Thinking of going to Namotu Island next year. It seems like you can kite surf anytime of year over in Fiji. However from the October to March is generally when the southerly trade winds blow with most of the surf being produced by tropical storms and cyclones, while March to October brings the consistent ground swells.
Interested to hear what people who've been there think of the kitesurfing. I'm mainly interested in the wave riding. If you reply can you include what time of the year you visited.
cheers
I was there in late august into September.
Had 10 min kiting total but epic surf.
The Mamanuca Island chain ( tavarua, Malolo, castaway, mana etc etc...) is not the best for winds.... The main island Viti Levu has pretty big mountains that block a lot of the wind.
We were lucky to 10-15 knots on any day whilst on the southern side of Viti Levu they had 20-3O knots everyday..
Namotu Island is quite expensive but is obviously right at the breaks ( still need the boat there to be sure as the tide can rip out Wilkes passage at quite a rate)
Or.... Save some cash and stay at Malolo Island or Malolo Lai Lai, then get a boat each day to the surf ( about a 10min boat ride ). This is what most people do.
The guy you need to speak to about getting out to the breaks is Small John ( he us not that small easily 110kg plus ) he doesn't take you but he has a fleet of long boats and some keen local surfers and non surfers that work for him.
Pm me if you want his phone number.
I think you got your info wrong about the trade wind season, certainly correct about cyclones though!
It is in our winter that the most consistent trades will be there.
Although the wind is not guaranteed and many before you have been disappointed, I think from June till September will be your best chances of good wind.
There is some wave action to be had along the corral coast aswell
Do a search for Fiji, there has been a few writups, be sure to select for the last year to get more hits in your search! (default is only 60 days and you will miss out)
I have been to Fiji quite a lot from around 1992, having surfed the main Is and Kadavu. Only in recent times, I rediscovered it from a kite surfers point of view. You will never find a better place to enjoy your time, be it 1 week or 3 weeks to get the best wave/kiting in your life. No matter where you are on this planet, the wind can always be a bitch, so even in the trade wind season, there maybe irregularity in the patterns. That's life. However, on Namotu no wind is not a hassle. Go fish, surf, sup and fun, then when the wind comes up, kite.
Holy Crap!! Just read the article in NZ kite mag. Those are some big waves. Thanks for the feedback. I'm guessing there are also plenty of smaller days for the less experienced like me. All I need to do now is find a billion dollars so I can hire out the whole island for a few weeks.
Howdy
Been a windy November - last week kiting with 7m and 5m, yesterday 8m. S.e. Trades - blow right through till January here, BUT off nadi glassy and calm - perfect for non kiting activities.
Choose where you go depending on what you want to do!
Have fun
Warren
BY FAR THE BEST SURF HOLIDAY I HAVE DONE!
i was there in end of sept start of oct...
the trip was by far epic..
we caught the first 2 days 8-10ft cloudbreak the next 2 days 6ft the next 2 days 4 ft then the last day was around 2-3...
my day everyday consisted of
-wake up at 4am
just in the fishing boat with the namotu fisho, fish from 4-7
-boat would drop me off at cloudbreak surf from 7-10
-get back to namotu for breaky
-have a feed and chill snorkly spearfish what ever
-go for a quick surf at namotu lefts
-chill some more
-wind would kick in
-kite for 4-5 hrs till 4ish
-jump in a boat and go back to cloudbreak and surf for 2 hrs with no crowds
-back intime for tea at 7
-hit the piss with the boys
then do it all again!
best trip ever... heaps better vibe than tavarua, as the owners scotty and mandy are aussies and are awesome.. the staff there are so nice and its like a little island paradise... ill be back there every year from now on..
i spent 1 week there... everyone says its exy but when u stay there it is sooo worth it and if you take advantage of all the boat transfer per day its so worth it!!!
after that i did all the backpacker islands and run a muck with a heap of sweedish backpacker chicks.. fiji def did surprise me! loved it!
go ahead book it in :D
Namotu sounds pretty epic.
I'm going to Fiji for my wedding next year in May/June first staying up at Wananavu which is right near Nananu-i-ra. Will do some kiting there and then we are going to Tokoriki on the Coral Coast. Hoping to get a day trip or two over to Namotu as well.
I only ride TT so not sure if I will try any of the waves there unless it's only a few feet.
Sorry to hijack but anyone got any info on transfers from Tokoriki to Namotu or kiting on Tokoriki island?
