I had the pleasure to spend a week relaxing in Natadola Beach, Fiji.
I knew there was a small chance for surfing there, but I didn’t count on it. Besides, our vacation wasn’t about surfing. However, now that I’ve seen it, I can disseminate some info for future me, since the internet does not help understanding the spot.
Natadola beach is located on Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, in the Sigatoka region, south west, around 40 mins drive from Nadi, where the international airport is located.
The beach itself faces south-west, and sits where the barrier reef opens, letting waves coming in into the crescent shaped inlet.
On the southern end of the beach, just in front of the Intercontinental Resort, starting literally from the beach, there’s a spec of solitary barrier reef. It could be around 100m long and 50m wide.
The rocky formation spends part of the day underwater and the other part exposed to the air and beach goers.
The snorkeling around it is amazing.
After looking at it and playing with it for a week, I can tell you this.
This little reef formation only works on high tide. Since the left side is half covered in sand due to a sandy channel next to it, waves only give you the best opportunity on the other side, meaning it’s a left wave.
I have seen 2 possible spots, both lefties, but the most reliable and long ride is the one on the right edge (looking from the beach) of the reef.
The spot is nonexistent on low tide and give you the best chances at the peak of high tide. It seemed consistent even though the main swell during my stay was from the east.
However, I don’t think this spot can handle anything over 1.5ft. There’s no enough water above the reef to cope with that. It would be all white water and hollow.
The wave is great for beginners and longboarders. I got a couple of waves with an old and silly 6ft board and managed to ride it for close to 10 seconds.
Also, the spot barely sees anyone surfing it. If I had my 9.2 board with me, I would have had some good fun, cross stepping and hanging 5 in solitude.
I don’t recommend planning to surf this wave specifically. It is not worth the effort of getting there. Only if you are in the area and you have your board with you, it could then be an interlude between other adventures.
You will find that you could hire a surfboard at Natadola Beach. That’s what I did. However, the surfboards, 2, short, battered, and next to useless for this spot, are made available by the locals who spend their days on the beach selling massages, boat and horse rides to the resorts ‘guests. Not exactly reliable, and certainly not the right boards for the wave.
No comments:
Post a Comment