Surf Fiji cheaply - is it possible?

General Discussion
1

Hey Swaysers,

I know this isn’t exactly surfboard related, for which I apologize. But the other surfing and travel sites I’ve been to about Fiji all tout this and that great resort, or have long fights about which resort is best - nothing for those of us who struggle financially to travel. Plus, I trust Sways to give me straight up and good information.

The deal: My mate from Sydney is getting married in Fiji in October - a non-surfing affair. But I thought I’d stay on another week or two and surf. I could spend all my savings on a nice place, and I will if I have to, but do I have to? All I’ve seen so far says yes. Someone please tell me it ain’t so!

I’m down for couches, camping, or whatever, but then what about getting to waves? Are all the waves proprietary or are there places to just go surf? What about less expensive but non-lethal charter boats to spend a week on?

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Peace and Good Waves,

Schiffie

2

october is right on the tail end of the south swell season, so you could get skunked @ namotu, tavarua, king kong and friggates.

wilkes pass is right off namotu, is not exclusive and i hear that it can be a great wave. you can stay at a cheapo place and boat out there w/ everyone else.

exactly a year ago today i was actually on namotu… when i was doing research about fiji i stumbled on a resort that’s over on the north side of viti levu. they had video of machado getting roped over and over and over.

imo - if you’re strapped, i wouldn’t risk blowing your wad, just b/c you’re right on the cusp.

good luck tho

3

i had this sent to me from a surf travel place.looks amazing.

Bluewater Sports Resort

World Class Fishing - Surfing - SCUBA Diving - Windsurfing - Kite Surfing - Snorkelling

Now under new ownership, the resort is re opening July 7 2008. We are offering opening specials from $US220 a night inclusive of all meals, transfers, sports fishing, surfing and island excursions.

For information on resort availability, accommodation, tours and travel, please email adam@motu.tv

Please download our pdf brochure hi-res [4mb] lo-res [800kb] for more details.

4

Never been to fiji. However my mate went to fiji with his g/f a few months ago. Stayed at a tourist resort. At the resort, you could hire a board, and they would take you surfing for a fee.

My mate asked about it, and basically they drive you out to a reef, and then leave you there all on your lonesome, and come back in an hour. If you’re lucky, and game, your resort may do the same. Im presuming you’re staying at a resort??.

Hope this helps in some way. Maybe you can contact where you’re staying and ask ???

ANyway, im sure you’ll have fun.

5

I have surfed Wilkes, being dropped there from a close island. It was 40 AUD per person to be taken to the break, there was a time limit of about 2 hours. The waves were good for intermediate surfing. Not Indo power.

The issue with Fiji is it seems like everything is expensive and stitched up, but maybe its not so.

The best option is to get a cheap rental car and drive down the coast. There are a few places where the coral reef has a channel and you could possibly paddle out there. There is a sand break at a river mouth (sigatoka) as well. It would be a good exploratory mission. Some places have a boat to go to the more outer reefs from there, but these would be at the resorts. Its almost all reef breaks though.

We didnt venture too far, but the coast goes on and on.

We avoided expensive waterfall tours and the like, instead asking around, given directions to the chiefs house who looks after that area, introducing ourselves, bit of a tip and a smile, and next thing his daughter is taking us on a personal guided tour.

Native fijians are about the friendliest people on earth. If you asked around, they would probably put you up in their house or let you camp. Likely be invited into a family setting for dinner. I once met a fijian on a public bus in sydney, he offered an open invitation to stay in fiji at his house.

Obviously some breaks are locked up for the resorts private use.

I think it could be a fun mission.

6

Last time I went - a buddy and I pitched a tent at Club Masa (at the Sigatoka rivermouth) and also pitched a tent at the ‘Seashell’ which will take you out on their boat for a fee to Wilkes pass and a few other waves around there. On Saturday, if you are lucky, you can weasel your way onto the boat to surf Cloudbreak (which is actually open to the public - sort of - for half a day, once a week - when there is a ‘shift change’ at the resort! - at least it was that way 5 years ago - cant say today…) If you are already there - it would be crazy not to stay and enjoy some fijian surf! food is cheap - pitching a tent is cheap - getting on a boat with others to bring down the cost might not be cheap but is do-able! And there is always the beachbreak/rivermouth - not what you think of when you think of fiji - but can be some really good waves and super friendly locals - bula! - and awesome food and sand dune surfing! - make some true fijian friendships - and for hardly any money - CLUB MASA!

7

It was a long time ago now but I stayed at a backpackers dormitory which was tacked onto one of the resorts on the main island and out the front was a fun right which was a few 100 metres paddle across the lagoon.

Had it to myself or one or two others. Dirt cheap compared to hundreds of US a night but more upmarket than camping and with the fringe benefit of comely backpackers girls. Worth checking out to see if its still available as a cheap base to work from.

May even be at Seashell’s which seems to ring a bell.

8

Wow! Thanks for all the great info! So, I’m thinking after the surfless and expensive nuptials on Denarau Island, I’ll spend a couple of weeks enjoying fiji. I’ve got the vacation time and I’ve gotta use it or lose it, so why not?

I lived in a station wagon in Oz for 6 months, so the idea of renting a car and meeting locals and avoiding expensive tours really appeals to me. Maybe do that for a week, always with an eye on the surf, and then spend a week camping at Club Masa and/or Seashells. Get the boat out to Wilkes at some point, too.

