Mike Stuart Working It On Tavarua

For the month of September I was fortunate enough to do my second stint as a boatman on Tavarua Island. My daily routine included taking the guests surfing at Cloudbreak and helping the Fijian guys with maintenance on the boats. Overall it was a great trip with all types of waves and conditions.

Over my first few days on the island I was able to hang out with Jan Mallis and a few other people from my home town of La Jolla. The waves were fun and we surfed overhead Cloudbreak and chest high Restaurants. The swell backed off a little and the wind really kicked up by the time Jan’s group left. The wind blew strong for a few days making the boat rides to Cloudbreak wet and bumpy. By mid-week the winds calmed down and the swell picked up and I surfed some mental waves with a group from Huntington Beach that included ex-pro surfers Ryan Simmons and Jeff Deffenbaugh.

The last few weeks of my trip the weather and waves were all over the place.

We had North wind and rain, trade wind and small waves and a flat spell that lasted almost five days. Through all this madness we still managed to get many fun days and one magical Cloudbreak session that lasted about an hour until a rain squall appeared and ruined the oily glass barrels.

I wore my Matuse 1mm Philo: Jacket nearly everyday. And the Geoprene wetsuit top was insane. It kept the sun off my back so I didn’t get totally fried and kept me warm on those windy days — a pretty common thing out at Cloudbreak. I was able to surf quite a bit while on Tavarua and it was perfect to know that my Matuse gear had such great durability.

Overall, I had an extremely memorable trip and want to say thanks to the people of Tavarua, Jon and Kaeo. Now I am back in La Jolla I’m getting my Matuse 4/3/2 Hoplite Fullsuit for Winter swells and lobster season.

Mike Stuart