Destination : Surf trip en western samoa

BEFORE THE TSUNAMI

Surf aux iles samoa

SAMOA By Wayne Ryan
TALOFA LAVA WELCOME TO SAMOA South Pacific
Talofa Lava! Welcome to the beautiful Samoa situated smack bang in the middle of Polynesia in the amazing and culturally fascinating South Pacific!
The words “South Pacific” alone conjure up images of pristine lagoons, white sandy beaches, warm water, palm trees swaying in the soft breeze and long lazy days in the sun. Add some of the best surf in the world and what more could a surf adventure want.
Situated South of Hawaii and just West of Fiji, East of Tahiti and North of Tonga, Samoa is perfectly positioned to pick up swells all year round, add the fact only a handful of Samoan locals Surf and hundreds of reef passes; many still yet to be surfed and it’s no wonder why Samoa is now on most surfers “ must go list”.
SAMOAN SURF HISTORY
Despite the fact that less than 60 Samoan locals surf today it is widely believed Samoa could have been the birth place of surfing. I lived in Hawaii and even Hawaiian locals won’t argue as the birth place of surfing.
English explorer Captain James Cook may well have been the first white man to see surfing or wave sliding as it was known? Cook wrote in his journals around 1770 while sailing through Tahiti. “I could not but stop and ponder how much pleasure the native men were having riding the beautiful cascading walls of water on their wooden crafts.” Cook noted it as a pleasurable pass time. It’s interesting to note that not even football was being played at that time. Cook may well go down as one of surfing’s greatest explorers discovering Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii and many more countries with world class surf.
Samoa was the power house of Polynesia back then. It is believed that they often paddled there massive canoes and visited their mates in Hawaii! It’s a 5 hour flight today!
MODERN DAY SURFING HISTORY
Its mind boggling to think that modern day surfing history only goes back 15 years, and only in the last 5 years or so that the surfing world has really caught on to this. Up until 1995 when Line Up Surf Australia founded the first surf camp resort called “Maninoa”, there was only the odd surf adventurer that dared to take the chance but unfortunately left without scoring any real waves that were on offer. Due to no surf knowledge, bad or no roads, long paddles out to reefs with no idea of water currents or dangers, it was a hit or miss.
It was Mick Palmer (Aust) and I that saw the surfing potential and the need to help surfers experience the awesome waves in Samoa. The early days where difficult. No boats meant long paddles out in the hot sun to a distant reef with only a hint of potential viewed 100’s of metres from land. There were only a handful of average waves to be found near the coast. It was the government at the time that made Mick and I do a proper surf camp. As a result, Maninoa Surf Fales on the South Shore of Upulu was set up. Maninoa’s goal was simply to make it easy and cost effective to surf in Samoa. We figured out that we could get them to perfect uncrowded, reef breaking waves via dingy that they would never forget. Even today most surfers are yet to venture to Samoa.
At one of the surf camps, you can’t beat a beach front hut, cooked meals on the table after surfing all day long with your local surf guide who wakes you up as your personal alarm clock each morning with the boat ready only meters down the beach.
THE CULTURE
Samoans are warm and gentle people. Christianity plays a major role in their lives and it is believed their tribal leaders prophesized the coming of white people who would teach them of the true God that they once knew but had lost. Keep in mind that they had never seen a white man before the missionaries arrived. Samoans like many Pacific Islanders embraced the Christian faith with open arms and still today call white people “parlange” which means “heaven sent the white man”
Samoans work Monday to Friday, everyone works or goes to school. If you don’t have a job, you work in your local village or do your part with helping the village or family somehow. Saturday is sports day and Rugby Union is their National sport, loved by all Samoans. It seems almost every male plays it. They also play Samoan cricket.
Sunday is Church and family day of rest, although you can surf on Sunday in some places like Maninoa if you want. It is a long paddle to the break as most locals who drive the boats are at Church or spending time with their families. Funny enough most surfers embrace this cultural practice and don’t mind embracing a church service in Apia (Samoan Capital). It also gives those tired Arms and Legs a chance to rest, as well as enjoy a game of Rugby with the local Village people.
THE SURF
Samoa attracts swell all year round. The island of Upulu is like Oahu in Hawaii with South and North Shores. Just like Hawaii, Samoa’s North Shore only works in the Northern winter swell from December – March, with the South Shore working all year round with the best conditions coming in the Wet season. Unlike Hawaii, you can find your own off the wall type of wave to yourself and a couple of mates. If you have ever dreamed of what Hawaii must have been like before crowds, TAKE A TRIP TO SAMOA! Even though it can get big, it’s often a lot smaller than its Hawaiian brother. Never the less, it’s definitely more consistent.

