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Published: December 11th 2006
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Arrived at Nadi (pronounced Nandi) around midnight where I was to chill at the airport for 12 hours waiting for a connecting flight to Nagigia. After falling in and out of sleep and trying to keep an eye on my stuff at the same time it was time to board the eight seater aeroplane. On boarding I met friends from California, Hef and Margo who were also heading to the Island of Nagigia and wave of King Kong’s Left. After a very scenic hour flight over Fiji and out to the Island of Kadavu we were taken by boat to Nagigia where we headed straight out for a surf. Access to the wave is by boat. You can paddle out and back in if you choose, and if you find yourself caught inside you can be swept in an undignified manner across the reef and left to paddle back to the island.
There were other guests already out surfing when we arrived. The waves were fun and we returned to our communal meal where we got to meet everyone.
Staying on this tiny island was
2 pairs of honeymooners from QLD, a family from Rye and a Couple from
Anglesea.
All Aussies, which was awesome for Jef who was heading there next in his travels.
The next day Jamie for England arrived who Jef and Margo had met at Rendezvous Surf Camp where they had just spent a week surfing and hanging out.
We filled our days, sleeping and reading attending the Village sports carnival on Kadavu, Snorkelling, playing Poker and taking a few Balcony Jumps.
Nights consisted of Kava, Dancing and Drinking.
We had a few days with out surf due to the wrong wind. Jef and I went out one night before dust in an attempt to tame the beast. It was more like the ocean surging than a wave breaking. I t was hard to establish a take off point. I realised that it was necessary to take off behind the section. I decided I had to go for one as it seemed a waste to go out and not get 1 wave. I paddled to the impact zone, turned and paddled. I was up, flying along the face, so stoked that I had caught it, and then “Wooomp”, I was engulfed by the wave. Moments later I resurfaced and I was over the
over side of the reef shelf and was doomed to the paddle back to base. I was miraculously unscaved and looked across to Jef who was now on the boat searching for me back in the impact zone, waiting for me to resurface. I was now over 100 meters from where he thought I was.
During our stay there at Nagigia there had been quite a few successful fishing trips with some rather large Wahoo and Yellow fin tuna being hauled in.
After a week our time was up and we took the boat transfer back to Kadavu airport in some choppy wet conditions.
We were waved off at the jetty by our Nagigia family. We flew back in smaller plane than which we arrived, a 6 seater. In Nadi we lunched and awaited my brother Sam’s arrival.
Sam arrived and then we proceeded to wait 4 hours for our very late transfer to Rendezvous Surf Dive Camp.
We settled in and the next morning we were in a boat and off to surf Desperations. A reef break that breaks like a beachy. Next 2 day we surfed Wilkes Passage and Checked out Cloud Break and
Mini Cloud Break. Cloudbreak is one of the best waves in the world and when we checked it, it going off. Unfortunately you are only allowed to surf it if you are paying US $300 a night staying at the Tavarua Island ran by an American (One Day ). This exclusivity is due to fishing rights/ownership of the reefs.
There is one time a week were non Island guests can surf and that it Saturday morning which is when old guest leave and new guests arrive. Different Surf Camps and Hotels have a different quota on how many guest they can send and there is a fee to surf the wave.
We filled the rest of our time reading, sleeping, sunbaking by the pool, poker, kicking soccer and rugby ball. One day we caught the local bus into town.
One night after a heavy Kava session we kicked around the campfire.
As our Surf Camp isn’t very high in the pecking order for a place in the lottery to surf Cloudbreak, we were told by a local that by ringing and saying we were from the Sheraton we should be in with out a problem. This scheme worked
and we did surf Cloudbreak, but sadly it was on 1 to 2 foot big.
That night was my night to leave and return home to Melbourne. It was also the day of the Australian Football League Grand Final which a group of us watched from a bar in town. I was stoked cause an Australian team won. From the bar I cruised to airport and on to Melbourne arriving on Sunday morning and back to work the next day!!!!
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