South Pacific

New Caledonia

Located almost directly between Australia and Fiji, New Caledonia is the South Pacific’s best kept secret.

New Caledonia boasts a combination of experiences that are found nowhere else in the world, making it the ultimate island holiday, whether your budget is at the lower end of the scale or if you are looking for a luxury honeymoon, New Caledonia is designed to cater for everyone’s needs with a taste of Europe in the middle of the Pacific.

Surrounded by the world’s largest lagoon and second largest coral reef, New Caledonia is an archipelago of contrasts. With Melanesian traditions influencing the architecture, arts, crafts and hospitality and French history giving a European style to a beautiful tropical island.

Ecotourism and adventure holidays are a big attraction for this destination and being one of the fourth richest areas on earth for biodiversity it makes it a massive nature amusement park for snorkeling, diving, hiking, and of course surfing.

New Caledonia's reef is 370 miles long, and cleaved with more than 200 passes. Each one is a potential surf break in the right conditions. Boat charters are most convenient as there are approximately 10 breaks within 8 hours sailing from the most southerly to the most northerly points.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is surrounded by a 1700 km barrier reef, which counts 200 passes with surfing potential. The most consistent region is the south west barrier reef, as it offers the best swell and wind conditions.
3 types of reef breaks on the west coast:

1. Reef passes: with generally long lefts and rights
2. Reef bends: with generally short sucky lefts
3. Inner lagoon spots: good option for big swells

Only 1 beach break: Bourail Roche Percée beach.

New Caledonia Surf Charter

Charters will take you to most of the breaks and there are around 10 known breaks within 8 hours sailing from one end of the island to the other.

• Froggies - short left that works from 1m to 3m.
• Skatepark - long fast left that can start at the take off point at only 0.5m and grows as it swings down the reef to a solid 2m "skate park". Not for the faint-hearted.
• Lighthouse - fast, long, barreling right-hander. Be warned it can get very shallow.
• Dumbea - left long fast barrel. When big, the take off can be similar too a small Teahupoo in Tahiti. Dredging from below sea level, right long steady wall, can get barreled and can be a race to keep up. Works in big swell on low tide.
• Isie - incredibly fast right hand barrel, no time to think just go!!! Finishes in shallow water, booties recommended.
• Tenia - loves a big swell. There are three breaks : two lefts and a right. The left at the pass is the go. It has been surfed at a solid 3m as well as groveled at 0.5m, a great consistent spot with a beautiful island nearby.

Ouano Surf Camp

• Ouano Left - our pride and joy. When working, this wave has three sections that link up. Takeoff outside and pull in for a short tube, race the wall with time for one reo before cutting back to line up for the second gaping barrel, come out and crack off two or three more reos before racing into the third tube section and finish the wave with a few more reos before your legs collapse in from fatigue. Love this wave, usually not much current. Has a tendency to snap boards on the takeoff and can finish very shallow.
• Ouano – The right
  The right is a fast wave with a great barrel section but it is less consistent and shorter than the left. This break is just across the pass from the left, about 5 minutes by speedboat. It is a good option with south-west swell direction from 4 to 10 feet, and no wind.
• Other spots - There are other spots, lefts and rights, around the Ouano barrier reef that are good to surf with moderate swells at mid tide.

• Secrets (left) - up to 100m, for experienced surfers. Fast, shallow, steep take offs and deep barrels. Nicknamed Little 'Chopes by Adriano de Souza and Jeremy Flores. Radical wave from 2 to 10 feet.
• Guaro (right) (pronounce GWA ROW) - up to 100m. For all surfers. Fun wave with a fair bit of water under your feet, good for carves; over 6 feet it becomes seriously powerful on the inside section and offers barrel action for serious punters.
• Green Island left - a secondary break that works on specific conditions. For intermediate to experienced surfers. Short, fast, barreling wave, shallow waters at the end. Good from 3 to 6 feet.
• Nera rivermouth (left) - up to 200m. For beginners and longboarders, scarcely good for shortboarders. The wave starts from the rivermouth and dumps on the beach, generally too flat for shortboarders who surf the peaks/shorebreak. Needs big swells.

New Caledonia

Blessed with surf year round, however the best time to catch waves is between April and September.

The warm season, from September to March, has temperatures averaging between 25°C and 27°C, with short occasional rains.

The cool season, from April to August, has temperatures averaging between 20°C and 23°C.

The breaks on the west coast of New Caledonia need either southwest, south or southeast swells. The swell is consistent here, generally all lows between Tasmania, Sydney and New Zealand send clean ground swell.

New Caledonia is influenced by southeast trade winds, mostly from November to March. Most lefts can hold up to 15 knots: trades are offshore or cross shore on most of them. On the other hand the trades blow out the rights which really need glassy conditions. In winter the winds come down the mountains and blow east or northeast, which is good for some lefts and a few rights. Onshore winds from the west are rare but announce stormy weather.

Water temperatures vary from 29°C in the height of summer to 20°C in winter (June-July-August).