general information

The mighty Cloudbreak is the face of surfing in Fiji. This perfect left-hander thunders down an outer reef, located a couple of kilometres from the tiny island of Tavarua. The waves at Cloudbreak are world class, the island of Tavarau is a luxurious paradise, the climate is tropical perfection, the crowds are nonexistent, and the local Fijians constantly have a welcoming smile on their face. But with all this perfection comes controversy. The resort at Tavarua has exclusive rights to the waves at Cloudbreak and Restaurants. In other words, if you’re not staying there you cannot surf Cloudbreak.

During the mid 1980’s the resort owners struck a deal with the local people, and secured exclusive rights to the waves, which under Fiji tribal law can be done. While the wider surfing community maybe rueing this situation, the local Fijians have benefited greatly from this arrangement with the resort owners.

For the average surfer to even get a bed at Tavarua is difficult, basically this is how it works; various people or companies (e.g. Quiksilver, Billabong) around the world have been allocated one week periods at Tavarua, (it is the same week every year). It is that person/companies responsibility to organise a group to go to the island. So essentially to get to Tavarua you need to know the right person. That said, the resort does have a website. If staying on Tavarua and surfing Cloudbreak is your life’s dream, it would be worth contacting them for further information. The resort is extremely expensive and luxurious, with a pool, a tennis court, and various other unnecessary things. 

Saturdays are changeover days at Tavarua when one group of surfers leaves, and another group arrives. During these couple of hours it can be arranged by resort owners on neighbouring islands to have their guests surf Cloudbreak. Don’t count on this happening though, if it does, consider it a bonus. 

With all the controversy surrounding Tavarua, you can almost forget about the wave. Cloudbreak receives swell from the ultra consistent Southern Ocean, and is hands down one of the best waves in the world. Surfable at three foot (head high) and holding over 15 foot (eight times overhead), Cloudbreak has something for everyone. At six foot (double overhead) is when Cloudbreak starts to get exceptionally good, at this point only experienced surfers should be negotiating the shallow reef. 

Cloudbreak has three main sections, which are not dissimilar to G-Land. The waves first reach The Point, big waves roll trough here allowing for big carving turns. The next section, The Middle, is where the waves start to line up nicely peeling across the reef and standing up well ahead of the white water, look for barrels and quick turns through this section. The inside section is where the action is, heavy top-to-bottom barrels rifle across the shallow coral reef. The inside section is dangerous, but as the saying goes, the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and there are plenty of rewards to be had through the inside. The three sections usually don’t link up, but each section is a very long wave in its own right.

Big blue barrels in a tropical island paradise. If you are lucky enough to visit Tavarua make sure you enjoy it, you are one of a privileged few who experience the dream that is Cloudbreak. 

BT