My Fijian Adventure - Cloudbreak

This is my first post from my Fijian Adventure. Overall, it was a great trip with my family. Fiji reminded me of many places, but ultimately was unlike anywhere I had ever been. It reminded me of Hawaii because of the plant life and polynesian culture. It reminded me of the Caribbean because of the crystal clear waters and beautiful coral reefs. It reminded me of the Maldives because of the tiny islands and because your main source of transportation was boats. I guess I would have had a different reaction  had I stayed near the capital city on Veti Levu... but right after I flew into the Nadi airport, I immediately left for one of the outer islands called Malolo Lailai. Malolo Lailai is a small island with a few different resorts and is popular amongst the "yachting culture". I ended up staying at Musket Cove (which seemed to be the best match for me). Right next to Malolo Lailai was a bigger island where the locals lived (could actually walk to it during low tide).

Featured in the picture above is heart shaped island of Tavarua. Tavaru is a "mecca" for goofyfooters and has two of the best left hand breaks in the world: Cloudbreak (off screen to the right) and Restaurants (which wasn't breaking on this day). There is also a really good right called Tavarua Rights. In the past, only guests staying at Tavarua were allowed to surf these places... it wasn't until recently that the Fijian government opened them up to anyone with a boat (lucky for me). Cloudbreak is a scary, but perfect wave that breaks in the middle of the ocean (hence the name). Locals used to refer to the place as "Thunder Reef" and considered it to be bad luck because it was a dangerous place for fisherman. However, because of the influx of tourism dollars, they now consider it to be good luck. At Cloudbreak, you'll either get the barrel of your life or thrashing of  your life. All I can say is good luck! Restaurants is another scary, but perfect wave that breaks in really shallow water over some of the sharpest coral you'll find in the world. It requires a really big swell before it starts breaking (since it's positioned inside of Cloudbreak) and again I was lucky enough to be there during a HUGE swell. It broke perfectly during the first 4 days I was in Fiji. My leg actually got the privilege to meet Restaurants first hand (when I got washed over the reef)... and I still have the markings to prove it.

This picture was taken towards the end of my trip and the swell had dissipated (which is why I was taking photos instead of surfing).

More photos and stories to come!