I returned yesterday from 2 weeks kiteboarding in Fiji (I am a learner)

Here is my summary for anyone interested.

I had my first lesson about 12 weeks ago while in Adelaide on holiday. I also did a bit of solo practice midweek at Altona and Pt Henry. I met Joel (instructor)there and had a second lesson just before leaving for Fiji. I heard about the Fiji trip organised by Tony when I joined this forum a few monrhs ago. I decided to go. It was an all inclusive price. Included pick-up from Nadi, drive to Ellington Wharf, boat trip to Nananu-I-Ra and return journeys. Three hot meals a day and plenty of it. It was mostly Indo / Fijian dishes and delicious. Our group had a boat and driver on-tap everyday, also included in trip price. We did some kiting at Kite Point which is a sand spit on the island nearest the wharf. This is where resident instructor Lance gave lessons. I didn't have any as Tony watched over me and coached me on things like how to do a deepwater boat launch, how to get an edge and how to ride upwind. We also kited the big shallow mud flats on the mainland at mid tide. Another favourite spot was the downwinder from the outer reef back to the Safari Lodge.
The riding was more challenging for me as a beginner than I was expecting but it felt great to have actually done it with some degree of success. I think the downwinder was about 8km. I tried it twice and made it about 3/4 of the way. I found it tough riding the swell direct downwind for that last part of the ride when my legs got tired.

3 days of 14 we had little wind and filled the time with visits to a Fijian village, an afternoon at an Indian religious ceremony where they stuck skewers through different parts of their body and walked across a bed of hot coals. Some of our crew also went fishing and we snorkelled the outer reef too.

I stayed in a shared room for 4 but much of the time only 2 used.

The others were mostly couples and all had private rooms some with private bathrooms and others shared bathrooms.

The only power on the island is from the lodge diesel generator. Hot water is solar. You need to figure out the best time of day to get a hot shower as the solar does not provide much effect for a morning shower for those sharing the bathroom from the upstairs bunk room.

Kava night Thursday was not what I expected. I imagined it would be a loud and drunken affair but is was very pleasant fun with some great traditional Fijian songs & guitar from our boat driver Damian.

The guests were mostly from Australia with some from NZ, Canada, Italy, Scotland, England, Austria....

I paid for beer and wine because that was easy for me but some of the others took their own wine and slabs and used the guest fridge provided.

Don't take a board leesh and expect to use it. Don't wear your wetsuit / wetsuit booties indoors. Wash the sand off your feet in the big dish at the doorway before entering the main tiled eating area. The rules are for the safety and comfort of all. Mine host Warren is congenial but adamant about these things. He says "you owe me a beer" with a smile for any transgressions but you get the message, 'don't do it'.

The coral is a pain for beginners. All the non experts ended up with a few coral scrapes but I wore my 3mm steamer and booties and managed to avoid damage. I mostly rode my 10.5m Link and sometimes my 15m Link. (puchased second hand, thanks Andy and Ian) Thank goodness they are robust kites. I had a several nasty crashes. The one weakness though was the 'one-pump' closure clips cut several 2 to 3 cm holes in the canopy. At first I thought one pump was a good idea. On second thoughts it's not so easy to top up the struts each day. You have to fill the LE when you don't want to. (boat launches) And all those extra air tranfer outlets on the LE bladder are just more oportunities for failure.

It was a great kiting trip and I hope to do it again next year.

I am booked for another 2 weeks this time with Jennie's Tour to Cocos leaving next Monday. I want to improve & consolidate going upwind and do transitions without stopping.

Robert Smith
Craigieburn
Victoria

So,you were staying at Safari Lodge ?

I am sure you mention Safari Lodge.

Its funny,this is about the umpteenth R e a l l y l o n g post about Safari Lodge !

Safari Lodge must be pretty good,eh? That Safari Lodge.

Considering the amount of time we were kiting, and the volume of other activities we did, Rob's report is very short.
Rob was a great part of this fun crew, he treated everyone with respect and was fun to teach. I think I need a stubbie for every time I hand delivered his board, though.
He also treated the coral with the respect it deserves and that's why he came back scratch free (also something to do with listening to the guide and following instructions).

The Cocos crew are in for a treat when he visits them.