Crazy! But true?
The rich get richer, they say, and now, according to a hot new rumor, “founders of information technology company Google now own several of Fiji’s premier tourism sites including the globally famous Cloudbreak surf island. Several sources have confirmed the transactions but none have been able to reveal the sums involved. ‘The architects are already on Tavarua,’ said one close to the transaction. Tavarua has an American owned resort on it, but it has been sold to Google. Also picked up by Google parties is Wadigi Island and a bay near Vanibaka resort on Malolo. It has been purchased to moor the Google super yachts, including Dragonfly.”
Very cool and you’ll certainly recall when it was rumored that Google execs purchased Namotu 3-odd years ago. You’ll also recall when the rumor was quickly debunked.
But what about this time?
Those “architects already on Tavarua” seems extremely serious.
The rumor continues, “Late last year Sayed-Khaiyum said a group of unspecified billionaires were to visit Fiji with plans to settle and invest. He did not name them but at least one private aircraft at Nadi was spotted as being used by Google’s co-founder Larry Page. This could create an awkward situation if Google wants Tavarua closed to outsiders.”
Now let’s get even more than serious here… if you could purchase part or all of one iconic surf destination and close it to outsiders, which would you choose?
Cardiff Reef?
An odd choice but infuriating those who regularly surf it as justification entirely understandable.
More as the story develops.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Lewis Samuels has to be fired up about these developments.
Enslave the whole world
Buy a tropical island
Then buy a WaveStorm
(Google Business Plan)
The only island I’ll ever be able to afford is the one in my kitchen.
This is easy – Cocoa Beach. You’ll need to pay to see and surf the burgers that Slater grew up on.
I hear someone’s going to build a wave pool in Alta Vista.
What a relief!!
Yes, just to clarify it again, Cloud
Break the wave, was liberated quite a few years ago by the Fijian government.
They can have their little island.
The wave is ‘free’ to all now.
P.S.
this is first case I know of, where someone claimed to ‘own’ a wave and charge you to surf it.
Low-lifes in my book.
Sam, Dave Clark was the original cunt as far as Tavarua is concerned.
True, think John Roseman was involved also.
Don’t know about him, all I know was Dave Clark paid more than what we could afford and we couldn’t camp on Tav anymore.
Much hate at that time – still fucks me off to this day.
But I do understand big bula bula chiefs got to do the best thing for themselves and the tribe.
I know a lot of Aussies were pissed off about the whole thing. Roseman came on board later and when it went public again I think he bailed and bought a place at the Ranch, another nice somewhat private wave.
I don’t know, this whole private wave thing just kind of rubs me the wrong way.
The crowds at private waves might be smaller but the cunts are much bigger.
Feature worthy !
He came in later, wasn’t involved in the original acquisition.
P.S.S.
almost as bad as Slater and his wave tank and the ‘pay to play’ boys.
Nihuwati or whatever it is too?
Yep. They call it Nihi Sumba now. They bought it from a guy named Claude Graves who is a complete dickhead. He was not good to the local people at all. Got into a big battle with the local kepala desa Metebulu and eventually Metebulu was suppposedly killed. Not sure about the how and why buy people got whacked there all the time for tribal disputes. The people in Waikabubak did not speak highly of Claude and warned to watch out for hiim. Claude tried to start locking the wave down way back. We were there multiple times in the early-mid 90’s and there was nobody around to stop you from surfing it, just a bunch of grass shacks. You couldn’t step foot on the property or they would pull a shotgun on you but they could give a fuck as long as you stayed by the seawall and just surfed. Now, you can’t surf it even by boat unless you are staying at the resort for some ungodly sum.
Surf based land grabs aren’t anything new, however it’s definitely now a buyers market. So jump in!
Maybe just preventing China buying rest Fiji???
Having worked on Tavarua for 10 + years as a boatman and constantly seeing Larry Page’s boat the Dragonfly moored off island, I really can’t see this story being false. What a bummer this is if it’s true. I predict a Bohemian Grove type vibe from here on out. Rich elite coming and going with underage girls, 5G towers protruding from every corner of the island, Kelly Slater stopping by claiming he’s involved with a “sea turtle initiative,” and lastly the Ziff’s putting on an electric foiling contest presented by Duracell. Seems like a stretch? It’s not.
Sounds like you made some good choices. Give us a run down on top five waves you seen ridden while gripping the tiller?
You can get locked up for that sort of thing.
So no actual change at all then…
(as far as us normal Joe’s who’ve never breathed that rarified air are concerned)
Well at least they can still get dragged across the reef.
Oh well
It won’t affect us blokes who could never afford to stay there anyway.
And it’s been years since only Tavaruas’ paying guests were allowed exclusive access to the waves, so it’s doubtful that will change.
Kelly and all the rich guys who used to stay there will just have to find alternative accommodation and travel further every day probably.
(not that Fiji has any tourism running at the moment anyway…)
Zactly, beefy.
I dunno why they want to buy land anyway.
Those two own yachts that are floating islands by themselves.
Perhaps they’ll start their own surfcamp strictly for google ’employees of the month’ etc.
Or a rival to the wosl…
Who knows, Nick said that Larry’s girlfriend is a keen murfer and friends with Natasha Ziff.
Obscenely rich cunts either way.
Few points in Mexico I could think of
I’d build my own … like the Chinese
https://uploads.disquscdn.c… a fun game to teach the kiddies about capitalism!
Just leave them to it and laugh at their situation, like Donald Trump not being able to fuck his hot wife properly.
Hot?
Then. And now.
We left this gem out of the research Chas:
“Tavarua, which has been American owned, was centre point for the 2010 Surfing Areas decree imposed by Fiji Minister of Everything, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. Until that decree only American tourists could surf at Cloudbreak. Sayed-Khaiyum opened beaches to all tourists and Fijians.”
First of all that’s complete bullshit and its never been open to Americans only. I am not a Reddit guy but seems suspect.
https://beachgrit.com/2018/…
Is there a pattern here?
In Chas’s defence he is talking about the island of Tavarua being brought – not the wave itself Cloudbreak – which was covered in the policy change.
I have no idea but if you read that Reddit post it’s all about Americans owning islands in Fiji. Plus Chas has tried this before and was wrong.
Anyway, I’m just razzing Charles.
Confirmation in the strongest way that climate change is a hoax.
BOOM! Heck of an investment if we only have (9) yrs..
Money tells the truth.
Even though i don’t think it is a hoax your logic is infallible and i applaud you. Check mate.
Good news is not news.
When you have a certain amount of money it doesn’t matter if your investments start sinking (literally). I’m sure they’ll have plenty of fun in the mean time.
How would you know??
I heard Google is just looking to start a new surf advertising campaign called ‘The Search’
What about the one that tells you the best way to get out at a hectic beachy: Duck-Duck-Go?
Just green wash with ecosia. Equally as shit.
Well there’s that dude who post on here who has the same name as the mathematics search engine founder: Stephen Wolfram. Not sure how to spin that into a joke though. Something Something “Bruce Irons still not managing to find anything.” ?
I heard they’re going to revive and rebrand the now defunct “Yahoo” as “Yeeooow”
When Google etc start fielding private navies to stop people surfing, we’ll know the future has definitely arrived.
Dick will take the Point Magu Millitary Base.