Frank Bainimarama/Fiji/Cloudbreak

[steve shearer]

The military dictatorship and decree to open up Cloudbreak makes headlines in every known surf website in the world.

And following this: a news black hole.
Not one surf journalist can offer an on the ground report.

Why?

This is a moral issue that will continue to divide the surf culture into the future : the desire and ability of private interests/corporations to lock up public assets (surf spots) for personal gain.
The surf industry has used Cloudbreak as a defacto private photo studio for the last 20 years.

Now that this has been threatened, the silence from the surf media has been deafening.

So, does anyone know. Has Cloudbreak been opened up or not?
And Carroll/Doherty : why not a single report on the situation that affects surfers worldwide since the declaration a month ago?

[Cookie]

Yes its officially now a free for all. It is kind of funny after the initial burst of publicity that there has hardly been a whisper since. The Attorney General didn't muck around and the Decree was voted into law 3 or four days after it was announced.

First day it was FFA, Cloudbreak was at its perfect 4 - 6ft best and a crowd of 70+ on it.

Wait for a few charter boats to set up and a local surf camp or two and the shit will hit the fan I'm guessing. The Mamanucas won't handle a crowd.

Paradise lost for a few I guess. Another overcrowded tropical sh1t-fight gained for everyone else. Time will tell.

[steve shearer]

Thanks Cookie.

So, is this an eyewitness report?
You were there when this went down?

I'm thinking that over 6ft Cloudbreak will regulate itself pretty well.

[steve shearer]

And Staeve...how is it a moral issue? What's it got to do with morality?

I'll take your question at face value Ron and ignore the witty insult posted below it.

Here is a bunch of hypotheses on what constitutes a Moral issue :http://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/issue.html

Umm, using violence and coercion as a way of enforcing ownership of what may normally be considered public resources so a few wealthy people can benefit might be considered a moral issue.

When those benefiting are the surf industry (by using the place as a private photo studio and playground) and the customers(ie recreational surfers) who they heavily market to are the ones being locked out by violent enforcement that might be considered a moral issue.

[Nick Carroll]

And Carroll/Doherty : why not a single report on the situation that affects surfers worldwide since the declaration a month ago?

You know steve I do have a lot of things to to do other than follow up on stuff that interests you.

But if you must know, I've been doing some research on this and will report elsewhere in the v near future.

For those who haven't read much about it yet, yes, the decree has been enacted as of July 9; currently the resorts most affected by it (Tavarua and Namotu) are very much toeing the line (as you would); people are investing in charter boats in order to take advantage of access to the spots; other, newly freed-up islands in the chain will almost certainly be the target of surf charters also; it does seem as if a fascinating chapter in the whole surf tourism saga of the past 30 years (ie Tavarua Surf Resort's reliance on occasionally rather ruthless exclusivity) may have come to an end.

[steve shearer]

Thanks Nick.

I didn't necessarily mean you or Doherty personally : just thought you guys might have a clue about what was happening.


"Fascinating" is one way of describing it.
Others might use less neutral language to describe violence and corruption.

I'm now stashing away a little Cloudbreak swell chasing fund.

[OddaP]

Steve/Ron, There is most definetely a moral issue and IMO remains an unresolved moral issue. Namely that visiting Cloudbreak, or in fact Fiji fro that matter means that you are supporting a government installed via a coup who are sending ambassadorial staff home and suppressing the free press.

That is a bigger issue than access or non access of surfers to Cloudbreak.

[lessormore]

Umm, using violence and coercion as a way of enforcing ownership of what may normally be considered public resources so a few wealthy people can benefit might be considered a moral issue.

When those benefiting are the surf industry (by using the place as a private photo studio and playground) and the customers(ie recreational surfers) who they heavily market to are the ones being locked out by violent enforcement that might be considered a moral issue.

Sounds similar to the Rick Cameron/Mentawi experience.

[brendo]

steve the is a good article on surfline. they reckon they want to increase surfer numbers to 20000 per year. thats about about 400 surfers there every week of the yr, and not so many consistent breaks...

[lessormore]

The government has finally cottoned on to the fact most surfers are willing to overlook politics and morality as long as they get good waves in a third world country, and with their tourism industry in rapid decline, see it as an opportunity to boost the numbers( and $) back up again.

