Last week one of the oldest surf clubs in Fiji- Vodo Ua Boardriders Club did not waste any time kick starting 2017 into gear with a three- day Surf camp based at Fiji Surf Co’s HQ warehouse on Sonaisali Beach , Nadi.

Led by club president Romeo Mckellar, a tight group of 15 kids joined the camp as an introduction to surfing and to gain water/ surf confidence and skill sets.

Kids came from as far as Suva / Pacific Harbour to participate. FSA head coach Porto also added valuable assistance / knowledge to the surf camp program at venues which include beach break surfing and out on boats to surf around the famous waves of Tavarua and Namotu.

The Vodo Ua surf camp programme incorporates beach clean ups, stretching / warm ups, basic paddling / surfing skills, water safety, free surfing and learning the essentials of other board sports like skateboarding on skate ramps that can help improve kids overall surfing abilities. The surf camp is also being used as a platform for the other team members to form a good bond and share each other’s knowledge and friendship for an everlasting relationship that will push themselves and the sport of surfing to new heights in a Fijian way.

Mentoring session for surf coaches

Yesterday was the Fiji Surfing Association’s first “mentoring” session for accredited surf coaches, which was held at Beachouse on the Coral Coast. It was free of charge.

The FSA has been conducting the Level 1 coaching accreditation course for over eight years and the number of trained coaches continues to increase.

The FSA felt it was appropriate to conduct the “mentoring” session in order to upskill and assist the development of the accredited surf coaches. The small keen group of coaches discussed better ways of training Fijian junior surfers.  Basic technique requirements, creative skill drills and improved observation skills were high on the agenda.

The FSA is planning more “mentoring” session to be conducted throughout the year so watch out for the information.

Next weekend is our first contest for the year, the Craig McElrath Memorial event. Entries are slowly filling up for each of the four categories; Longboarding for Under-19 and Over-19 and Stand Up Paddle surfing U19 and Over-19. It’s been quite a while since a longboard surfing event has been conducted and it’s managed to drag some of Fijians original surfers out of hiding.  It promises to be a fun day out at Namotu Island. Many thanks go to our sponsors McDonalds, Namotu Island Resort and Fiji Surf Co. Contact me on 8307173 for details on departure and schedules.