Brandon Scheid and Sensi Graves share their unforgettable experience on the breathtaking Namotu Island in Fiji, renowned for its natural beauty and world-class waves. They joined the Unlimited Weeks event the legendary Ben Wilson organised, taking part in thrilling towfoiling and wingfoiling adventures. Their amazing downwind session to Cloud Nine is just one of the many highlights of their trip. Discover more about their incredible adventure here!

The phone buzzs as yet another notification pings through across the LCD screen. A glance at my screen tells me the message is from kiteboarding legend Ben Wilson. Since it’s not someone I usually get messages from, I quickly opened WhatsApp.  “How’d you and Sensi like to come out and help with the coaching staff for a few weeks during our Unlimited Weeks here on Namotu?”  It was the message I had been dreaming of for over a decade. It was the opportunity to go to one of the most magical places on the planet–Namotu Island, Fiji.

Namotu is a tiny, sand-covered coral atoll in the Mamanuca Island Group. These dream-like islands are best known for their stunning natural beauty, crystal clear blue water, pristine reefs, and five-star resort accommodations. Namotu Island is approximately 3.5 miles off the west coast of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest Island.  Its small size, six acres, and ideal location near several deep water passes make it the perfect home base for someone who is water-obsessed. There is no shortage of activities– one can go fishing, snorkelling, diving, surfing, tow foiling, wingfoiling, kitesurfing, and standup paddle boarding practically in one day.  Surrounding the protected island is a series of ruler-edged reef passes, creating one of the island's most precious resources. Waves. 

The waves around Namotu are Cloudbreak, Tavi Rights, Restaurants, Namotu Lefts, Wilks Right and Swimming Pools.

The island's proximity to several world-class waves is why the island is so steeped in the lore of the surfing world. The legend goes that the island was bought on a whim during an all-night party by a savvy Australian surfer with a keen eye for a good deal.  After several years of building the infrastructure and enjoying his slice of paradise privately, the island was opened to the public as a five-star resort based around world-class surfing and fishing. It was during this early start-up phase that Ben Wilson got involved. Initially coming on to help set up and run the five-star kitchen, Ben stayed. Fast forward to the birth of kiteboarding and an amazing professional career, there was something that was always in his life–Namotu.  

These days, you can find Ben, now the General Manager of the island, happily sharing everything Namotu has to offer with like-minded water sports enthusiasts.  After years of catering to the elite surfing world almost exclusively and several years of the WSL tour stops, Namotu may have been more well-known for its skull drags than its restorative ice baths.  However, what used to cater to a rowdy surf crowd, now lends itself to the health-conscious, session-sender. It’s a much different vibe now. It’s not about who could be at the bar drinking the most but who can be found in the water the longest. With the incorporation of windsports, wing and kite into the daily schedule and the birth of prone/tow foil, there is never a lack of anything at any given time.  If there is no swell or wind, you can tap into world-class diving or fishing. I hope you are starting to see the theme here: world-class.  

Everything you could want is already thought of; the staff knows your name from the second you touch foot on the island, the food is to die for, and all of the best activities are pre-scheduled to take advantage of the changing conditions. It was this all-access, sessions before-schedules style of living that epitomised the Namotu dream.  All of this is what fueled Ben to create his Unlimited Weeks. 

As soon as we set foot on the island, it was go time. The thing about Namotu is that you never want to miss a thing. Oh, there’s a wave breaking? Better paddle out. Someone’s going snorkeling? We should probably tag along. Now the wind is picking up? It’s go- time for winging! There’s no way you want to miss out on a session because it’s just that good. This means that for the better part of the day, you are in the big blue, also known as the Pacific Ocean. Throughout our time on Namotu, we could be found in the water for six-plus hours every day. 

Ben’s Unlimited Weeks are a special part of Namotu Island. Having established himself as one of the forerunners of wave-riding on a kite, Ben is a legend in wind sports. He began hosting his own “kite weeks” or kite camps on the island 10+ years ago, and the momentum has never stopped. Now dubbed Unlimited Weeks, these all-out froth sessions are the place to be during the season: June through September. An “Unlimited Week” on Namotu is akin to a water park–endless rides and yummy concessions stand, AKA the most insane buffet of food you’ve ever seen. 

As part of the Unlimited Weeks, there are coaches on hand to direct, give feedback, help you get on the water, decide on the best session for the day, or, this was my favourite part, drive the jet skis for tow-foiling. Tow-foiling was the sport that we spent the most time doing on Namotu, with wingfoiling coming in at a close second. The thing with tow-foiling is it’s addictive, fun, challenging and not something that a “normal” person gets to do regularly. I mean, who has a jet-ski, a tow-foil set-up, A WAVE, and most importantly, a talented friend willing to drive you for a few hours? I’d say very few. 