[steve shearer]

Thanks for the link Brendo.

That was a good article.

Oddap...I hear you on supporting a military dictatorship but I believe supporting local families and villages directly through engaging them in the surf tourism game will be a net benefit to them in the long run.

Reading about the open day it still sounded to me like if you were gunna sit deep on the ledge at Cloudbreak you'd get plenty of big shacks....It's like G-Land ...there's still plenty of waves to be ridden if you know what your doing.
Ask Camel and Sloth.
Dibbles or Scardy.

And Fiji surely must now have more secrets to reveal......there's just too much joy in that wide open swell window.

[Hano]

Oddap...I hear you on supporting a military dictatorship but I believe supporting local families and villages directly through engaging them in the surf tourism game will be a net benefit to them in the long run.

That’s right; discernible Aussie tourists/surfers should be encouraged to visit Fiji.

if enough of us piss frank off he might step aside

[brett68]

we left for Fiji on 9/7/10 and Sth African bloke in queue at Sydney airport seeing I had a boardbag asked where I was going - Plantation I replied, then realised the only reason he asked was so he could immediately trump me by smugly telling me he was going to Tavarua (the only news then was a few reports about opening it up but no start dates mentioned - I had thought 'Fiji time' would mean it may take months) - quite satisfying seeing him a few days later picking up the scraps down the end of Restaurants while us blow-ins sat up at the take off

dunno about "their tourism industry in rapid decline" lessormore - the 2 resorts I went to were the most packed I've ever seen them

[steve shearer]

yeah it took some searching to find it.

Go into the News tab up the top and scroll down till you see it.

It was written by Paul Holmes (not sure if that is John's brother or not) if that helps.

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/fiji- ... all_45251/

there ya go.

Can't see too many weekend warriors hassling for those pits.

[steve shearer]

Ok,,,after a bit of basic research, here's the breakdown.

I would choose to stay at Seashell Cove Resort at Momi Bay.
It's a Fijian owned and run resort which employs the local villagers.

They have dorm rooms with all meals and a boat trip out to Cloudbreak for 85 AUD a day.
(they have more expensive options for higher class bures but this would do me if I was travelling solo).

Flights are around a grand or under....there are great deals because of airlines offering incentives to fill their Pacific Quotas.

That would make a 10 day surf mission to Cloudbreak come in under 2 grand, allowing for a few Fiji Bitters every night. (ok maybe over 2 grand then).


Not a bad option to have tucked away for when you see a swell coming.

BTW the Seashell Cove Resort are stoked off their gourd, as you can imagine, to be able to access Cloudbreak.

4 hour plane flight from Coolie, less than hour from the airport to Momi Bay.
Could easily leave in the arvo and be paddling out at Cloudbreak in the morning.

[brendo]

we left for Fiji on 9/7/10 and Sth African bloke in queue at Sydney airport seeing I had a boardbag asked where I was going - Plantation I replied, then realised the only reason he asked was so he could immediately trump me by smugly telling me he was going to Tavarua (the only news then was a few reports about opening it up but no start dates mentioned - I had thought 'Fiji time' would mean it may take months) - quite satisfying seeing him a few days later picking up the scraps down the end of Restaurants while us blow-ins sat up at the take off

dunno about "their tourism industry in rapid decline" lessormore - the 2 resorts I went to were the most packed I've ever seen them

how was the trip overall brett? thinking about goin next yr now its all opened up, and stayin at plantation, takin the missus and kids for a week before flying on the greener pastures

[Natho]

Seashell Cove is a complete hole of a place.
Its sits on a mosquito infested mud swamp.
Only thing its good for is getting a boat out to the breaks from the mainland.

[steve shearer]

Thanks Natho , for that contribution.
Yeah, it's not the Ritz but I'm trying to crunch the numbers so a working stiff can go get some South Pacific Pits.
If you need luxury there's plenty of up market joints.

I had fun there.
You can play touch footy with the blokes from the local village in the arvo (and understand the future of rugby league), neck a few Fiji Bitters and sit in on the kava circle if you've got the gumption.

Low tides you can walk out to the edge of the reef and lose a few lures to GT's and coral munchers.

15 mins to Cloudbreak.