from Chiara…
Some trips start with a plan. Others start with a feeling. Fiji, for me, was both. I had already been there once, and I knew exactly what it entailed: a playground at the end of the world. Fiji is remote, raw, uncrowded — the kind of place that stays with you long after you leave.
When I started planning this trip, there was only one thing I was sure about — Paula Novotna had to come. I kept telling her, “You don’t understand. You’ll see it and something will click in that moment. Trust me.”
She trusted me.
The journey to Fiji always feels like a transition into another reality. Long flights, time zones blurring together, a strange feeling of moving further and further away from anything familiar. However, nothing prepared me for the moment we landed. Nor was I prepared for the boat ride over to the island. I’ll never forget Paula’s face. She was standing there, quiet, eyes wide open, completely overwhelmed in the best possible way. That moment alone was worth the whole trip.
Fiji does that to you. It doesn’t need to impress you loudly. It just exists, and you feel small in front of it. What makes Fiji so special is its remoteness. Being so far away means fewer people, less pressure, and a completely different rhythm of life. The ocean feels untouched. The islands feel alive. And the local people—I still struggle to find the right words—are welcoming, warm, generous, and always ready to help. There’s a spirit here that immediately makes you feel at home, even when you’re on the other side of the planet.
From a riding perspective, Fiji isn’t the easiest place to manage—but that’s part of its magic. The main breaks are concentrated around tiny islands like Namotu and Tavarua. These are incredible destinations, but not always accessible, and often fully booked. Paula and I stayed on Malolo Island which felt like another planet and we traveled to our launch spots by boat or jet ski.
Everything revolves around the ocean in Fiji, the tides, swell, and wind. Your entire day is dependent upon forecasts and water levels. Sometimes it all works out perfectly, sometimes you wait, sometimes you explore. On low-wind days, we took the chance to visit nearby islands, walking through landscapes that genuinely felt like Pandora from Avatar—lush, unreal, silent. The waves themselves are something else. Namotu and Tavarua are basically round islands wrapped in reef which means swells can arrive from almost any direction. If one side of the island doesn’t work, you just move. Somewhere, there’s always a perfect wave waiting: glassy, powerful, and clean.
When we arrived, it wasn’t the windiest season, but I wasn't worried. I told Paula, “Trust me. We’ll ride.” And we did. We winged when we could, but what really changed everything for me was discovering tow foiling.
I had never experienced this avenue to foiling before. Flying over waves without a wing, just a board, foil, and the ocean—it unlocked something completely new. The water was so clear and so smooth that I started calling it “toe snorkeling.” While riding, you could see the reef five or six meters below with all the colors of the coral and multitudes of fish moving beneath you. It is a surreal experience.
Most people traveling to Fiji focus their time around Namotu and Tavaru which makes sense for their legendary waves. But coming from Malolo gave us the freedom to explore beyond these renowned breaks. Following the reef and reading the lines, we found a spot near Castaway that became ours. It was the same distance from our lodging as the famous breaks, but this spot was completely empty. Day after day, we had it to ourselves. No crowds. Just endless lines rolling in.
Some rides felt like they would never end.
One of the biggest surprises of the trip was when we arrived at Cloudbreak. I had always thought of this as one of those waves you dream about, not one you actually ride. And yet, there we were. We did not surf in massive conditions —but still, it was Cloudbreak. Still powerful. Still unreal. Riding it for the first time, especially on foil, was something I never expected to do—and a day I’ll never forget.
Looking back, Fiji gave me a new addiction, a deeper connection to the ocean, and that rare feeling of having experienced something truly special. There was no rush, no noise, just water, rhythm, and space.
Some destinations give you great sessions. Others offer you memories. Fiji provides both—and then lingers with you quietly, long after you’re gone.
From Paula…
Most Often, trips are planned for months, even years. Others arrive unexpectedly almost like a quiet invitation from the universe. Our Fiji adventure was definitely the second kind.
When my dear friend Chiara Socin invited me to join her and one of her other friends to explore Fiji and its waves, I never imagined I would actually say yes, or that it would happen so fast. One week later, our tickets were booked. Just like that, a dream I didn’t even know I was allowed to have became real.
Leaving Brazil was already emotional, but the journey itself felt like an expedition before the adventure. Coming from Brazil in South America, we broke the long trip up with a stopover in Los Angeles. I didn’t want to push my body through such a massive transit in one go, so we spent a day and a half in California. None of us had explored LA before, so we rested, walked around the city, did some shopping, and met up with another friend who showed us around. It was the perfect pause before the final push which consisted of another eight-hour flight, straight into the unknown.
When we landed in Fiji, reality took a few moments to sink in. I remember thinking, ‘Is this real? Am I actually here?’ Friends picked us up at the airport and took us by boat to our hotel on Malolo. That boat ride alone felt unreal—islands scattered across crystal clear water, untouched nature everywhere. I was completely overwhelmed in the best possible way. Half-joking, half-serious, I kept thinking, ‘I could live here.’ We stayed for three weeks, and not a single day went by without being in the water. Towing, wingfoiling, exploring—it became a daily rhythm. I had never really done much tow foiling before, but during our stay Adam Bennett was running a coaching week along with several amazing riders and coaches. Watching them ride, learning by observing, and being surrounded by that level of skill was incredibly inspiring. It pushed me to try new things and trust myself more in the water.
Although Namotu Island has always been a dream destination of mine, we stayed just next to it and traveled daily by boat to different breaks around the area. Each day felt different, alive, exciting.
Some days we explored nearby islands, other days we focused purely on riding. The wind wasn’t always consistent, but when it came up, we made the most of it and wing foiled until we were completely exhausted.
The waves themselves were powerful, but clean. Surprisingly, the waves didn’t scare me. What really got into my head was what was underneath. Foiling alone over such clear water, seeing the fish and marine life everywhere made me very aware of how small I was. Sharks were always somewhere in the back of my mind.
One moment especially burned into my memory happened when I was towing a friend and suddenly, he started screaming, shouting, and waving at me. “SHARK!” he yelled. I rushed back to him, my heart racing. He jumped onto the jet ski, and I was shaking so badly I could barely drive. We spent the next ten minutes scanning the water, but never saw anything.
Eventually, he asked me to drop him again about 200 meters away and continue towing even though it was just before sunset, prime shark time. That day, I was done. I didn’t go back in the water.
In the days that followed, I did return, but the thought of nefarious characters of the deep never fully left my mind. However, the adrenaline and excitement of riding those incredible waves always won. Fear fades quickly when you’re flying over water in a place like that. I remained cautious, though especially coming from a landlocked country, where the ocean already feels like another world.
Looking back, the trip was a solid 10 out of 10. A last-minute decision turned into one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The best part? We’re already planning to return, this time during the windy season, ready to experience Fiji all over again, even better.
