I've just spent 10 days on the south coast of Fiji praying for wind without much luck. Natadola beach is very pretty but only had 10 kn plus wind on one day and the swell was too big for me to handle. Once the swell dropped, the wind did too. I've since learned about this place on the north of Fiji where it has more and more consistent wind. Too late for me to get there but maybe others can enjoy. I'm told the guy there has a tonne of Windsurfing equipment if you don't bring your own winging gear:
www.fiji-budget-vacations.com/safari-island-lodge.html
The offshore islands Tavarua and Namotu are world famous for surfing, and lots of posts about kitesurfing them. I believe Ben Wilson (famous kitesurfer) runs Namotu now. So, pretty sure it's windy out there....to the NW of Nadi.
I surfed there years ago, but sadly haven't been back since becoming a wind chaser...so I can't give a first hand report of if it's windy consistently, or more a once in a while thing. Bucket list thing for me to get back there....pricey paradise.
Unusual to get 10 days of little wind this time of year in Fiji ... usually the trade winds blow April- Sept all along the coral coast, but maybe it's affected by the La Ni?a
I heard from my friend who was at Namotu last week that it's been a very slow start to their windy season.
It was good at Nananu-I-ra 15 knots for the two days I was there so we'll worth the 3 hour bus trip from Nadi. Safari lodge is re-opening after covid on 9th July but McDonalds Cottages open now. V reasonably priced & clean rooms.
Hi Greg and all
Thanks for contacting us while you were in Fiji. We re-open for 2022 July 9th and have Windsurfers and Kiters and Foilers staying with us after this date.
PM me for mpore information about our programs and YES - we are in the windiest spot in Fiji !!
El Nina Winds are stronger this year not lighter......we are looking forward to more High Pressure systems over the Pacific giving us our famous trade winds.....looking foreward to welcoming you back next year Greg !!
thanks
Warren Francis
Select to expand quotegregwho said..
I've just spent 10 days on the south coast of Fiji praying for wind without much luck. Natadola beach is very pretty but only had 10 kn plus wind on one day and the swell was too big for me to handle. Once the swell dropped, the wind did too. I've since learned about this place on the north of Fiji where it has more and more consistent wind. Too late for me to get there but maybe others can enjoy. I'm told the guy there has a tonne of Windsurfing equipment if you don't bring your own winging gear:
www.fiji-budget-vacations.com/safari-island-lodge.html
Hey Greg,
I will be at Natadola Beach with my wing gear in 2 weeks.
How is the lagoon? Deep?
have you wing surfed on the reef or further out?
My quiver is a 5ft 90L board, 6-5-3.5m wings and Axis 1099-899 foils with 82cm mast.
Crossing fingers to get 10kn+.
Natadola bay Is plenty deep & has some protection from swell. Just not enough wind while I was there. Nanui-I-ra island just off the North coast (10 mins by boat) had much more reliable winds. The island is tiny and narrow in the middle, so only takes a few minutes to walk from one side to the other. Safari Lodge and McDonald's cabins have good accommodation there
Express buses make transport around the main island quick and cheap. Some of the older ones have smaller luggage compartment underneath which your board may not fit in. You can pay for an extra ticket to put your board across the back seat. Still way cheaper than a taxi
We have stayed on and kitesurfed Tavarua, we were surfing CloudBreak and other breaks in the morning and then afternoon wind would come in and we'd have a kite on surfboards on the west side of the island. The owner kites there too and we kited with him. When we kited the surf on the island was really small (restaurants break) and its too sketchy to kite over to cloudbreak but Ben Wilson does more kiting stuff over on Namotu and organises a kiting week where they take boats to Wilkes right hander and cloudbreak if you are up to it.
Go to Raki Raki, on north east coast of Viti Levu, always windy due to venturi effect between the two big islands and strong! but yes, this year has been crap so far. Not enough south in the wind for Tavarua and the mamanucas
Just back from Namotu a few weeks ago, there is a bubble sitting over the main island and therefore the trades are not blowing regularly on the SW side - there will be more wind on the northern side. Lets hope the bubble moves, another result of La Nina...
Select to expand quotegregwho said..
Natadola bay Is plenty deep & has some protection from swell. Just not enough wind while I was there. Nanui-I-ra island just off the North coast (10 mins by boat) had much more reliable winds. The island is tiny and narrow in the middle, so only takes a few minutes to walk from one side to the other. Safari Lodge and McDonald's cabins have good accommodation there
Express buses make transport around the main island quick and cheap. Some of the older ones have smaller luggage compartment underneath which your board may not fit in. You can pay for an extra ticket to put your board across the back seat. Still way cheaper than a taxi
Currently staying at Natadola Beach.
I had some 15-25kn SE wind hitting around mid day on Tue (excursion yesterday.).
Gusty side-offshore wind, super flat water in the lagoon.
