Pro for a day

The last 48 hours have been without a doubt some of the best days of surfing I have ever had. I still can’t believe how things have unfolded. Here is my best attempt at putting into words what we have done. I know I won’t do it justice.

DAY ONE:

On Wednesday morning we woke up at the crack of down and headed out on the road. No boat today because we were headed to a new river mouth sandbar that just formed after the recent floods in Fiji. Waves, the kind surfers like, are shaped by the underwater landscape. Reefs, sandbars, ledges and rock piles all help to make ocean swell energy standup in a way that is fit for a surfer to slide down the face. Teh, our guide, had taken Dex and Mike to this spot the day before and with the rising long period swell figured we would be in for a serious treat if we could get on it at low tide. Teh was right and we arrived that morning to a perfect a-frame wave with serious barrel potential on the lefts and rights. For over an hour and a half while Dex and Mike debated getting in Me and Teh alternated taking turns with our new toy. Teh got seriously tubed and I worked hard at destroying the lip on every wave I took off on.

If you can find this road you're in for a treat.

We surfed the wave from probably 7:30 in the morning until noon. Dex and Mike joined in the fun and so did a few others as the word got out over Fijian Coconut Wireless about this epic new wave. At noon we broke for lunch and went up the road for some local cuisine; chicken curry, rice, a few unnamed Indian breadballs with a couple cans of Coke was our available fuel and we filled the tanks.

After lunch we had the wave to ourselves again and a few more great rides were had. I went to work trying to find a few barrels on the left (with some success) and Mike got wiped out by the biggest set of the afternoon. It was seriously a solid wave!

Arms tired, but not quite surfed out we decide to leave our new “secret spot” and hit the reefs with the boat. While we were stacking our boards I rounded the corner of the truck and came face-to-face with a low hanging tree branch and smashed my head, knocking me flat on my back. As I lay on the ground in pain I felt with my tongue a gap in which just moments before was a huge smile. I guess when I knocked my head my bottom jaw came forward and chipped my front tooth right in half. Great!

A frame perfection - where is everyone?

After brushing the sand off my back and spitting the blood from by cut lips we got in the car and raced back to catch our boat. My missing tooth could wait as the internet hear is too bad to make a phone call home and it was already the middle of the night in Canada so the chances of getting in touch with a dentist was slim – besides we heard that Kelly Slater was in town and the chance of sitting shoulder to shoulder in the line up with him was too great to miss.

We got to the boat just as it was about to push off and I loaded my boards and took a seat at the bow of the boat with a fresh coffee intended to give me a little kick for my final surf of the day. However, the ocean had other plans for my hot beverage and as we bumped along bit by bit the contents of the cup spilled out. When we finally got to the wave all that was left was a dash of cold coffee and the broken promise of caffeinated energy on my board shorts and the floor of the boat. Oh well, the sight of stand up barrels at a famous break called Restaurants was enough to get my energy up again.

After getting some pointers from others on the boat I jumped the bow, board in hand, and headed for the break. After studying the wave from the line up for a bit I decided to go for one. The razor sharp reef is never a few feet away at Restaurants and I carefully grabbed my front rail and pig dogged the take off before getting a quick cover up. In total I got three waves in similar fashion before heading back to the safety of the boat to watch the rest of the nights action. Once on board the boat I sat back and looked on as Teh got a full on stand up barrel, which he would later describe as the best wave of his life.

Barrels in the afternoon at Restaurants.

My rest on the boat was short lived though because just as the sun was setting a bald figure appeared on the horizon. The jet ski this figure rode on could seriously have been a golden chariot and I wouldn’t have noticed the difference because as the figure got closer it was clear to see that it was none other that the best surfer to ever step on a board, the master, Kelly Slater.

I decided that the best place to watch the Kelly show was from the water so I jumped back in and waited for some magic with the other slack jawed surfers. As Kelly waited for the right wave I caught a wave of my own and decide that the low light and heaving barrels were a bit out of my comfort zone so with one eye on Kelly and one on the boat I made my way to safety once again.

When all of our boats surfers were on board were pulled away – all eyes still on Kelly who was now only a black shadow. Just as were going to point the bow towards land you could feel an energy start to build. The few remaining surfers in the line up and everyone on the other boats began to hoot and holler as Kelly took off deep and slotted himself in the barrel for a serious tube ride. Amazing, front seats to see the best surfer in the world ride one of the best waves in the world!

When we got back to land it was dark and we unloaded our stuff. After a quick bite and a failed attempt to check emails and Facebook we went to bed with visions of barrels still in our heads.

It was all smiles when we showed up to this.

DAY 2:

The next morning came far to quick. Knowing that word of our semi-secret sandbar discovery would be out we loaded up our boards in the dark with plans of being the first to the peak that morning. While we were racing to get on the road I knew that I at least needed to make an attempt to figure out my missing tooth situation. With the internet still down at out hostel and the neighboring hostels, I asked Yuri the owner of our surf tour company if I could use the computer at his house to fire a quick email to my Mom. As I sat feverously typing, a slim but tall surfer entered the room. Yuri said, “Hey, John, this is Cole.” Calmly I introduced myself to Cole but on the inside my head was spinning saying “Holy crap, I just got introduced to Cole Christenson, this guys paddles into some of the biggest waves in the world. So cool!”

With my tooth email sent, I wished Cole the best of luck out at Cloudbreak and got in the truck for my own adventure to Effin’ Trees – the name I am now calling our break due to the washed out trees on the beach and because a tree here claimed the life of my tooth.

When we got to Effin’ Trees there were already people in the water and perfect sets were rolling through. We quickly grabbed our boards and paddled out. Lots of fun waves were had but word was certainly out so a bit more sharing was required today.

We surfed until our arms felt like rubber and then decided that like the day before a boat trip was also in order. On the ride to the boat our adrenaline quickly faded and while we tried to keep the stoke alive with energy drinks and a stop at McDonalds we were so bagged by the time we arrived that another bumpy boat trip wasn’t sounding that enticing. Our afternoon fate was officially sealed though when we found out that the winds had changed out at the reefs and that the boat didn’t have enough room for our entire gang. Problem solved – guess that means its nap time.

Effin' Trees through the Trees.

Big Mac-in-every-country-I-go-to-challenge - Big Mac's in Fiji are great!