It took me 20 years to get into this wave. Really. 20 years. Photo: (@fijichili)
My first encounter with Tavarua came during my days as a pro bodyboarder. I was on a photo trip to Kadavu Island. That trip was an adventure worthy of its own story, but suffice to say, we scored empty waves for a full week. Our plan was to spend a couple of days getting some waves at Namotu Lefts, as Tavarua and its associated surf spots were still private at the time. Aussie Damian King, who went on to win three bodyboarding world titles, was more than determined to have a crack at legendary Cloudbreak so he got on the phone and made some calls. He was consistently shut down, despite offering to pay just for one day for the rights to ride out there, but the well-heeled clientele of Tavarua Island Resort would not have to deal with Damian and our crew this time around.
The short version of that story is Kingy convinced our boat driver to do a “drive by” of Cloudbreak one day – a 15-foot behemoth which nobody was surfing at the time. His secret plan was to sneak off the boat and into the empty lineup, which was eventually thwarted by the driver we’d hired and another boat from the Tavarua resort. Kingy briefly pled his case and pointed out that no one was out, but they were having none of it. Once he admitted defeat, we took our uncomfortable ride back to Namotu, having only taken a glimpse of Cloudbreak that would have to hold me over for the next 20 years.
After retiring from pro bodyboarding in 1998, my wife (who was also a pro bodyboarder) and I started our own business (eBodyboarding.com) as well as a family and went about the life of being parents and business owners. Surf trips were simply no longer on our radar. We’d hear stories from friends who had been to Tavarua, but it just seemed completely out of reach for regular folks like us.
Fast-forward to 2014. We got a call from some friends who told us there were “openings” on Tavarua for the following year. Just FYI, the way Tavarua works is that prior guests have first dibs on visiting for the same week the following year. In any case, if some people drop out and spaces need to be filled. My wife and I assessed our finances, started charging all our expenses to rewards credit cards, and actually saved our pennies to make this dream trip with our friends and kids. We put down deposits, made lists of what to bring way too far in advance, had barbecues with the other families that were going with us, and constantly obsessed over the future journey to surf paradise.
About a week before our scheduled departure in March of 2015, I noticed the cyclone situation in that part of the world was getting quite active. There had already been a couple cyclones that had threatened Fiji and just hoped that the same wouldn’t destroy our plans. But alas, Cyclone Pam formed and circled Fiji like a wolf outside a sheep’s paddock. We had great travel insurance in case of cancellation but still fretted as things looked bleaker and bleaker the closer we got to departure date. Sure enough, after we had procured the kids’ homework for ten days, sorted things out at work, packed our bags, and bought supplies, the bomb was dropped. Cyclone Pam’s approach had shut down our trip within hours of our departure, while the island resort itself had been evacuated. We would have to wait another year for the same opportunity.
Life carried on as normal in the following months as we went through the process of planning and frothing once again. Oddly, as if jinxed, about ten days before trip attempt number two, my wife and I contracted some horrendous illness that left us both down for the count for many days. Two days before departure I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with bacterial bronchitis. I was prescribed meds, and though I felt like death, I wasn’t going to miss this trip.
Finally, we boarded the plane without incident and made it to Nadi, still feeling like death warmed over. Twenty minutes across the channel and we approached a little sandy beach on the northeast corner of the heart-shaped island. The water was warmer than any ocean I had felt in my life. Below the boat was sea life and reef the color of a million rainbows, and the sounds of guitars and beautiful Fijian music filled the tropical air. The sand was so white it was blinding. I might have been ok with dying in that moment. A 20-year dream was becoming a reality.
We stepped off the boat and waded through the 87-degree water and were greeted by the staff with bead necklaces and song. Every stress, problem, quandary, or worry was instantly washed away. A week of this? And it’s not a dream?
The warmth of the staff envelopes you from the moment you step off your boat until the moment you depart. Pic: Scott Winer (@fijichili)
Palms swayed in the breeze, small perfectly-peeling lefts wrapped along the reef out front and the food went down better than any lunch I had ever eaten. We went to our room after lunch and unpacked the bags and headed back to the restaurant, which is the main gathering area and got to know some of the other guests, some of whom were there for their first time and others who were Tavarua veterans. My main interest was what these folks did for a living to afford to come there on a regular basis, but then again, I’m nosy like that!
Of course, when the first boat was set to leave for a surf, everybody wanted to be on it. One friend’s wife didn’t surf, so she agreed to look after our two kids while Vicki, myself, and our friend Mike headed out to Cloudbreak with the other new arrivals. It was the perfect introductory size hovering around the 4-6 foot range with the odd larger set. We spent the next few hours getting familiar with the wave I’d waited 20 years to see again and the jagged coral reef below.
Vicki gets intimate with Cloudbreak’s reef. Pic: Scott Winer (@fijichili)
Our week on Tavarua was the most amazing, memorable, stress-free vacation of our lives. The kids frolicked the days away, swimming in the ocean, playing on the beach, surfing, and bodyboarding on the gentle reforms of Kiddieland.
Not only were the waves incredibly fun and occasionally challenging the entire week, but the food was amazing, the weather flawless, and of course, you will never meet a warmer group of human beings on the planet than the Fijians. Their smiles were infectious and you just couldn’t help but say, “Bula” every time you encounter them.
As the week came to a close, a depression set in knowing that real life would soon rear its ugly head once again. We would have to pack up the bags, make the trek back to Southern California’s smog, noise, traffic, cold water, homework, and daily life that would pull us back into its monotonous clutch. Oh, how tough it was to leave that island. But our week was done, and so we awoke from our seven-day dream and returned home.
Over the course of the following year, our family has obsessed about Tavarua Island Resort. We’ve followed their social media and generally lamented about not being there. My daughter, now 13, likes virtually every single Instagram post they make. My 9-year-old son talks about how he would just live on Tavarua if he had all the money in the world. My wife and I concur on that one too.
If you surf or bodyboard (and even if you don’t), you owe it to yourself to take pounce on any opportunity to visit this magical place. Unfortunately, bringing a family of four to this surf nirvana every year isn’t within our means, but rest assured that we are plotting to muster the funds – short of breaking the law – to make a return trip. The obsession is very real, occupying at least some corner of our brains every single day for the past year now.
Tavarua Island Resort has, in the most incredible and wonderful way, ruined our lives.
Memories to last a lifetime! Pic: Scott Winer (@fijichili)
