'HATI-HATI!' I hear the Bahasa Indonesian call of caution flutter in the wind as I attempt the 'jump up' take-off that constitutes lesson number one at Surf Goddess Retreats on Bali's Seminyak beach. It's early morning and I'd rather be asleep, but the urge to merge with these seemingly gentle waves has motivated my bikini-clad body out of the comfortable bed back at the retreat's private villas a short walk inland. Unaccustomed to carrying anything heavier than a towel through the sand, I struggle with the flower-stenciled turquoise surfboard, or longboard, that's mine for this week-long women-only surf school, the first of its kind in Asia.
The retreat's founder, Chelsea Rostill-Huntley, says 'absolute beginners' - who constitute the majority of her guests - find Seminyak's calm waters the ideal training ground 'to learn about your board, connect with the waves and master the basics of surf etiquette'.
Belly on board as I skim along like a fish out of water, I put my trust in the sun-kissed instructors at Bali's Rip Curl School of Surf, who lead me and five other dog-paddlers around on these oversized boards, also known as Malibu boards. Chelsea says the increased stability of these two-and-a-half-metre boards is like 'instant gratification because it's so much easier to catch waves and have fun while improving your skills without worrying about tipping over'. Why worry, I ask myself. Instead, I simply wonder if I will ever stand up. By the week's end, I do indeed graduate from the prone paddle to something like the cool surf stance I dreamt of achieving, if only for a few moments at a time. I am bruised and exhausted but also relaxed and enlightened thanks to the yoga, massage and Indonesian cooking classes available back at the Retreat.
The 1960s surf scene conjures images of hardcore enthusiasts living out of psychedelic painted Volkswagen buses, but these days there is considerably more luxury available between wave breaks. Stressed out executives who want to 'hang 10' without sacrificing their creature comforts head to the Maldives, where they can 'catch the curl' five minutes by speedboat from Four Seasons Kuda Huraa. Fast becoming known as one of the world's most indulgent surfing destinations, the high-performance waves of North Male Atoll serve up year-round water temperatures of 27-30 degrees Celsius, while the resort's attentive staff pamper guests during off-board hours. Tropicsurf, an Australian company specialising in surfing holidays, operates certified courses for beginners and surf clinics for all levels in the surrounding turquoise lagoon.
One-time surf novice Lucinda Ansell took up the sport here only last winter before returning this spring to board Four Seasons' 128-foot catamaran Explorer for what she calls the 'ultimate wave-ride vacation'. She says: 'We cruised between the Indian Ocean's most insane surf spots in unsurpassable luxury, popped on a board from crest to crest, then got welcomed back on board by smiling staff who wrapped us in bathrobes that felt like cloud fluff.'
Ross Phillips, chief executive of Tropicsurf, says the remote locations accessible on the Explorer 'are breaks off coral reefs on the corners of islands, secluded locations no other surfers know about. The Explorer allows guests to live out their surfing fantasies - [to find] the perfect wave off tropical islands, like in the movies.'