tale of his board blowing away during a storm! We’ll be in touch, mate.
Side note – we’d like to make an apology to our female guests who, quite rightly, didn’t enter the competition. Unbeknown to us, FLORENCE doesn’t make any female products right now. We will ensure our next comp has a more unisex prize!
WANT A SLICE OF THE ACTION?
If you’re considering joining us, we recommend checking out our YouTube channel and our website where you can find full availability for the season. We’re already at 80% capacity meaning many trips are full, so please contact us below if you’d like to secure your preferred dates.