Outer reef break looking good but SE wind will push you out in case of problem, will go there boat support.
We have Wings, Foils and Boards for you to rent in Fiji. We open June 10th for the season.
PM me for more details - thanks :)
Rgds
Warren
So it looks like Natadola is a miss for winging if you don't want to travel?....heading there in August. Last time there were some side/slightly off shore winds which looked decent
My mini-review of Safari Lodge.
I just spent a week at Safari Lodge with a mate who wings. We shared a waterfront Bure. It was basic, clean, and a good size, only 20m from the water's edge. Exactly what we needed. The property is on the waterfront, with direct access to the beach. Plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs for those who want to take it easy. A massive lawn for rigging and drying gear. We also had a pair of kiters from Goldie and a family from Auckland (the husband was a beginner wingers). Plus, another kiter and winger who travelled on their own and stayed in the dorm. The rest of us stayed in the beachfront Bures.
Most importantly, we had wind every single day. Mostly in the 12-15 knot range, which increased to 20 knots by mid-afternoon. Mostly used 5.5/6m2 wings and 12/15 kites. We went down to 4.4 wings and 9/11 kites in the mid-afternoon.
The bay in front of the lodge is massive. As others have said, the coral is exposed at low tide. And then you need to walk a couple of hundred metres to a safe launch spot, no drama. We used the boat every day. We had a skipper's meeting at 11 AM and then decided on the plan for the day. Usually, there were some freshly baked treats and coffee/tea at the same time. We chose the option of a boat trip to a spot, either 5 km or 8 km upwind. The spots offer butter-smooth water behind the exposed coral when the tides drop sufficiently and only light ripples once the water covers the coral. The anchor spots were chosen to optimise for wind direction. The 5km anchor spot offers a 5 km long reef if you really want to ride for such a long time in one direction. Both spots offer a vast, vast terrain for sailing. The spots also have channels in the coral, so you can link different parts of the "park" and find channels with wind chop. At the end of the flat water session, we would sail DW home and stay in a channel to ride the wind swell.
In terms of wind, this spot is exposed to the SE tradewinds. The wind blows in cycles of several days on, a couple of days off. We were told the cycle is typically nine days on and two days off. We had 7 days of wind. The wind stopped blowing the day we left and two days later, the forecast was one for another several-day run, just a much stronger wind forecast than what we had. Windy.app is very accurate in terms of forecast.
We liked it so much that we have already put our names down for the same week next year.
The place and experience met and exceeded my expectations. I hoped for warm weather, high confidence in the forecast, all-day winds, warm water and sunshine during the AU winter at a reasonable price with friendly locals and not too far away. I got all of that and more.
Thanks for that review. I'm heading there tomorrow but staying at MacDonalds.
it looks pretty similar in the photos. I'm gonna try and get by with one sail, a 5.2m.
Select to expand quoteArthurAlston said..
My mini-review of Safari Lodge.
I just spent a week at Safari Lodge with a mate who wings. We shared a waterfront Bure. It was basic, clean, and a good size, only 20m from the water's edge. Exactly what we needed. The property is on the waterfront, with direct access to the beach. Plenty of hammocks and lounge chairs for those who want to take it easy. A massive lawn for rigging and drying gear. We also had a pair of kiters from Goldie and a family from Auckland (the husband was a beginner wingers). Plus, another kiter and winger who travelled on their own and stayed in the dorm. The rest of us stayed in the beachfront Bures.
Most importantly, we had wind every single day. Mostly in the 12-15 knot range, which increased to 20 knots by mid-afternoon. Mostly used 5.5/6m2 wings and 12/15 kites. We went down to 4.4 wings and 9/11 kites in the mid-afternoon.
The bay in front of the lodge is massive. As others have said, the coral is exposed at low tide. And then you need to walk a couple of hundred metres to a safe launch spot, no drama. We used the boat every day. We had a skipper's meeting at 11 AM and then decided on the plan for the day. Usually, there were some freshly baked treats and coffee/tea at the same time. We chose the option of a boat trip to a spot, either 5 km or 8 km upwind. The spots offer butter-smooth water behind the exposed coral when the tides drop sufficiently and only light ripples once the water covers the coral. The anchor spots were chosen to optimise for wind direction. The 5km anchor spot offers a 5 km long reef if you really want to ride for such a long time in one direction. Both spots offer a vast, vast terrain for sailing. The spots also have channels in the coral, so you can link different parts of the "park" and find channels with wind chop. At the end of the flat water session, we would sail DW home and stay in a channel to ride the wind swell.
In terms of wind, this spot is exposed to the SE tradewinds. The wind blows in cycles of several days on, a couple of days off. We were told the cycle is typically nine days on and two days off. We had 7 days of wind. The wind stopped blowing the day we left and two days later, the forecast was one for another several-day run, just a much stronger wind forecast than what we had. Windy.app is very accurate in terms of forecast.
