low impact surf tours
sharing insight and knowledge of to how to get uncrowded surf on the edge of surf tourism
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2010 Trip
The 2010 trips didn’t happen , but thanks to Surf2Surf.com for the plug.
The waves in Vavau, Tonga, are all coral reef breaks. A lot of the waves are very hollow and have no backs once they get a little overhead. Of the breaks in the group, 25kms in diameter, one is an exception wave, several are very good, and a couple are backup fun waves. Most don’t have established names but have been sporadically surfed over the years.
Swell size for the whole group rarely gets below waist or shoulder high during June and July, and consistent (weekly) overhead ground swells are common. Like most of the South Pacific (Fiji, Samoa, Rarotonga, New Caledonia) it is often the wind that is the problem. In the Vavau Group the breaks face a number of directions, and have various exposures to wind and swell. Group wide, there is a consistency of good waves (i.e. most days, for at least one of the breaks in the group, conditions are good).
The goal was to figure out the best way of being able to take advantage of the variety of breaks. Having a fast, safe boat allows the hunting down of the optimum waves each day.Check out out blog here for descriptions, video and images of the waves of Vavau - vavautongasurf.blogspot.comOne week Dawn to Dusk surf missions $NZD 1250, not including flights or food. Limited to six surfers each week.Starting on: 21 June, 28 June, 5 July, 12 July 2010Check out www.lowimpactsurftours.com for more information or email - james@lowimpactsurftours.com for more information and booking details
The Ovaka Peak
So I tend to call this wave The Ovaka Peak , but have heard it called Middles , it is a twin focus, near slab, that picks up a lot of swell and is offshore in the trades (but the lighter the better) . It is 1.5 km to paddle from the beach where I’ve camped before on Ovaka (friends land). Mostly I would go right and have has many tropical , aquarium water, barrels but because of the twin focus you can get caught inside very easily so it is best to stick to high tide and pick your path back to the line-up (going around can be best) . I have only ever surfed with one other person here (who came with me) and it can be a bit tricky by yourself. Below is it from an old website so SOMBODY has given it ago before! A south pacific barrel that is offshore in the trades…
