Cloudbreak doesn’t need much in terms of an introduction. The legendary lefthander off Tavarua Island, Fiji, is one of surfing’s most coveted gems. Kelly Slater has called it his favorite wave on earth. And when it really turns on, it’s practically otherworldly.
The drops are steep and perilous. The barrels are big enough to fit a house inside. And the reef sharp and menacingly shallow – especially if you get caught inside.
Now, legendary filmmaker Tim Bonython has stitched together decades of Cloudbreak madness in a new highlight reel, with help from other photographers and videographers. Consider it a greatest-hits album of surfing’s most ridiculous left.
Bonython’s relationship with Fiji goes way back. His first visit was in 1987, “when Tavarua had tents on the beach,” he recalls in the video’s description.
The compilation begins with Conan Hayes in 1999, then Shane Dorian in 2006, and David Scard’s Wave of the Year-nominated bomb in 2010.
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Then comes July 2011, featuring Kohl Christensen, Mark Healey, and Bruce Irons’ iconic ride on the “Pink Pony.” The bright-pink 10’1″ gun was borrowed from Nathan Fletcher.
Irons stroked into a massive barrel, grabbed rail, and threaded an enormous tube before getting absolutely demolished. Still, it’s one of those images – captured by legendary lensman, Tom Servais – seared into surfers’ brains forevermore.
“I get chicken skin thinking about it, even though I almost drowned,” Irons later recalled.
And then, 2012.
Bonython revisits “the legendary Volcom swell in 2012,” when Cloudbreak went so thoroughly mutant that organizers stopped the Fiji Pro after running several heats. The big-wave specialists took over, and the contest broadcast kept rolling, documenting one of surfing’s wildest sessions.
The time machine continues through Paul Morgan’s October 2014 charge, Dane Gudauskas in 2016, and the colossal 2018 swell featuring what Bonython calls “maybe the biggest tow wave surfed by Ramón Navarro.”
Finally, it’s March 2024, with Billy Kemper, Nathan Florence, the Coffin brothers, and Benji Brand throwing themselves into more impossible-looking walls.
It’s an extraordinary tribute to the wave, the surfers, and the camera crews who kept rolling.
Watch the full compilation. Then try picking just one favorite.
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