To give you some idea of how the surf potential is in Samoa, Maninoa Surf Camp has over 15 quality surf breaks within 20 minutes by boat from the camp, including the world class right hander called Coconuts straight in front  and a left hand point break called Boulders 10 minutes by boat from Maninoa.

THINGS TO DO & SEE
If you do ever get sick of surfing or want to see what else Samoa has to offer, there are countless waterfalls which you would see mostly on postcards, sliding rocks like a water theme park, lagoons to snorkel/dive in, canoeing and all types of fishing. You might even want to play rugby with the locals, but be careful these guys don’t hold anything back, I know from experience.
Maninoa also offers fine dining, golf, tennis, cultural shows (fire dancing) deep sea game fishing, and even world class diving on famous reefs.
There is no doubt that Surfers are catching on my advice in seeing Samoa before the rest of the world does, I can assure you it will not disappoint.

Talk to Maninoa Surf Camp for more details at www.lineup@lineup.com.au
Or go to 12b The Strand, Dee Why, NSW 2099, Australia
 

SAMOA by MATT Capel

 When i first found out about this samoa trip i was frothing!!! Id
 heard so much about this tropical island
 haven full of heaving reefs, warm water and no crowds. so i couldnt
 wait to get amongst it.
 
 The surfers on the trip werent actually born in france but were from
 french speaking islands, except the photog GECKO aka LE
 GECK. Arthur bourbon was a realy laid back guy with a sick style
 and was born in guadalupe, Marko millemum surfed solid and was from
 martinique and Christoph allery was from
 reunion island. you could tell christoph grew up surfing good waves
 because He would always be the one waiting out the back the longest
 for the biggest and thickest kegs.
 
 And then there was french photog LE GECK who if he wasnt shooting the
 boys getting shacked, he would
 be catching all sorts of massive fish for us to throw on the barby and
 eat for dinner which would be perfect after
 surfing all day and accompanied with a couple of cold beers.
 
 THE SURF
 
 The waves in samoa are MENTAL! IVe been searching for an INDO like
 aradise with less crowds since my first trip to
 indo in 98 and i have now found it in SAMOA! The water is the warmest
 and clearest ive ever seen anywhere. You dont
 even need a snorkel and mask you just lye on your board and look down
 at the reef and the stupid amount of colourful
 tropical fish. What seems like 1 foot deep is actaully 10 foot deep
 and its a bit daunting when your punting or pulling
 into heaving kegs and you can see the reef that clearly underneath you.
 
 There are waves all over the island. Some of the best waves  are
 situated on the north side and get the same swells as
 HAWaii but only work from november till january. But we were there in
 march so we stayed on the south side of the
 island at a resort called Maninoa which was pretty much just  small
 huts on the beach and that was it. But the setups
 nearby were ridiculouse and made up for it! All the reefs were
 offshore so you had to get a boat to them but there were
 like 5 world class reef passes to choose from. Lefts, Rights, Kegs and
 Turns you name it and they all worked on different
 swells, tides and winds.
 
 Our everyday Wave and the most consistent wave on the island was
 called Coconuts. It was a Long right hander and was
 sick. when it was solid it was a full on keg from the takeoff into a
 long wall that was really smashable with one of the
 sickest punt sections at the end of it. I pulled into a bomb on my 2nd
 wave on the biggest and best day of the trip and
 snapped my leggy which meant for the next 2 hours i was paddling on my
 spare board  trying to retreive my lost board while the
 other boys got kegged. to say i was pissed off was an understatement!
 
 The biggest gem of these Reefs was a Bullshit left hand slab called
 sala's. the first time we surfed it it was like 3 foot
 with playful bazzas and was just oozing with potential. Luckily for us
 on our return the next day it was 6 foot and off
 the ricter! It was  like a heavier, longer version of bingin. When a
 set would come in you would just know everytime you
 were gonna get kegged off your nut. It hits the top of the reef where
 you just slide into the keg and just weave through
 section after scetion as it unloads on the shallow reef before it
 spits you into the chanell. And the best thing was we
 were the only ones out there just taking turns.
 
