Jails, Maldives

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Rasdhoo, is 65 km away. Nearest airport: MLE (MLE), 14 km.

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About Jails

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces E (109°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (289°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 65). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 29°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July, August and September, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Rasdhoo, is 65 km away. Nearest airport: MLE (MLE), 14 km. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 27 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to MLE, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB).
See flights ORD → MLE · Skyscanner from about £805 returnAd
Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Jails.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Rasdhoo, is 65 km away. Nearest airport: MLE (MLE), 14 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Jails · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Jails · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Jails on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Jails does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Jails, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	32, too small	3 ft8 smushy	74kJ	wind from the south, 9 knots	30°C
Mon 19Oct	32, too small	3 ft8 smushy	71kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots	29°C
Tue 20Oct	30, too small	2 ft7 smushy	35kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots, offshore	28°C
Wed 21Oct	31, too small	2 ft7 smushy	33kJ	wind from the west, 7 knots, offshore	28°C
Thu 22Oct	40, fair	2 ft8 ssoft	65kJ	wind from the west, 14 knots, offshore	28°C
Fri 23Oct	34, too small	2 ft7 smushy	47kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots, offshore	28°C
Sat 24Oct	22, too small	2 ft7 smushy	31kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore	28°C
Sun 25Oct	27, too small	2 ft7 smushy	41kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 12 knots, offshore	28°C
Mon 26Oct	36, fair	2 ft8 smushy	72kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots, offshore	28°C
Tue 27Oct	25, too small	3 ft8 smushy	82kJ	wind from the south-west, 12 knots	28°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to MLE, changing at DXB, then 35 min by road. About 27h 10 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to MLE, changing at DXB, then 35 min by road. About 27h 10 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,085–£2,175 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to MLE, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£805–£1,675
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£25–£40
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£1,085–£2,175

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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