Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean
LAST UPDATED 12/09/2008
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Level of surfing

Advanced

Quality of surf

Excellent

Coastline

66,526 km

Climate

Hazards

Extreme Heat, Extreme Cold, Severe Storms

Best Months

January - December

Special Requirements

Personal Guide Recommended

surfing

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US DoD: The Indian Ocean; 2006

Sitting mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the easterly tracking sub antartic storm cells South of Africa that peel up and supply most of the area with swell. April to September is the best season for spots requiring SE to SW groundswell. Island groups in the region can create some swell shadowing but generally, the sheer frequency of the southerly swells will make those spots your better option. Rarer northerly swells that descend from the Arabian gulf from May to July can light up novelty spots and mysto treats but swell decay is a problem. 

Bear in mind that the southerly swells do need to 'bend' up quite a bit to feed this coast so not every system is going to yield results for you. Reliance on onshore winswells is a reality of surfing on the western side of the Indian Ocean. In betwwen the flat periods though, chances are you are going to have some serious fun in generally uncrowded waves. 

introduction

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ScribeOfTheNile: Indianocean; 27 August 2005

Indian Ocean, third largest ocean, c.28,350,000 sq mi (73,427,000 sq km), extending from the South of Asia to Antarctica and from the East of Africa to the South-East of Australia; it is c.4,000 mi (6,400 km) wide at the equator. At the same time it is the smallest, youngest, and physically most complex of the world's three major oceans.

Indian Ocean constitutes about 20% of the world's total ocean area. It is is connected with the Pacific Ocean by passages through the Malay Archipelago and between Australia and Antarctica; and with the Atlantic Ocean by the expanse between Africa and Antarctica and by the Suez Canal. Its chief arms are the Arabian Sea (with the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Persian Gulf), the Bay of Bengal, and the Andaman Sea.

Island nations within the ocean are Madagascar (the world's fourth largest island); Maldives; Comoros;  Seychelles; Mauritius; and Sri Lanka. Indonesia borders it on the east. The ocean's importance as a transit route between Asia and Africa has created a conflict, however, because of its size no nation had successfully dominated most of it until the early 1800s when the United Kingdom controlled much of the surrounding land. After the British Empire was declined, the ocean has been dominated by India and Australia.

 

 

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