Stab Magazine | Bruce Irons, Cloudbreak, Fiji. Wednesday July 13.

Now Live: Best Surfing I've Ever Seen With Nate Lawrence

7 Views

Bruce Irons, Cloudbreak, Fiji. Wednesday July 13.

It’s been a little over 12 months since the island of Tavarua had exclusive access to the waves of Cloudbreak and Restaurants in Fiji lifted. Just 12 months ago the Fijian government stepped up, opening access to the wave for anyone, not just guests of the resort. Tavarua also dropped their prices just a touch, […]

full frame // Mar 8, 2016
Words by Glenn Duffus
Reading Time: 2 minutes

It’s been a little over 12 months since the island of Tavarua had exclusive access to the waves of Cloudbreak and Restaurants in Fiji lifted. Just 12 months ago the Fijian government stepped up, opening access to the wave for anyone, not just guests of the resort. Tavarua also dropped their prices just a touch, so the island’s steadily been at capacity since. This also meant that the latest swell the island’s been pounded by was ripe for anyone with enough braves to get a piece of it.

The first to arrive for this highly-anticipated swell were Reef McIntosh and Dane Gudauskas, who had to post up on the mainland. “The key to getting the best waves is to take the waves that look like closeouts,” said Reef, who is in Fiji for the third time this year. As the swell rose, he typically found himself on the best waves of the day.

Kelly Slater, the eternal surf nazi whose temple-like body is never subject to the poison of drugs, alcohol or even caffeine, showed up after an overnight flight, with a neck-tan from long sessions in a wetsuit back in California. When asked how big this swell was gonna get, he replied: “Big enough that most humans won’t want a part of it.”

Most humans, sure, but certainly some. As is the way with men who concern themselves with such things, the surrounding hotels were quickly flooded with surfers like Garrett MacNamara, Mark Healey, Kohl Christensen, Dean Bowen, Nathan Fletcher, Alex Gray, Dave Wassel, Nick Vasicek, Ryan Hipwood, Jamie Sterling, Ian Walsh, Jon Roseman, Fergal Smith and more. Oh, and Bruce Irons.

Bruce (pictured) was a part of the final teams to roll into the swell on Monday afternoon. He posted up at Radisson hotel on Denarua Island, on the Fijian mainland. And, after riding a borrowed board (Nathan Fletcher’s big red rocket) the first day, he continued the following day to repeatedly throw himself into heaving tunnels like this. Would you expect anything less from Surfing’s original rockstar?

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Is Nat Young’s 4.03 A Symbol Of Surf Judging Demise, Or A Harmless Scoring Aberration?

World champs, super coaches, WSL commentators and more sound off on the state of surf…

May 1, 2024

How Stretch And Nathan Fletcher SpaceX’d Surfboard Design Into The Future

“I brought the boards to Hawaii and everybody laughed at me. Everyone except Michael Ho…

Apr 30, 2024

Doug Silva Is The Skullet-Locked 12x World Party Champ Working Wonders For Seth Moniz’s Tour Trajectory

Here's how he uses EDM + storytelling to snap talent into 'infected alligators'.

Apr 30, 2024

Marti Paradisis On The New Shipsterns Safety Initiative + The Laziness Of Bandwagoning Swell Carnivals

Before calling Shipsterns Bluff and getting flexed, read this. 

Apr 28, 2024

Full Frame: A 15-Minute, One-Wave Pipe Session

"Oh shit, that was kind of nuts, I think I think I'm just gonna go…

Apr 27, 2024

Want Half-A-Brain? Keep Calling Helmets Lame

Kai Lenny surfs hideous Jaws + Mavs + Waimea, joins esteemed list of surfers to…

Apr 27, 2024

80 Men And 48 Women Enter The CS Gauntlet — Only 15 Will Survive

Your 2024 Challenger Series x Gold Coast Pro preview.

Apr 26, 2024

The Best Surfing I’ve Ever Seen: Nate Lawrence

Kolohe, Cola Bros, Luke Davis, Crane, and "the most magical 3 weeks ever had in…

Apr 25, 2024

Snapper To Return To The CT In 2025(!) + WSL Announces Season Wildcards

Next year is looking up. Here's what we know...

Apr 25, 2024

Kelly Slater Will Surf In Tahiti And Fiji CT Events — And He’s Bringing A Secret Weapon With Him

What's it like to coach an 11x champ? We asked Glenn "Micro" Hall.

Apr 24, 2024

Watch: A Masterclass In Belated Drops At The Teepee Capital Of The World

And the rest of the O’Neill team sticks the landing in Hawaii.

Apr 24, 2024

How Sophie McCulloch Broke Her Back At The Box Three Days After Being Cut From The CT

The untold brutal side story of finals day in WA.

Apr 24, 2024

The Cut Wasn’t The Surf Fans’ Idea — But It Might Be Our Fault

Psychoanalyzing surfing’s highly sadistic audience (us!).

Apr 23, 2024

How Surfers (And Skiers/Snowboarders) Could Be Using Buoys Better

Snow in Japan = waves at Pipe = snow in Utah, @PowderBuoy told us.

Apr 22, 2024

How Did Sydney’s Hottest Landscape Architect Stack So Many Clips Less Than 10Kms From Centrepoint Tower? 

Fraser Dovell is a man of culture, taste and jabbing North Av lefts in the…

Apr 22, 2024

Full Frame: The Other Side Of Nazaré

The death of a wave, and the birth of an entire genre of surf. 

Apr 21, 2024

Jack Robbo Double Beats Double John At Margies, Gabriela Bryan Dodges Dolphins For Maiden Win

The cut is finished - WA finals recap.

Apr 21, 2024

Watch: A Leisurely Day With Fingal’s-Most-Wanted Foamball Wrangler

Lungi Slabb and filmmaker Beren Hall offer insight into the exact specs which bring GoPro…

Apr 20, 2024
Advertisement