National Geographic, Jan 31 2018 – Included in the ultimate Adventure bucket List this year on National Geographic site is paddle boarding at Cloudbreak.
Fiji has always been a favourite of surfers, who pilgrimage here for the long, perfect breaks, consistent swells, and warm waters. Now, paddle-boarders are starting to migrate here from the well-worn breaks of Hawaii, too.
“Perhaps the most famed destination in this South Pacific archipelago is Cloudbreak, a perfect left break located about a mile off the island of Tavarua. It is not for the faint of heart or unpracticed. Giant swells can make the break only accessible to tow-in surfers, and shallow coral reefs can rake the unsuspecting. But for those elite paddleboarders who have the skills—and guts—to attempt it, the payoff is a long, fast ride on a perfect barrel.
Tavarua Island Resort owns the rights to Cloudbreak and a number of other breaks. The resort hosts surfers and the occasional paddle-boarder and provides access to the waves.
Kiwi Annabel Anderson is pretty good at winning paddleboard races. In 2012, she was crowned the sport’s world champion in Hawaii and won by the largest margin ever at the Battle of the Paddle in California, one of the sport’s most prestigious races. But she also has a penchant for adventure—she has tackled challenges from the Thames (which turned out to be marginally legal) and the crossing from the island of Ibiza to the coast of Spain—making her one of paddleboarding’s most recognized faces.
