Out of Frame | South Pacific
Out Of Frame | South Pacific
By Jeremiah Klein
You Can't Surf On Sundays Here
It was our last day of the trip and of course, the best day for conditions in front of our camp. But the boat wouldn't take us out... On the day of rest, surfing was forbidden at our camp. Out of respect for the local laws there, we drove up the road a while and booked another boat unbound by tribal tradition...
After loading the watery vessel to max capacity, we headed out to sea with a quick stop at another reef pass, then headed to the best left on the island. The excitement was rising with the view of beautiful waves spitting from a far. It was so dreamy with a bright sun, dark blue water and overhead waves glistening in the offshore wind.
The same pumping swell that hit Cloudbreak, Fiji a day earlier was overloading the lineup. The in-between waves were connecting best with the side waves and it was scary watching Cam, Derek & Toby dodge the wash throughs to find the tubes on the inside. Cam had the advantage of being a goofy footer, and scored the deepest barrels. It had the reward of a wedgy beach break with the consequence of falling on shallow reef. One of the locals shattered his femur on that reef years ago...
Needless to say, a few boards were broken this session, but luckily, no bones.
Then everything changed so quickly.
The sun faded under dark sky and the offshore winds got stronger and stronger blowing in bands of light rain. Two hours into our session and the rain squall got so heavy that everyone paddled back to the boat. Trying to get back to shore was wild, because all the hard rain made it impossible to dodge the chunks of reef under the boat. We had to wait out the storm for a long time before we could motor back to shore.
This was definitely THE adventure of the trip.
In that half day boat ride, we felt so many emotions, from anticipation to adulation, then fear, suffering and satisfaction.
It was a trip I will never forget.
By Jeremiah Klein
You Can't Surf On Sundays Here
It was our last day of the trip and of course, the best day for conditions in front of our camp. But the boat wouldn't take us out... On the day of rest, surfing was forbidden at our camp. Out of respect for the local laws there, we drove up the road a while and booked another boat unbound by tribal tradition...
After loading the watery vessel to max capacity, we headed out to sea with a quick stop at another reef pass, then headed to the best left on the island. The excitement was rising with the view of beautiful waves spitting from a far. It was so dreamy with a bright sun, dark blue water and overhead waves glistening in the offshore wind.
The same pumping swell that hit Cloudbreak, Fiji a day earlier was overloading the lineup. The in-between waves were connecting best with the side waves and it was scary watching Cam, Derek & Toby dodge the wash throughs to find the tubes on the inside. Cam had the advantage of being a goofy footer, and scored the deepest barrels. It had the reward of a wedgy beach break with the consequence of falling on shallow reef. One of the locals shattered his femur on that reef years ago...
Needless to say, a few boards were broken this session, but luckily, no bones.
Then everything changed so quickly.
The sun faded under dark sky and the offshore winds got stronger and stronger blowing in bands of light rain. Two hours into our session and the rain squall got so heavy that everyone paddled back to the boat. Trying to get back to shore was wild, because all the hard rain made it impossible to dodge the chunks of reef under the boat. We had to wait out the storm for a long time before we could motor back to shore.
This was definitely THE adventure of the trip.
In that half day boat ride, we felt so many emotions, from anticipation to adulation, then fear, suffering and satisfaction.
It was a trip I will never forget.