This unsurfed archipelago 40 km off Madagascar’s west coast offers up uncrowded breaks galore.
Words :: Jon Burak // photos :: Jimmy Martinello
All my life I have been drawn to adventure, whether it was driving my tinny a few kms to a small island on a freshwater lake as a kid, or crawling into a never-explored cave system in Vietnam and realizing no human had ever stood in that spot before.
I think part of the draw to explore, for me, is also because geography was my favourite subject in school. There are a bunch of countries on the map that had always kind of stuck out for me, and Madagascar was definitely one of them.
But my friend Jimmy Martinello beat me to it. He set off to Madagascar on a climbing work trip for Arc’teryx in the summer of 2024. I had lent him a couple of airtags so he could keep track of his gear. Somehow, we messed up setting up the tech and the tags were linked to my iPhone, so I actually was keeping tabs on him the whole trip from our hometown of Squamish. Watching Jimmy roaming around the other side of the world fueled my curiosity and I looked forward to hearing his stories and seeing his photos upon return.
One day, when I checked up on the airtags they were in the middle of the Mozambique Channel. “Did his bags fall out of the plane?” I wondered. But after zooming in I realized he was on an island surrounded by eight others spread out over 30 km. I kept checking to see when the tags would move on, which ended up being ten days later. Shortly after that I got a call from Jim saying he was home so we got together for a beer and he said, “We’re going back there to surf. It has the potential to be as good as some of the waves in the Mentawais!”
It’s pretty rare that places with waves that good haven’t been discovered by the global surfing community, but after communicating with the local people of those islands, it really did seem that these far-off dots on the map had never seen a surfer before, except Jimmy. What an opportunity.
Now, getting to these islands is not easy and we are mostly a group of SUP surfers so that makes it even more difficult as part of the journey is in small planes—a Cherokee 235 to be exact. Landing in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, our boards were packed into a pickup truck to embark on their own three-day journey overland to Maintrano, where they’d be transferred to a boat and delivered to us in the Barren Islands.
After communicating with the locals, it really did seem that these far-off dots on the map had never seen a surfer before, except Jimmy. What an opportunity.
We spent our first day driving mostly west to the guest house in the middle of nowhere where we would spend the night before waking up early for the small plane flight to Maintrano. For me, a big part of any adventure is meeting characters along the way, and our chief pilot, South African Torrie Potgieter, is absolutely one of the most interesting people I have ever met.
After arriving in Maintrano, we were greeted by our South African hosts Francois Grobler and Candice Potgieter (Torrie’s daughter). They took us on a short drive to the beach where we loaded up on our boat (which Francois built) for the last 45 km of our journey to surf paradise. The Barren Islands are a temporary refuge for the Vezo, nomadic people whose existence is intimately linked to the ocean.
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Every year, after the cyclone season, these communities leave the coast where marine resources are dwindling to settle on the islets. Fishing is not only their main means of livelihood, but also part of their cultural identity. Despite rudimentary living conditions—no abundant fresh water, no medical or educational infrastructure—the Vezo continue returning to these spots, attracted by the abundance of fish.
Francois, Dewal and Torrie have set up a desalination system for the people of Nosa Mangily, the island we were staying on. This freed them up from having to paddle 20 km to get fresh water. With this partnership in place, the Grobler brothers and Torrie set up six bungalows on the island for guests to stay. The trio originally came here in 2020 for the fishing but when they met Jimmy and discovered that this could be a surfing destination they shifted their sights to making the area a world-class one.
Our crew consisted of Jake Humphrey, Jimmy, myself, Johnny Foon and ______. While waiting for our boards to arrive we spent the first couple of days exploring some of the reefs and did some fishing. Of course, everyone brought at least one board and some of us packed a couple in case repair was not possible. Jake and I both brought a board made by a Canadian company Blu Wave; I always feel there is something intrinsically cool about surfing on a board that comes from the country you are from, especially when you are Canadian.
When coming to a brand-new surf place, it’s important to spend some time figuring out what works. Jim had surfed a few spots so we had a bit of an idea of the zone, but otherwise it was a lot of figuring things out as we went, which really makes it more fulfilling. We opened up five more breaks and surfed a total of nine breaks.
One of the coolest things was surfing with some of the local boys who managed to pick up SUP surfing easily (not really a surprise as they are incredible watermen to start with).
When we weren’t surfing, the island was pure magic. Spending time with some of your best friends, drinking incredibly cold beer, sipping tequila and sharing stories and future plans fills up your soul. Spending time with the Vezo people was also an incredible experience. When Jim was there the first time, he left two inflatable SUP boards for them to use for both surfing and travel around the island. One of the coolest things was surfing with some of the local boys who managed to pick up SUP surfing easily (not really a surprise as they are incredible watermen to start with).
Leaving a place like this almost always makes you say “I’ll be back” and I truly hope that happens. This time Jonny Foon left his Starboard hard SUP board for the kids, and Jake left his Blu Wave inflatable SUP. We can’t wait to see how good these kids get the next time one of us gets back there.
Canadian SUP maker Blu Wave supplied boards for the Madagascar trip.
Born on the tranquil waters of Ontario’s cottage country but informed by the mighty surf of the Pacific, Blu Wave SUP has carved out a vibrant place in Canada’s outdoor spaces. Founded in 2010 by Aaron Pilon—a keen traveller, paddler and surfer—the company grew from a simple idea: expand the joy of ocean surfing inland. What began with a revelation Pilon had while surfing the Pacific off Mexico has grown into Canada’s leading SUP brand.
Pilon recognized a way to blend the freedom of surfing with the accessibility of kayaking, and to do it off any of the numerous coastlines that define Canada.
Blu Wave’s boards are purpose-built for the conditions that most Canadians actually paddle in. Their SUP Surf series is fine-tuned for both Great Lakes waves and ocean swells in places like Tofino, BC and Lawrencetown, NS.
New offerings include the Wave Rider Pro Elite 7.6, a low-volume performance SUP for the advanced/expert SUP surfer. The shortboard shape characteristics include pulled-in nose, thin rails in the nose and squash tail and progressive rocker. Fuller rails and volume in the centre counter nose and tail shape to add stability, allowing riders to surf a more responsive SUP.
Blu Wave’s Touring boards are ideal for glassy mornings on lakes or long-haul explorations through winding waterways. In addition to SUP Surf and Touring, Blu Wave offers the following series: All Round, Inflatable, Race, Yoga, Surf & Foil and Woody.
Designed with unhurried intention, each board reflects the brand’s mantra: “designed in Canada, for Canadian waters.” And we can add to that, “For Madagascar waters too.”
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