Cloudbreak, near the island of Tavarua in western Fiji, is one of the best waves in the world. For decades, the long, hollow left-hand reef break has drawn surfers from around the globe; later this year, the men’s and women’s World Surf League (WSL) champions will be crowned at Cloudbreak. But until 2010, local surfers were forbidden from surfing the wave due to an exclusivity deal with a nearby surf resort.
That year, Fiji’s cabinet made a decision, “to liberalise access to any surfing area”. Cloudbreak was exclusive no more. A decade and a half later, in no small part thanks to that cabinet decision, Fiji has its first professional surfer.
