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Rarotonga
What do you know about the surf? My partner wants to go there for family holiday and I'd prefer Fiji. If I buckle would I surf or Body Board. I know it has waves but it all looks fast and shallow. Anyone been and if so what's it really like?
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
few guys I know have been and fast and shallow sums it up well, tho all survived there
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Chairman of the sub 1000
Hard, fast and shallow according to a bodyboarder mate of mine... Go to Tahiti if the missus wants a change from Fiji...
Originally posted by: Battery
Hard, fast and shallow according to a bodyboarder mate of mine... Go to Tahiti if the missus wants a change from Fiji...
was he summing up your love making?
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Chairman of the sub 1000
my bro and bro inlaw surfed it 2 to 4 ft said it was fun as..
i guess any wave that size is fun tho..
*edited 18 Jan 2013 08:20
Try Ha atafu Tonga for somewhere inexpensive, nice for the missus (good food and company) and sick waves if you score swell.....you've been there haven't yah Jabes?.....I've only done Fiji and Indo but I here Raro is closeouts galour unless you have the place tapped
Tonga on my list too, keen to fish up there as well. I like the look of some of the reefs but I have heard about the flat spells.
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
yeah Tonga was good the main break in front of the camp was a bit of a let down kinda a close out that slowed enough to surf it. the offshore reefs were insane et's is still the best wave I've ever surfed and seen in person.
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Chairman of the sub 1000
yeah you're right there boss we got 5 surf days out of 10 and 1 of those was a close out grovel
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Chairman of the sub 1000
Originally posted by: JabesOriginally posted by: Battery
Hard, fast and shallow according to a bodyboarder mate of mine... Go to Tahiti if the missus wants a change from Fiji...
was he summing up your love making?
No, he was summing up Mrs Batts love making...
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Wait For The Ricochet
Raro is mostly made up of short, heavy waves that are shallow as f*ck. There's only a few reef passes and they don't really have an end section that flows into a deep water channel...they just go to another section of the shallow reef before going dry. In particular, there are 3 world class spots to surf that aren't closeouts.
Watch out for sea urchins. The reef is a minefield, just completely full of them with their evil, long spines. Booties won't stop them going through your foot.
The spots are easy to find, most of them are viewable from the road. I won't name spots or give any directions but with half a brain you should be able to figure it out. The southern side of the island is very consistent - basically any swell that goes up NZ's west coast will end up in Raro. The northern side of the island is best in summer.
It's getting more and more crowded each year - last year I went in August and didn't bother surfing for 3 days because of 20+ foreigners and a few locals at one particular spot. The locals are starting to notice, so as always, give them respect and tell them you're a Kiwi and you will be sweet.
BC and I went in 2008. We scored 2 magic days at 2-4ft at one particular spot that was A-framing, wedging perfection. Best spot I've ever surfed. BC hit an insane air bowl and fractured his foot on the reef upon landing, so that was his surf trip over. Then on the 3rd day I headed out by myself in 2-5ft, mostly closeouts but a fair number of long lefts in between. My problem was I didn't know when to pull off the back, and ended up busting my head open on the dry end section. Surf trip over in 3 days.
Other than the surfing, the best thing about Raro is that the whole family will love it cos there's so much to do.
All photos by BC:
Me shoulder hopping
Below sea level madness
A-framer
This left is pretty nuts, has an awesome right hander directly opposite
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MR.SPEAKER & SUB-1000 MEMBER 4 LIFE
It was windy as fark an we were on the sheltered side. Hardly any fish in the lagoons. Stood on a stonefish. Along with the domestics its not much different from kawerau. Apart from the two surfing deaths in the past five years. No one is sure whether the reef got them before the fish
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Negative thinking, positive doing
Boss - we are in Fiji from 16th Feb to 2nd March - come for a week!! Do it!!
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Former surf.co rark judge
I'd love to Marko but we are in the goody the same time. Old schools photos gave me a mixed feeling about the trip. Pumping waves a more crowded than anawhata on a 2 foot onshore day.
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
Great shots BC and Tubenet, I always knew an Eski trip there would epic but surfing dodgy. I remember watch coastal disturbances when motz went over one year. Good waves but good surfers also.
