Tavarua Takeover

By bringing together some of the world’s best female riders, Armstrong aimed to highlight the evolving world of women’s foiling, with a week of focused training and adventure. And where better to do that than in the pristine waters of Tavarua in Fiji? Bowien van der Linden picks up the story…

Words: Bowien van der Linden
Photos: Chris Dunn

The water sports industry, including the foiling scene, has long been dominated by men. I've foiled all around the globe and it's rare to have sessions where the women are outnumbering the men. And not to mention the media, where female underrepresentation is common. Which is surprising given how many women are out there, absolutely crushing it on the foil. Recognizing this, Armstrong dreamed to bring together an incredible group of female riders. The Armstrong team didn’t just make it happen – they organized, without a doubt, the best foiling trip of my life.

Besides me, fellow Armstrong team riders Anna Kalabukhova, Julia Mancuso, Naumi Eychenne, Sierra Stack, Tatiana Grant and Zara Maillart received the invitation to come together on Tavarua, a small private island just off the coast of Fiji. Known for its white beaches, crispy blue waters, lively reefs and most importantly sitting in the middle of foil heaven. Tavarua is known for being the closest island to Cloudbreak, from the west coast of the island you can see the judging tower of the notorious wave, where just two weeks before our arrival the WSL was held. But beyond Cloudbreak, there are many more breaks – most of them far more foil-friendly and waiting to be explored.

// DAY 1

Arriving on Tavarua by boat, we were welcomed by the clear water, white sand beaches, lush palm trees and the friendly Fijian staff. Coming from Europe I was feeling pretty jetlagged, but the blue water was calling, and upon arrival on the island, I was in dire need of a session. After getting our hands on some new boards the mood was set, no time to get to know each other, first let’s ride.   

“Swimming Pools”, a mellow right on the south reef of Namotu Island, was the stage for the first session. Being used to the Netherlands, just one wave here felt as long as at least 20 Dutch waves. Ridiculously long and extremely playful. I remember an overwhelming sensation of excitement in anticipation for the coming days, I guess I wasn't the only one, each girl coming onto the boat with the biggest smile from cheek to cheek. This was a damn good start to the week.   

This session already showed the variety of wave experience in the group, the long waves providing an easy ride for the less experienced and something that seemed like a skatepark for the more experienced. Zara, who comes from the Swiss mountains with a background in skiing described it perfectly: “The moment I got onto that first wave, carving and gliding over the endless crystal-clear bumps, I knew it – I was falling in love with wave-riding.”   

The goal of this trip was to learn from one another, inspire and share the stoke across our diverse disciplines. Each of us having our own specialty: surf foiling, downwind, wake, freestyle wing, and wave wing. Personally, with two GWA Wave Tour competitions on the horizon, my full focus was on training wave-riding. Someone who really inspired this session was Naumi, doing big carves with beautiful style and pumping around like there’s no tomorrow. Naumi lives in Tahiti and could be described as a real island girl. It’s rare to find her without a flower in her hair and she does not only rip on the foil but is also a great surfer and, not to forget, she’s a former Tahitian coconut tree climbing champion. Perhaps this is where she gets her ninja like foiling skills from?

// DAY 2

The next day we went for the first sunrise expedition of many, and wanting to take advantage of the high tide we set out early to explore some different spots, such as Namotu Lefts, Hummus and Swimming Pools. Getting to know everyone better on the boat, but more on the water. Such as Sierra, who spends most of her time behind the boat on the wake and has found many ways to sit on her WKT board. And Anna, who stylishly charges the waves with her longboard-style stance.

// DAY 3

In front of Tavarua’s restaurant lies a beach break on the inside of the reef, known as “Kiddieland” a beachbreak that has playful foiling bumps when the waves run over the outer reef on high tides. Upon arrival, the manager of the island, Dylan Fish, joked they should rename it “Foiling Land.”  I would agree. On the reef outside Kiddieland runs a long and beautiful left, with an easy to remember name, “Restaurants.” I would also advise only foiling it on high tide – it’s deep enough to foil over and perfect for connecting multiple waves. The best part? After a sunrise session, foiling the wave all the way into the beach via Kiddieland, straight to the breakfast buffet.

