Ayada Maldives, renowned for its luxury experiences and stunning oceanic paradise, has introduced an exhilarating new way to explore the island’s turquoise waters: the Jet Car. This innovative, sports-car-inspired watercraft offers guests the ultimate blend of luxury and adventure, providing a one-of-a-kind experience in the Maldivian seas.

The Ayada Maldives Jet Car is more than just a ride; it represents an unforgettable thrill. Designed to resemble a sleek sports car, this watercraft glides effortlessly over the lagoon, offering an exhilarating way to explore the island’s pristine waters in style. Perfect for adventure seekers and luxury enthusiasts alike, the Jet Car presents an unmatched opportunity to experience the breathtaking views and vibrant marine life of the Maldives from an entirely new perspective.

Guests embarking on the Jet Car adventure will feel the excitement as they cruise through Ayada’s stunning waters, creating waves and turning heads along the way. This unique watercraft is not only a visual spectacle but also easy to operate, making it accessible for both experienced water sports enthusiasts and those new to water-based adventures.

The Jet Car experience is available for booking at Ayada Maldives’ Watersports Center, with prices starting from $249 per ride. Each ride promises to be a highlight of any guest’s stay, providing an unbeatable blend of adrenaline and beauty that captures the essence of the Maldives.

Taj Burrow today became the first ever three-time winner of the Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy, beating Mikey February in the grand final to cap off three radical days of competition in the best waves the event has ever seen.

Burrow’s victory was hard fought. After finishing runner-up in all three divisions and surfing the maximum 10 heats, the 46-year-old Australian did his best to conserve energy on the final day. While being conservative with wave selection is counterintuitive behaviour for a surfer when the waves are four-foot and flawless, it was a wise call. Burrow’s six excellent wave scores on the final day proved that while he may have sacrificed quantity, the quality of his waves didn’t suffer in the least.

Grey skies greeted competitors as they made their way out to the Sultans lineup this morning, but as an early tropical downpour dissipated it left a silky-smooth ocean in its wake. Slack winds and non-stop waves were the perfect recipe for the twin fin division to get underway, and Jeremy Flores came out all guns blazing. Unimpressed with his performances on the opening two days, and with no chance of winning overall, Flores was surfing for pride alone, but that was plenty. An 8.33 and a 7.17, both for beautifully ridden tubes, were warning shots to the field, and enough for a comfortable victory over Burrow and local wildcard Ahmed “Ammaday” Agil.

The second heat saw more fireworks from another passion-fuelled surfer, Jadson Andre. Going upside down on his backhand, as he has all event, Andre locked in an 8.33 and a 7.83 to move on to the next round in first. Mikey February advanced in second, while a valiant but fatigued Carissa Moore was eliminated.

After his strong opening round performance Flores stepped up further in the semi-finals against February, whose pair of sixes were no match for Flores’ 8.67 and 9.10. By now the tide was optimal, conditions had clicked, and the waves were impeccable. A 17.77 total for Flores saw him move on to the final with a head of steam after claiming the scalp of the most renowned twin fin artists in the game.

In the second semi, Andre, who needed to advance to the twin fin final to remain in contention for the overall final, had no answer to Burrow’s all out assault. Opening with an incredible 9.67 for a deep tube complete with wild foamball ride, the West Australian was never headed. As he has all week Andre stayed busy catching waves the length of the point, whether banging out big backhand blasts at the top peak, or sneaking off to hunt tubes further down the line.

While Andre’s two final waves were his highest scorers it was Burrow who had the last laugh with the event’s first perfect 10 coming in the dying minutes, thrown unanimously by the judging panel for a deep disappearing act.

“It was a really fast, perfect cylinder,” said Burrow. “I knew it was a good one because there were some foamball moments in there, then it let me out and I did a nice roundhouse cutback. The whole week has been a blur of tubes but that felt like a 10 for sure.”

Burrow’s near-perfect 19.67-out-of-20 total saw his MR x Mayhem California Twin Pin take him to his third final for the week.

A battle between two of the WSL Championship Tour’s greatest ever performers was always going to be a closely fought affair, no matter the surfboards being ridden. After five minutes Burrow sat with priority on his preferred corner of the reef, while Flores headed up the line to chase the bigger top peak. Somehow the next set delivered gems to both men, Flores the first to pull into a huge tube, exiting in time for Burrow to hear the crowd erupt as he paddled into a gem of his own.

“That was so fun!” said Burrow, of the back-to-back barrels that ensued. Flores earned a 9.67 for his bigger first pit, Burrow a 9.77 for his deeper tube behind. Like that, we had a final on our hands as the two surfers scoured every inch of the lineup looking for waves. In the end it was Flores who found a better second score, a 7.27 the reward for his last wave, a tight tube followed by a long wall that allowed him to unleash his arsenal of powerful open face carves and under the lip laybacks.

