Quiksilver father/son Surf Trip onboard Tui Tai

The Tui Tai Steamed down to the western side of Fiji, awaiting the arrival of the Quiksilver team ( which also was a father/son surf trip).

Departing Denarau we headed straight out to reefs surrounding Tavarua  and Numoto Islands and began the day with surf at Cloudbreak.

Conditions were fun and glassy and everyone got some waves and got over the jet lag and into holiday mode. As bellies grumbled we headed back to the boat to lunch on the top deck followed by small siesta on the sun lounges.

Before getting to settled into the Fiji relax time we loaded the two naids with boards and jumped in to go check out Wilks. Even though the wind had picked up since the morning the right was firing!  With only ourselves out to contend with there were plenty of waves to go round. The water was crystal clear and you could see the beautiful tropical fish swimming over the reef below. This made for some beautiful underwater surf shots too.

As we went back to the boat all eyes were checking out swell forecasts for the next few days. Everyone was trying to work out the best place to explore to find some remote waves. After various debates and phone calls to connections locations we decided to head south and explore the islands of Kandavu. 

There was a big swell on its way, but unfortunately it also came with strong winds too. Then came the marine forecast that a cyclone was heading straight to Fiji. Even though the  weather was fine for the moment we were unable to head out for our big exploration expedition and we needed to stay in the Mamacuas .

Spirits were dampened a little, airline tickets were booked to Australia, but we decided to make the most of the day and go surfing. The wind had picked up a little and we checked out desperation's. Its was sheltered and had nice sets coming in, some right, some left, it almost felt like a beach break. A fun session was had by all but again food was calling and returned to  the Tui Tai for lunch  and fresh fruit.

We had boat jumping session, even a flip off the very top deck, but I think the landing hurt. Another boat went out and a few of the guys went to check out the below the waves with some free diving. There were some talks of catching dinner but the fish got away…

One last surf out at desperation's with the waves all to ourselves.  Everyone was relaxing, catching waves with friends, in balmy tropical waters, until a storm front came over and the sky's opened. Waves were  still ridden in the downpour until  beers and dinner sounded like a good idea. We had a sunset cruise back to the dock, out trip cut short, but the waves are still there waiting to be explored, so we will leave it till next time.

For more info on Surf Charters on the Tui Tai

http://www.tuitai.com/

Photos by

http://www.gemmamolinaro.com/