Words and photos by Claire Murphy @clairemrphy Video by Silvia Yom @silviayom
Eight girls, seven days, two broken boards, one island, nonstop surfing and a lot of laughter; WaterWays and Salani Surf Resort know how to put together a pretty epic surf trip. Claire Murphy gives us the lowdown.
I was just ending two weeks in Fiji when I got the call to meet up with a group of girls heading to Samoa. At around 8am in Nadi airport, Fiji, I easily spotted them across the terminal taking shots of tequila and sharing stories. After proper introductions and a couple of margaritas, we boarded the plane to Apia’s Faleolo airport.
When we landed in Apia, a large Samoan man with a strange Australian accent greeted the group. None of us could really understand what he was saying, but he talked the whole hour and a half ride educating us on all the important facts about the island; including showing us the house that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was born in, and revealing that he was the father of 15 children. Drained by our day of travel and brief history lesson, we filled up on burritos and went to bed early, prepping for the week ahead.
The next day, while we waited for the other half of the girls to arrive, we grabbed our gear and took the van to check out Fagaloa Bay. The drive felt as though we were cruising through the set of Jurassic Park. Honestly, I would not have been surprised if a dinosaur popped up from behind the trees, took our van, and we were never seen again. Thankfully, this did not happen, and we arrived safe and sound.
With no one else around besides the group that we came with, we surfed a fun right-hander for a few hours, constantly in awe of the beauty surrounding us. Sea turtles swam by as I dove under waves, multiple waterfalls flowed down lush mountains that formed the bay, it was the definition of a surfer’s paradise. Over the next week, we ventured to a handful of different surf spots around the island. The main break, Salani Right, was a heavy reef pass just a short boat ride from the resort.
Once the rest of the girls had arrived, we all eager to check it out. When the swell came through and conditions turned on, we woke up early and stayed out most of the day. Even though none of the girls had surfed this spot before, and the wave can be tricky to read, everyone was sending it. A couple of girls broke boards and all ended up with battle wounds, but it was worth it.
By the end of the week my expectations of what this group could do was completely blown out of the water. From doing backflips off bridges, jumping off waterfalls, making friends with the locals, drinking Taula and fishing in the afternoon, this trip was one for the record books. It is a good thing we have plenty of photos to remind and remember.
Thanks to www.waterwaystravel.com
@waterwaystravel @salani_surf_resort
Surfers on the trip: Delia Kang @deals_bk Emily Wratschko @surfwrat Alexandra Berning @alebebeblue Kirra Belle Olson @kirrabelleolsson Alyssa Spencer @alyssa_spencer1 Nakia Fleuren @nakiafleuren