Tow-foiling happened right out in front of Namotu at the wave you could watch from the breakfast table, Namotu Lefts. And because we tow-foiled Namotu Lefts so much, when the wind came up, and it was time to wind-sport, we could wing with confidence over the sharp coral, having practised our turns and gotten to know the wave relatively well on the wing foil. 

As our time on Namotu came to a close, we were simultaneously both nowhere near ready to go and also ready for a small break. The harshness of the sun, the long hours in the water, the reef cuts that won’t heal. It all amounts to a toll on the body that one is simply not used to. If there are any top tips for the island, they will go something like this: wear sun protection, bring your reef-safe sunscreen, drink electrolytes, take an ice bath, and rest–but don’t miss that session! 

Namotu can be seen as “unachievable”–it’s remote (at least for North and South Americans) and incurs a hefty price tag. And yet, “worth it” doesn’t even begin to cover the uniqueness of this place. If you are into water sports, put Namotu on your vision board because every penny you spend here will be incalculable on a soul level. 

Stand-Out Session: Sensi:

We departed the island in a small group–just the four of us ladies. Fellow coach Kirsty Jones and I were paired up with two wingfoiing women from New Zealand named Susie and Kat. Susie and Kat were great wingers working on their tacks, making for a fun week together on the latter. On our fifth day, we decided to do a downwinder to Cloud Nine, the floating bar a few miles downwind of Namotu. As our pod sailed off from the small sand shores of the island, I felt an immediate sense of adventure. What fun to set out into the ocean, even if it was only for a short distance. It felt empowering to leave the closeness of the inner reefs of Namotu.

As we manoeuvred downwind, we found small wind chops to ride, and I kept getting glimpses of the undulating seafloor beneath us. The absolute beauty of the expanse of ocean unfolding all around us was breathtaking. It felt like we were floating, getting slowly buffeted downwind. 

Soon enough, we arrived on Cloud Nine and “parked” our wings on the buoy ropes while we clambered aboard to enjoy a cold beer. My levels of peace and satisfaction were at an all-time high. It may not have been the most adrenaline-inducing session, but I believe it encompasses so much of what wing foiling is all about–camaraderie, chasing swell and that feeling of flying that we all love so much. 

Stand-out session - Brandon. 

While I have many standout surf, tow foil, and fishing memories from my time in Fiji, my wingfoil session at a wave called The Bombie takes the cake.  I don’t know if it was the sheer novelty of winging, the mechanics of the wave itself, the lightwind “redline” conditions, or the fact that I had it all to myself for two-plus hours that seared it into my memory banks.  But it will be one of my most memorable wingsurfing sessions.  I love winging in waves.  It is the main reason I am motivated to wing, and if there is a wave to wing, I am often the first one on the water, no matter the conditions.  It was the middle of our second week on the island. I am still in full froth mode, taking every session I can get, and we had just finished lunch after a long morning of surfing Cloudbreak.  Tough life…  There was a glimmer of hope that the trade winds would fill in, and my wind spidey sense started tingling.  As I quickly crossed the island, I could see that the water surface was indeed showing a bit of breeze on the face.  I would say 12 knots, certainly nothing worth frothing over.

However, as the swell was on the rise and the tide was dropping, a wave called the bombie started showing her teeth.  This particular reef takes a long swell with enough energy to hit the deep water pass, and on the sets, the wave starts to stand up.  My jaw dropped as I watched a four-wave set line up, pitch, and cascade like an avalanche down the reef, ultimately bending 90 degrees and unloading on the shallow reef at the wave-called pools.  Essentially, I had a well-overhead burger wave with tons of energy, which makes for perfect winging-shaped waves.  I rigged up my foil on my biggest board, 60L, and pumped my 5.5 m Sling wing V4.  Remember, there is barely any wind, but thanks to the wonderful water service, I can always get a boat pickup. This means I can push my low wind limits on the foil.

After slogging out to the channel's current line and a ton of effort, I got up and going.  I call this wind speed the “Red Zone”, where if you fall off foil, you may never get back up again.  As I tacked upwind, unsure what to expect, I could feel the anticipation of my first wave ride building, and all I could see was the whole ocean moving towards me.  I quickly turned before I had time to guess my decision second and flagged out the wing.  The foil bit into the growing blue wall, and I took off down the line like a bat out of hell.  The wave bends almost 90 deg during the ride, taking the wind from side shore to almost offshore, letting the wing drift effortlessly behind you, unhindering your movements.  It was a total dream-winging setup, and I had it all to myself.  

Everyone else was convinced it wasn’t windy, off surfing, eating lunchtime poke bowls, or completely sessioned out.  It took well over an hour for anyone to catch on, giving me plenty of time to get my fill. Once Ben caught the eye on what was going on, he fired up Sensi and several of the guests to come out and trade off on long, dreamy rides.

 

Videos

SlingWing V4 | Slingshot Wing
Riding in the Glide Zone - Slingshot Sports
By Brandon Scheid

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