Surfing Fiji!

Today is likely to be one of the longest of my life! It's the 3rd March. We've been surfing all day on the south coast of Fiji and then travelled back to Nadi airport to catch the 21.40 plane. In a few hours we'll board an eleven hour flight to Los Angeles, and when we get there, because of the time zones we'll cross, it will be the morning of 3rd March again!

We really made the most of our last day in Fiji though! After another splendid pancake breakfast at Natasha's B&B, we'd organised for a local surfer called Godfrey to pick us up and take us to a beach break on the south coast. We had wanted someone to pick us up, lend us surfboards and take us to some good Fijian waves. He didn't disappoint! We picked up a few of his friends along the way and also a couple who wanted a surf lesson. The tide wasn't right for surfing at the most well known beach called Natadola. However, this turned out to be a bonus for us! 

Godfrey took us to his friends house on the banks of the Sigatoka river. It was a bumpy ride down a dirt track, that ended at a secluded house by the mouth of the estuary. Here we got changed and took a small boat across the river, where we could access a deserted beach where lovely clean, gentle waves were rolling in! He explained that it rarely gets surfed as the quickest way in (unless you have a well placed friend) involves a kilometre walk through the bush and across burning hot sand dunes. Even the small dash across the sand to the waters edge roasted my feet! 

So on Sigatoka beach, I caught my first proper Fijian Waves! Godfrey had lent me huge longboard, which handled a bit like a barge, but once I'd got the hang of it, was perfect for charging along a gently breaking, green glassy wave! Blue skies, with waves forming in the thirty degrees celsius water and breaking onto a deserted sandy beach - what a way to finish our time here in Fiji!

We surfed until we could surf no more! Thirsty, tired and roasted by the sun, we boarded the boat back across the river. Half way across we saw a shoal of big fish race past us, jumping clear out of the water - apparently they were being chased by an even bigger fish! 

Back at the house, Godfrey produced fresh pies, cream cakes and plenty of much needed ice cold water from a cooler in his van. We'd been surfing for over three hours straight and wolfed it all down.

We stopped for coffee and muffins in town, then drove home into a huge storm! Lightning flashed around us and the road flooded almost instantly in the down pour!

Back in Nadi, it had barely rained! We just had time to shower, re-pack our bags, grab some food, before Natasha's husband took us to the airport. Security and baggage weigh-ins were the tightest we've ever known, but we made it through with bulging pockets and having employed a few other 'weight saving' tricks. 

Next stop America!....