I have spent 6 months in total over the past 8 years surfing in Fiji and I've been lucky enough to surf Cloud Break, Nomotu left and Swimming Pools (mostly unknown but excellent right hand wave off Nomotu) and feel obliged to let all members know the following before booking what can only be described as a miserable surfing holiday there.Unless you have truck loads of money and can afford the extortionary rates to stay on either Tavarua or Momotu Islands to get exclusive rights to surf the waves of Cloudbreak, Restaurants, Nomotu left and swimming pools, then get ready to surf with 300 other beginners to advanced surfers on Wilkes rights!Honestly it is the biggest corruption scandle in the surfing world and mostly unknown to the average surfer going to Fiji for the first time.My advice, if you have to go still make sure you book as soon as you get there to try and get a Saturday morning surf on either of those Islands, it's the only day available to the general public and it is only available to the first in best dressed and only for the Saturday mornings....

Just a little more on Fiji all of what Scotty is saying is true!Boated out from Sea Shell Cove at Momi to all the breaks out there Cloudbreak was a little too death defying at 15ft + sideshore, Restaurants was 6- 8 and machine perfect noone out. Boat boys wouldn't let us surf, apparently village repercussions if they did!Wrote letters to Tavarua on a red flag system where if their guest wished to surf they would run up a red flag non paying guest would have to leave the tribal area immediately!!! Apparently the well paying guests don't like to see their waves cluttered by blowins while they are not surfing Rude replies from Tavarua basically if you are not a name produce your money or go away!This whole debate on resort exclusivity, can forget one thing, many of the reefs we would like to surf on are held by tribal rights often westerners have have purchased the surfing rights upon those reefs with some benefits to the traditional owners (Tread carefully if going against this)Australia has one of the freest coastlines in the world. In other places people can own a beach to high water mark. Aussie freedoms and laws are not applicableThere are other issues about access and days when you cannot surf around the Pacific and other spots. Make the issues known by sticking them in the atlas at least you won't blow the budget on bummer of a trip losing through a technicalityAnother note for Fiji.... persistent trade winds can bring trip undone easily. Check your wind charts.

Yep, I would never go back to the Mamanuccas again. I stayed at Manna Island and went through the fucking ballache of playing phone tennis with Big / Little John who didnt want to come any further out than Plantation Island so I had to get a village boat which never turned up blah blah blah, total screaming shitfight. Wilkes was crap when we eventually got there while you could look over and see Namotu firing - guests only.

In the end I got a boat and did some discovery. None of the waves we found of course anything like what you get at Namotu or Tavaru but at least it was surf. All of the waves we found are on the Atlas now.

Would try Frigates though, spoke to some friends that had a lot of luck down there.