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
Glad you like the photos. Yep Raro is pretty scary but to be honest there have been more and more standups going there in the last 2 years I was there.
If I were you, I'd take the whanau and enjoy the place. And if I remember correctly you've already been to Fiji, Samoa and/or Tonga? Raro is pretty unique, my Hawaiian friend said it's more like Hawaii and Tahiti than the other islands.
The saturday market is awesome, there's lots of touristy things to do like scuba diving, sailing, whale watching, 4WD tours, and shopping.
Bring your surfboard anyway, cos it's not 6ft slabs all the time, and you should be able to get a few 2-3ft fun days that make it all worthwhile.
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MR.SPEAKER & SUB-1000 MEMBER 4 LIFE
Take a boog boss...even if you are just proning into pits, at least you'll be wet.
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Former surf.co rark judge
*edited 19 Jan 2013 13:58
don't boss. if you have not surfed a heavy reef on a proper booger before and don't know much about it then don't. Or do it and get farked up. marco, bad advice.
how hard can it be? its just falling out of bed and landing on your face... but onto a board.
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Negative thinking, positive doing
dugong carpaccio
I've never booged a island Reef BC, but I've always wanted to. I used to have photos of gas chambers and shark island on my wall as a kid. My issue is not surfing the reef but finding a board for my size. I need like a 46,48. I used to have Mach 7 consistently, tried mike Stewart's Turbo and Ben Seversons models but nothing surfed like the Mach boards. My church ills finally died body surfing this past Christmas holiday which sucks.
I'm just wandering if its like hideaway in Fiji. Tube net I agree I only have tonga and raro to go on my check list, and prefer new experiences to the road already travelled. I have to go back to Samoa when the winds are better.
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
I wish I had an old school Mach 7!
Unless you're 7ft tall and weigh 150kgs, you won't need a 46 or 48 inch board. 42 or 43 inch would be fine.
No matter what type of surf craft you're riding, you really need to get your bottom turn and duck diving skills dialled.
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MR.SPEAKER & SUB-1000 MEMBER 4 LIFE
I'm not being a smart@rse... but do boogers have quivers? or can one board tick all the boxes?
*edited 20 Jan 2013 20:04
Originally posted by: tubenet
I wish I had an old school Mach 7!
Unless you're 7ft tall and weigh 150kgs, you won't need a 46 or 48 inch board. 42 or 43 inch would be fine.
No matter what type of surf craft you're riding, you really need to get your bottom turn and duck diving skills dialled.
Bro pretty close!
It's a 1-2 feet point, onshore. That's the new FireWire I'm lovin it.
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
That boards a 7'6 and 3 1/4 thick about 69 litres. You can figure the rest out.
Bottom turns are everything!!
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If you can't surf it, F&$k it!
*edited 21 Jan 2013 07:40
Originally posted by: Battery
I'm not being a smart@rse... but do boogers have quivers? or can one board tick all the boxes?
Yes most people have "quivers" (to be honest I dunno if you could call a collection of 2-3 boards a "quiver"). But some guys can also use a board to tick all the boxes. Personally I have a bigger board for buoyancy and speed in tiny waves, and a smaller board that gives me more control for anything over 2ft.
Boogies also have temperature-dependant cores. Polypropylene is better suited to warmer temps, Polyethylene for colder temps, and just recently a combination of both. You can also put in carbon fibre stringers and/or mesh for added projection and durability. PE + stringer + mesh is a personal favourite.
Bat tails are more suited for generating speed, while crescent tails are better for control. You can also have different shapes for different purposes - prone, dropknee, standup.
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MR.SPEAKER & SUB-1000 MEMBER 4 LIFE
Cheers Tubes...
I remember then I was a grom and I bought a 6'8" Hipstix gun... was the first out of the boys to have a 2 board "quiver".
Felt like such a pro. Helped my tuberiding heaps taking it out on the slightly bigger days, just getting in earlier and having abit more time to set up for the tube. I also remember the older boys getting p!ssed off because of all the waves I could catch
55kgs and paddling around on a big board.