// DAY 4

Waking up to not only the soothing sound of crashing waves but also the wind rustling through the palm trees set the tone for the day. This was more my element – two days of wind were forecast, and a fresh swell had just hit Fiji. Wingfoil heaven awaited. Nervous, with butterflies in my stomach, we loaded the boats and headed to Namotu Lefts, where we had enjoyed surf and foil sessions under the blazing sun in previous days.

Today, the sky was gray, the wind light, and the waves solid. Hopping into the water the waves felt powerful but disorganized, I felt a lack of rhythm and some form of discomfort. But wave after wave as the hours passed, the tide filled in, the waves became more refined, and the sun finally broke through. As the elements aligned you could see the other girls starting to take more risks, more on the inside, bigger sets, larger carves. I also regained my trust. By the end of the session I had ridden some of the best lefts I've ever winged on.

During this session I coached Zara to catch some bigger waves. We rode them together, but not realizing this was just the beginning of a huge set, which got us caught on the inside. Zara officially got her first ever proper “washing” with the wing. I felt so guilty, but this was replaced by a smile when she shouted at me from the safety of the jetski, “that was the best wave ever!” It was my favorite moment from the session. I guess it’s all about sharing the stoke.

// DAY 5

Hoping to recreate that magical wing session from the day before, we boated back to Namotu Lefts. With yesterday’s experience and a more filled in wind and swell, I got on the water with much more confidence. It's cool to see how fast you get comfortable with bigger waves in such a short amount of time. Not only was I feeling more comfortable, but the whole team was catching bomb after bomb. Everyone looked in control and fired up. This session had an unexpected twist though – another winger arrived at the spot, kitted out with full Armstrong gear, howling and whistling with every wave we caught. I thought, “who is this guy?” Of course, it was Armie Armstrong himself – he wouldn't miss an Armstong trip with a swell like this!   

// DAY 6

I've been told this last special spot only works on BIG swells, during our stay the stars aligned and a perfectly glossy day resulted in sublime towing conditions. Arriving at the spot you could feel the ocean was alive, sets breaking far out, tall and powerful. One thing was for sure, I wasn’t expecting waves this size. I always find wave size difficult to judge, but these were the biggest waves I have ever foiled. But, the whole week had prepared us for this last day and I felt more than ready. Dialed in on the gear and ready to go, my setup and I were primed to rush these bombs.

Towing into that first wave, I would never have imagined I’d say this, but the most terrifying part was the clearness of the water – I couldn’t shake the fear of breaching the foil as I couldn’t see where the water started and the air ended. After a couple of waves I realized this was ridiculous, I was in control, and this fear was replaced with adrenaline and pure stoke. I just wanted bigger, bigger…the biggest one. Slowly pushing my own boundaries with every wave.

I have a few friends who enjoy big wave surfing or big wave foiling, and yet I never really understood the attraction. Why risk your life to charge straight off a mountain? I would much rather have a decent size wave where you can really ride it. But as Armie and I searched for the biggest sets, I started to understand this feeling more and more – this rush is addictive.

As we took turns to tow I laughed when one of the girls asked the jetski driver, Dylan, to not tow her into a too big a wave…with which he responded, “sorry I don’t know how to do that!” and indeed he didn’t. I enjoyed watching the other girls – seeing someone else charge a big wave just motivates and gives courage that you can do it too. But also just seeing someone push their own limits and perhaps becoming an inspiration themselves is a really special experience. I would say the mission succeeded, we all went home as better foilers, inspired and with a bunch of new friends. Vinaka Tavarua and thank you Armstrong for bringing us together and making this happen.