Marshall Islands

Where to surf in Marshall Islands

The Marshall Islands, in the middle of the equatorial Pacific, are a Micronesian republic of 29 atolls plus five individual islands that rely on US aid and missile base rent to fund the republic. Open to swells from both hemispheres, information about the Marshall Islands surf potential is scant, limited mainly to what expats surf seasonally on Majuro and Kwajalein atolls in the Ratak and Ralik Chain (sunrise and sunset chain). Fickle at best, the Marshalls are not one of the world's great surfing destinations, a few decent waves, but nothing world-class.

Martin Daly (Indies Trader) has scoped all the Marshall’s atolls and built a new resort on Ailinglaplap atoll, to access a handful of excellent reef passes on the north coast. ENE winds blow cross-offshore for the rights, making it a popular wind/kitesurfing spot. Arno, the scenic atoll just east of Majuro, might have a wave or two if the conditions cooperate. International flights also go to Kwajalein Atoll, but it’s strictly controlled by the US military, who have been testing ballistic missiles and nuclear detonations on surrounding islands, including the biggest ever explosion of a dry hydrogen bomb on Bikini Atoll in 1954. One final deterrent is that the Marshall’s are the world’s biggest shark sanctuary, covering nearly 2M square kilometres of deep blue Pacific.