Skateboarding
Boserio, Garcia, Gayle and Trahan navigate the urban Maldivian jungle known as Malé.
One of the more fascinating places I have had the luck to photograph, Malé is nothing short of a magical place. Twice as densely populated as NYC, this small island is packed wall-to-wall with over 92,000 people and is only 5.8 square kilometres, or 2.2 square miles. Space is probably one of the biggest commodities on the island.
It was overwhelming on every level. The density of it, how hectic it was, how incredibly hot it was and how strikingly beautiful everything was.
We – Nick Garcia, Korahn Gayle, Nick Boserio, Jordan Trahan, Patrik Wallner and myself – started at the illustrious Raalhugandu DIY bowl, an amazing bowl right on the water where we met Hambe, Thu Thu and the rest of the Maldivian skaters who helped show us around. The centre of the island is a bit too dense to skate, but there’s a road around the island that you can push around and we got quite lucky with the spots we were able to find. Everything we had heard about this place was true. It is 100 percent paradise on every level.
Colour and the kids – brick landing surface is no joke
With so little space, I struggled at some spots trying to find a good angle to shoot it. Luckily for me though, Nick didn’t have much trouble finding good spots for photos.
Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink
Maldivians get their water from the ocean; salt is taken out of seawater to make it usable. The second day in, the desalination plant caught fire and there was a huge water shortage. Locals lined up for hours in the hopes of getting some clean drinking and showering water.
Downtime – Nick Boserio hooks up with the locals
You can’t go to the Maldives and not go snorkelling, as it’s some of the best in the world. Nick Boserio channels his energy and composes his symphony of fishes on a reef outside of Malé.
The life aquatic with Nick Garcia
Malé is surrounding by many small islands that are easily accessible by boat. These rides offered amazing views, fresh air and a break from the craziness of Malé. Nick Garcia takes advantage and takes in the setting sun over this incredible city.
Malé skate massive in full effect!
Our amazing hosts, who also built an incredible bowl right on the beach.
Full turnout for evening session at the home-made bowl
A moment to remember. A big crowd gathered at the Raalhugandu bowl as the boys put on a bit of a demo. Sunset fades over the amazing island as Nick skids a front rock in the deep end.
East of Eden
Watching the sunset in the middle of the Indian Ocean. To the right is a small deserted island that we stood on with a few others and watched the sky ignite, as we absorbed one of the most amazing sunsets of our lives.
Fat snaps! Nick G disembarks quick smart
I think this started as sort of a joke. “Imagine if you ollied off that boat.” After some poking around, Nick gave it a crack and the entire area stopped to watch and cheer him on as he rode away.
Down the backstreets
A quiet intersection in Malé – well, this is about as quiet as it gets. With so many people on such a little space, it’s very rare to find yourself alone anywhere on the island.
Tropic Thunder – check the shadow catch
Back to the infamous street gap, this time right before the light has totally faded and Korahn comes through with a buzzer beater big ole switch heelflip.
Crosstown traffic: Elbows in if you want to keep them!
This is a pretty typical side street in Malé, where space is a huge commodity.
Cash money vagrant: Boserio pays it forward
Not scared of a little heat, Nick braves the high temps of the midday sun, threads the needle and rolls away on this beaut of a backside tailslide.
Retail therapy: Shopping is serious business
At night near the hotel they shut the street down and hundreds of vendors held a market. As I walked by, one woman put these bunny ears on to surprise a customer she was helping until everyone fell apart in laughter.
Barbarians at the gate: Breaking bad
This Ollie is at the Maldives Monetary Authority, and the day after Jordan ollied it, Amu, one of the locals, showed us a link to an article about us on the internet. A local Maldivian had shot photos and posted it calling Jordan, Patrik and I “bad tourists.”
Shaka attack: No let down on the get down
This kid was just ripping around skating with us when we looked over and he lay down and threw us a Mahalo. Epic.
Coast to coast with Trahan airlines
This spot was the catalyst to the trip happening. Stumbled upon on Google maps, I had hoped for a picture like this at the spot, but never dreamed it would turn out this good. A picture postcard 360 flip as Thilafushi, the garbage island, burns in the background.
Tune in on Thursday, October 1 to watch the first of two chapters as the crew touches down in Malé, a concrete jungle of an island, and receives a warm island greeting from the skaters, the people, and the spots of the Maldives.
#islandhopping