Surf Tavarua Island
 |
| Our Endless, Numbered Daze: Riding Cloudbreak’s tube (courtesy, Tavarua Island Resort) |
In the mid-1980s, pictures of tubes at Cloudbreak so big and clean you could slide a New York City train through the glassy walls stood the surfing world’s hair on end. Today, any grommer worth their leash knows Cloudbreak is the spot for surfing in Fiji—and it lies just off of Tavarua.
At only 29 acres, it’s a tiny speck of coral island surrounded by a reef that trips up waves cruising in off the open ocean. As you’d expect, the resort itself is dominated by surfers who come not just for Cloudbreak, but the three other nearby breaks. Restaurants Break, just off the deck of the resort’s open-air dining area, is a fun left that, on small days, is good fun in one of the resort’s kayaks. Come closer to shore and an inside break makes for a good beginner’s spot, and Rights Break is the only break on the island that…well, curls to the right.
Jon Roseman, a Californian who owns the property, surfs as much as he can—which is a lot. And he’ll tell you, those waves can snap a back easier than a surfboard, which is why he’s hired lifeguards to paddle out and surf with the guests. Roseman can arrange for you to go into villages on the mainland, where his projects to build schools have earned him respect enough to be included in children’s songs.
Details:
805-686-4551; www.tavarua.com Just 13 bures sit on the island, about a 30-minute boat ride from Viti Levu. Seeing as the island is so small, they’re all practically right on the beach. Tavarua sells one-week packages including airfare, food, and most activities (other than diving). You must be a guest at the island to be able to surf the breaks, which crank the hardest from May through September. Sorry dude, that’s just the way it works in Fiji.
