vanuatu

[el rancho]

some of you blokes have been surfing there, surely.

looking at two weeks in vanuatu or maybe back in bali - nusa lembongan or balangan.
Bali is easy cos I've been before and it's dirt cheap and always waves. but taking the lady so I don't plan on slumming it and surfing 6 hours every day. which is why vanuatu is on the cards.

will probably be in march so the south west pacific will still be in cyclone watch right? maybe that's why the plane fares are so cheap.

[black duck]

Friend of mine has been going every year for the last 4 years, around easter hols. Generally small surf, he's never had it bigger than 4ft, generally 2-3 ft.
If you want solid stuff, I'd choose somewhere else, unless you time it with a cyclone or a monster southern ocean fetch.

[Donweather]

maybe that's why the plane fares are so cheap.

We planned (and booked) a few years back to go to Fiji in March. A cyclone canned that 2 days before we were due to depart. Rescheduled to May.

[el rancho]

yes I figured that. they were going for $500 return a couple of days ago.
bit of a gamble, could be an adventure though.

surf looks pretty fun there, plus doesn't look like you need to be ferried out to reefs or anything, from looking at youtube.

cheap bali flights in may, but we wanted to go somewhere earlier

[alakaboo]

Just book it and get travel insurance.

[el rancho]

i don't care personally, but the boss will be taking her first annual leave in about 12 months and will shit her pants if the holiday gets cancelled/postponed.

[brendo]

If U go to Vanuatu not really expecting to much, then U will have fun. March is prime surf time. Light winds generally offshore. Stay at breakas resort of U got no kids. Left point/reef out front. 5mins to port Vila. Another left point a k up the road. Put Vanuatu surf into YouTube search bar, there has been some ok stuff posted by locals. I went for 10 days, surfed 8, including 3 flawless days solid 3-4ft. One local guy out on one of those days and only couple others out the other days. Surf on all tides out front. If U have any old boards,leggies etc take em with you. Theres a boardriders club for local kids they would really appreciate it. Otway had similar trip to me as well. Anything else fire away

[steve shearer]

Very restricted swell window. Blocked by New Cal mostly.

Hence mostly small surf other than the rare SSE direction.

All-time gamefishing.

Get yourself a dogtooth tuna holmes.

[crabmeat thompson]

Are you taking your beard?

In Vanuatu it's considered an insult to the chief if your beard is bigger than his. His solution to this dilemma would be along the lines of feeding you to the dog toothed tuna Steve speaks of.

[el rancho]

Might have to be nusa lembongan. At least in Bali I'll just get called bin laden or Jesus.

I'd like to get to Vanuatu at some point though, or Samoa

[Beanpole]

I've got a mate who goes there regularly.
Seems pretty chilled out place from what he said.
Don't know about lombongan that time of year but its always very nice as a hang.

Just dropped my daughter off at the airport to go to indo yesterday.
Boy, tempting for the rest of us to stow away too. We were there this time last year.

[crabmeat thompson]

If you go to Bali, make sure you take 3.5 kilos of cannabis in your bodyboard bag.

[petulance]

looking at two weeks in vanuatu or maybe back in bali - nusa lembongan or balangan.
Bali is easy cos I've been before and it's dirt cheap and always waves. but taking the lady so I don't plan on slumming it and surfing 6 hours every day. which is why vanuatu is on the cards.

The road down to Balangan is more of a fire trail than a road. It would be fun to ride a mountain bike down there. I still don't know how the Suzuki Arena vans get up and down that road. Not planning to surf Ulus?

[brendo]

Might have to be nusa lembongan. At least in Bali I'll just get called bin laden or Jesus.

I'd like to get to Vanuatu at some point though, or Samoa

Now for serious brownie points take the missus to Samoa, stay at senilei resort. Some real good waves within 10min Boat ride, march April prime surf season. March especially as the north coast gets Hawaii swells albeit smaller. Couple of places U surf are remote and jungle lined kinda like Tahiti. Stuff Bali, what an overcrowded cesspit. Wouldn't go there with a free ticket

[marauding mullet]

Missus said someone presented to emergency yesterday with what turned out to be Cholera. Had just returned from Vanuatu. We're talking explosive diarrhea, and Linda Blair level projectile vomiting.

[otway1949]

If U go to Vanuatu not really expecting to much, then U will have fun. March is prime surf time. Light winds generally offshore. Stay at breakas resort of U got no kids. Left point/reef out front. 5mins to port Vila. Another left point a k up the road. Put Vanuatu surf into YouTube search bar, there has been some ok stuff posted by locals. I went for 10 days, surfed 8, including 3 flawless days solid 3-4ft. One local guy out on one of those days and only couple others out the other days. Surf on all tides out front. If U have any old boards,leggies etc take em with you. Theres a boardriders club for local kids they would really appreciate it. Otway had similar trip to me as well. Anything else fire away

I did indeed, nice resort the reef in front of Breakas nice then down to Piccaninis and a little further to Pango Point.
An important thing to do is to take some Kava or leaf tobacco gift wrapped in newspaper to share as "Kustom" to areas where you have to walk through villages to get to the surf. It's courtesy as respect to the village some French guys assumed being French they could just go anywhere, NOT SO and kava and raw tobacco cost very little.
Result for me ten days with surf every morning just straight out in front.
Breakas advertises if you get surf it's a bonus. TRUE that.

Nusa Lembongan overrun by day boats from Bali and charters as their first stop east, there is also a lot more accommodation on the island than there used to be.
Can be really nice.