“It was crazy, it looked like the swell was dying then suddenly it turned on again,” said Flores. “I was a bit angry today, I’d been cruising at first, yesterday I was a bit bummed, but today I really wanted to win something. And I did! Still got it!”

With the twin fin division decided, the grand finalists were locked in. Burrow kept his rash vest on to surf his third straight 33-minute heat, and fourth for the day, while February had spent the previous hour relaxing in an airconditioned cabin on the Kuda Princess, the luxury yacht that has been the surfer’s locker room all week. While fatigue was starting to play a role, there was no way Burrow wanted to lose his rhythm. He opted against taking any form of break and rolled straight on to the title-deciding bout, merely pausing for a second to add a third small trailer to his twin fin set-up, given the grand final allows for any equipment to be used.

February remained atop his beloved Channel Islands twin fin, as another insane tube duel commenced. February caught seven waves to Burrow’s four, and both men had three excellent scores to their name at final’s end, but with a 9.10 and a 9.03 it was Burrow who led throughout. An 8.67 and a 9.10 ensued February was never far from first, and with a few minutes to go a storm loomed large on the horizon. Suddenly the wind turned stiff offshore, and even after a week of big barrels, suddenly they’d never seen wider.

Burrow’s final pit for the week was a gem, but an 8.00 was no help to him. He kicked out in the channel leaving February alone in the lineup chasing a 9.04. As the buzzer went February snuck into one last long wall. The crowd seemed to be paying little attention as the South African flew through section after section in the tube. Burrow was worried but he needn’t have been, as the resulting 8.17 fell short. Bottles began popping on the back of the Princess as Burrow’s 18.13 scoreline narrowly shaded February’s 17.77 two-wave total.

“I almost feel guilty for winning,” said Burrow afterwards. “Mikey was the best surfer here this week. He looks beautiful on any board but especially that twinny. His turns were looking so perfect, he was on point and ripping and I knew he was the one to beat.

“But I know how to surf a heat, and I knew how I could do it. I patiently sat on my spot, got a couple of drainers, did a few turns of my own. Even at the end I knew he could get me, and then the storm hit! The wind ripped in hard offshore, the waves were so groomed and I got maybe my roundest tube for the week. I thought I’d done enough at that point, then Mikey caught another wave on the buzzer, and was in the barrel for ages. I didn’t think it was the score, but you never know, and finally it was read out that’d I’d won.

“I was staring down the barrel of a bunch of seconds, and that led me to dig deep for the final. I was very tired and running on adrenaline, but I knew my formula and the ocean delivered. That might be one of the funnest finals I’ve ever surfed. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear a jersey again … unless I get invited back! I got so tubed, with friends, staying at the Four Seasons, there’s no way you can better that. The pinch-me moments have been non-stop all week.”

Twin Fin Division Results:

1. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 1000pts
2. Taj Burrow (AUS) 900pts
3.  Jadson Andre (BRA) equal with Mikey February (ZAF) 800pts
4. Carissa Moore (HAW) equal with Ahmed “Ammaday” Agil (MDV) 700pts

2024 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy Leaderboard:

1. Taj Burrow (AUS) 2700pts
2. Mikey February (ZAF) 2600pts
3. Jadson Andre (BRA) 2500pts
4. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 2500pts
5. Carissa Moore (HAW) 2200pts
6. Ahmed “Ammaday” Agil (MDV) 2200pts

Bandos Maldives has announced that it has been awarded the prestigious title of “Best Dive Resort” at the TTM 2024 (Travel Trade Maldives) Awards.

This accolade is a testament to the resort’s commitment to delivering unparalleled dive experiences and providing top-notch services and facilities for dive enthusiasts. Competing against 17 other distinguished resorts in the same category, Bandos Maldives emerged as the top choice for its exceptional offerings.

This recognition marks the second major dive award for Bandos Maldives this year. Earlier, the resort was honoured with the title of “Indian Ocean’s Best Dive Resort” at the World Travel Awards 2024. These consecutive wins underscore the resort’s dedication to excellence in diving and its ongoing efforts to create unforgettable underwater adventures for its guests.

General Manager of Bandos Maldives, Ismail Rasheed, expressed his pride in the team, stating, “We are immensely proud of this achievement. Our team’s passion and dedication have once again been recognized in the national and international platforms. I extend my heartfelt thanks to our dedicated dive team, our loyal guests who voted for us and to the organisers of the TTM for this prestigious awards.”

Bandos Maldives continues to set the standard for dive resorts in the Maldives, offering a blend of thrilling dive sites, expert guidance that cater to both seasoned divers and newcomers alike. With this latest accolade, Bandos Maldives reaffirms its position as the leader in diving in the Indian Ocean.