We liked it so much that we have already put our names down for the same week next year.
The place and experience met and exceeded my expectations. I hoped for warm weather, high confidence in the forecast, all-day winds, warm water and sunshine during the AU winter at a reasonable price with friendly locals and not too far away. I got all of that and more.
My opinion on Safari Lodge:
I stayed there a few years ago. We went for the windsurfing but were unlucky with wind (obviously not their fault).
Snorkeling was good and fishing was good plus a nice spot to relax but the resort was a bit run down and therefore over priced for what you get.
Regardless of the lack of wind, we were specifically told that they had good quality windsurf equipment for rent but it was all old and a load of crap.
If the accommodation was half decent and had good quality gear to rent then I would definitely go back but the experience we had has put us off.
If you take your own gear it would be ok but then becomes over priced for what you get.
As I said this was a while ago so may have improved, but if I go back to Fiji I would be looking for an alternative location to stay and be taking my own Wing gear.
Sounds like your experience was pre-2019 and is a bit dated. What year were you there? I've just had a week at Safari kiting with my partner, and like Arthur's trip, it was good. I've actually just moved to Suva working as an expat so will be back for weekends over the season.
We stayed in a beachfront Bure ( like in the picture Arthur posted above) It was clean, comfortable, large and rustic. It also gave a sensational view of the beach / bay and we could watch others on the water. The lodge isn't the Hilton but if we wanted that sort of holiday we would be in Denarau not a windy Watersport lodge on a remote island. The place was comfortable, clean and equipped.
Warren has done renovations post-Covid: our Bure had new decking. I think there is more to go, especially up the hill, but thats the cheaper accom anyway and the beachfronts were lovely and the lodge made it a community. We all ate together for meals and the conversation was good.
We were there for the kiting and some R&R. There were also a couple of foilers, and two beginner windsurfers. The SE trade winds blew 15-20 knots consistently, peaking at about 25. We had some rain - most overnight although one day bucketed. Otherwise blue-skies. We had some awesome kiting and others also seemed to enjoy their trip. Found a hammock between the coconut trees for chill time.
We had a morning briefing and then went out on the boat for a long session. The boat support was a plus - as the bay out the front is shallow coral and could be hazardous at low tide as others have mentioned, although from the right spot kiting is possible. The locations we got taken to changed depending upon the wind - and just because. I think it's also different based on experience level as he takes beginners to "Kite Point" which is a safe spot, whereas we went 5 miles out the front.
The gear we saw was fine. I guess you have to appreciate that it's teaching/ hire gear in a remote place not pro-rig. He's able to do kite repairs if you snag something cause there's no shop nearby for the fixes. Some gear seemed brand new and some was older but looked functional and we had no complaints. I took my own gear, but the wind was stronger than I was set for and so I did in fact hire a smaller (8) ozone enduro kite, and tried a different board. I loved the kite. Warren had all his older windsurf sails out whilst we were there and was doing a clean-out. I saw him teach the two beginner windsurfers on what looked like brand new sails and boards. He had a few new wings and foils out that the foilers seemed impressed with.
I don't think they allow fishing anymore. They seem to have resurfaced from Covid with an eco-lodge / sustainability focus. They run on solar power, harvest rainwater and serve mostly local plant-based food. We had 24 hour power, solar hot water showers and Kae and staff did a great job with yummy and varied vege meals ( and deserts). Even the carnivores seemed content.
Re value for money we were happy. It was an inclusive price including boat support - drinks were extra but that's standard and they weren't expensive. Fiji overall is not a cheap destination as everything's imported, but compared to other options in Fiji we looked at, we found the price very reasonable and the wind the strongest.
We considered Macdonalds but opted for Safari because of the boat support and watersports insider knowledge. I wanted the best spots and didn't want to have to figure out where to launch from at low tide ..
Like someone else said, he has some spring cleaning still to do of old stuff, but he took a boat-load to the tip whilst we were there so I think he's on it. It didn't detract from our holiday.
Overall, we had a great week and would recommend. We will definitely head back up from Suva as soon as we can spare a weekend.
I just had a week on Nanunu-I-ra island in Fiji with 2 friends. We sailed 6 days straight & left when the wind dropped. The locals suggest five days of wind, then a break of a couple of days is a regular pattern at this time of year.
MacDonalds Cottages is a great place to stay on the protected side of the island a 5 minted walk to back beach for sailing. We paid A $120 a night for a 2 bedroom apartment with bathroom & cooking facility. Meals are optional but at A $17 were delicious. We made our own breakfast & lunch. Snorkeling trips off a boat for A $35 with gear provided.macdcottages@gmail.com
Tides were high in the morning which suited us as the wind is sometimes strong in the afternoons-25 knots +. It is possible to get out over the reef on low tide if you pick your spot carefully.
Overall, a great spot for a winter foiling getaway at v economical prices.