I should’ve mentioned I’m an intermediate/good (but not great by any stretch) surfer who’s just as happy surfing two foot as head high - as long as it’s surfable. Just to surf in water that isn’t chilly and dark will be a sweet change. And if there’s no surf, I’ll snorkel and explore.

So, to bring a board or not? Before seeing tommy’s post about there possibly being no surf, I was thinking of bringing a fish with a set of keels and a set of snappier fins, plus my 6’10" squashtail thruster (which is the only “short” board I have). But now I’m thinking maybe renting once I see the conditions would be a better option. Any places that might rent a board for a week’s road trip? Any thoughts?

Thanks again Sway-Rocks!

Schiffie

9

this is a website i spent WAY too much time on right before i went to fiji. they have a photo gallery of each week of the year and it looks like there was some surf during october 2007 http://www.surfdivefiji.com/gallery/2007-10-19/index.htm

i wanted to bring my fish to fiji and a good surfer/shaper i know discouraged me from doing it. he brought a fish to namotu and got pitched a bunch. if you get out to namotu/tavarua on the change over days or surf wilkes, those waves are fast moving reef passes with a lot of water moving, especially on an outgoing tide. you want something you can paddle like a mo-fo. way different from the waves around santa cruz/pacifica. i asked the aforementioned guy to make me a copy of his 7’8" eggy thing “namotu model” and i’m glad i did. it was the perfect board for the conditions (especially for competing w/ longboards). i had a buddy on my trip surfing a 7’6" gun and he was doing alright.

i didn’t see a single surf shop around denarau or in the downtown area, but i kind of stuck to the guide tour (i was on my honeymoon). there was a Rusty 7’2" gun for sale in the surf shop on tavarua for $700, that was it.

10

Hey Schiffie, I spent a couple of months dirtbagging around Fiji in the early nineties.

Reef ownership is the biggest hurdle as most of the reefs are owned and hence there is some sort of payment system required to go surfing there ie Tavarua, Namotu etc etc.

I also stayed at club Masa and tented it.

There was a very loosely wound californian guy called Marcus running the show there…I wouldn’t be surprised if he was run out of the country …he had trouble keeping his pecker in his pants, and probably more than a few kids scattered around the local villages.

Marcus had a brother called Rory who had a boat…a very handy connection in Fiji.

The rivermouth at Sigatoka gets very bloody good when the sandbar is in shape…think North Narrabeen or some other high quality left.

It’s an excellent base because of it’s high exposure to all south based swells and is a very good indicator for the reefs.

Our program was hang at Club Masa in tents (5 bucks a night), surf the rivermouth daily, when the swell came up we would plan an assault on one of the reefs.

There are buses in Fiji which cost bugger all and take you wherever you need to go if you have plenty of time .

You will meet plenty of very friendly Fijians travelling this way and see some beautiful villages.

We would catch the bus to Seashell Cove and go out on there boats to Wilkes or Namotu (not sure if you can surf Namotu now).

Namotu is a bit soft under 6 feet but a gorgeous left at DOH or bigger.

Wilkes is highly overated in my opinion being sectiony and funky.

I think the wave and accom Cuttlefish is referring to is Hideaway.

There is a very hollow , short right there with a very shallow end section.

There are more waves like this along that stretch of coast between Sigatoka and Suva…if you see a likely looking gap in the reef just paddle out…most are semi-closeouts with extremely shallow coral bottoms.

If you see people cruising on the beach make sure you ask who owns the reef and seek permission to surf there.

there’s a very fun right hander at the entrance to Suva harbour. hang at the harbour there and find someone with a boat (not hard) and line something up .

Frigates is pretty much tied up but it is a wave definitely worth surfing if you like powerful barreling lefts (frightening over DOH)…you can stay on Beqa or Yanuca island to surf it.

Good luck and remember this advice is aged but hopefully still substantially correct.

If you get invited over to a Fijian village to eat with them starve yourself for days because you will never see so much food in your life.

Take a semi-gun.

Steve

11

Yep, Hideaways is the one. Thanks Steve.

Actually had the luck to be sitting on the beach watching it one arvo and noticed someone swimming out there. Grabbed my board and paddled out as fast as I could. By the time I got to him he was under water and well on the way to Dave Jones locker. Nasty undertow in the channel there.

12

Everyone, much appreciation for all the excellent info. Eased and opened my mind, and it looks like I’m in for a great trip.

Tommy, great link. Those waves look good enough to me!

Cuttlelfish, goodonya for the rescue. Hope someone like you is around the day I screw up (er - the day I seriously screw up that is, as screwing up is not as foreign to me as I might like).

So it looks like it’s better to bring a board, but not a fish. I’ve got the 6’10" thruster then, and my 7’6" big guy tri that I used for transition to shorter boards and still ride now and again. If I only took one, which do you reckon?

Thanks again, everyone!

Sailor

13

Definitely take your own boards.

There were many days I wished I had a trad fish. I only took one board - a 6’6 new ‘old 80’s style’ thuster. I had fins for good waves and fat. Wilkes was an easy, but fast and sectiony wave, for any style of board, when I was there. I got it to double OH, growing down the reef. Soft wipe outs.

If you are flying all that way, do it, likely be a trip you will never forget.

I like the idea of a one board quiver for this sort of caper, just choose carefully! Makes board choice when getting in the boat too easy.