 The other reef passes nearby were also sick but these two were our
 everyday routine surfs for pretty much the whole
 trip.

 THE NIGHTLIFE
 After two weeks of surfing 3 times a day in pumping surf and with not
 much else to do, it was time for a change. The
 waves went shit and it was the enevitable night on the lash to check
 out the local night life and birds.
 
 It seemed like with most polynesian islands eg tahiti, tonga that the
 chicks are amazingly hot until they hit around 21
 then the gene pool kicks in or they just start eating too much and get
 rather large.
 
 The other thing we had been warned about was the FA' FA' FINIS also
 known in other parts of the world as ben chongs
 or trannys. In traditional Samoan culture the 5th born child would be
 a female no matter what! And alot of the samoan
 familys nowadays still abide by these traditional ways.
 
 But these warnings werent going to deterr us from our night on the
 town. So we made our way into the biggest and
 best nightclub in samoa but i was shocked beyond beleif to what i
 witnessed. 5 or 6 FA'FA's at the bar all dolled up for a
 night on the town, but these werent like your indo trannys these
 things were MASSIVE!!!! 6.5 and 20 stone plus with
 gnarly stubble from where they must shave 5 times a day. They all
 looked like Front rowers for the national rugby team
 And they instantly took notice of 4 white surfer boys walking into
 there local bar.
  
  
 But we managed to dodge these massive FA'FA's and made our way to the
 other end of the club and got some drinks
 before pulling some shapes on the Dance floor. It ended up being a
 great night and fun had by all.
  
  THE CULTURE
 
 Samoa is made up of two main islands and we stayed on the larger
 island to the south  and you can drive around the whole thing in
 around 4 hours. Situated between fiji and tahiti it get
 loads of swell and you can surf it all year round. there are also some
 of the most amazing waterfalls and caves you will
 find anywhere in the world.
 
 The samoans are amazing people and some of the freindliest you will
 find anywhere. They are also really religouse
 people. ON sundays they call it a day of rest and they  mean it too.
 Everything shuts down shops, cafes, restaurents,
 taxis and they just chill out all day in these big open huts they call
 fales. But worst of all your not aloud to SURF! Some
 americans ignored the no surfing rule because it was pumping and found
 out the hard way. They decided to surf a sick
 right hand reef on a sunday in one of the really religous areas and
 came in to find there hire car on fire. There are
 some spots you are allowed to surf but you have to make sure you ask
 the vallage MATAI (cheif) first.
 
 So if your after sick waves in a tropical paradise with no crowds or
 just monsterous benchongs Samoa is for you.
 
 

Trip Photos Samoa by Christophe Allary

C est une île couverte d une foret  dense du aux fortes pluies et au soleil des îles du Pacifique . Les habitations sont pour la plupart ouvertes sans murs , le vol ne fait pas parti du paysage, les jardins sont luxuriants et au bord de la route de petits cabanons surélevés servent de lieu de rendez vous ou de sieste. On ressent bien la douceur et la tranquilité. Les villages se trouvent en majorités sur les cotes, les montagnes etant impratiquable.

La money est le Tala, 1euro pour 3,7 tala (a vérifier) . La capitale Apia n est pas très grande.
Je suis logé au Maninoa surf camp dans de petites habitations locales avec un seul lit, au rythme local , dodo surf manger dodo surf....

Les locaux on un gabari vraiment impressionnant que ce soit du surpoids ou du muscle on se sent maigre.Ils ont un visage de guerrier , assez dur aux premiers abords mais un sourire et un signe de la main suffisent pour faire place a un visage amical. Les tatouages des îliens du pacifiques imposent le respect

Il y a de très bonnes vagues de reef qui peuvent tenir des swells de 10 pieds comme les droites Coconuts et Salani mais aussi de petites vagues qui représentent la perfection du pacifique comme la gauche de Sala. Au nord on peut trouver quelques slabs assez impressionant. Bref beaucoup de tubes.
Il n y a pas de surfeurs locaux ou très peu. Les spots sont remplis de touriste ou d étrangers qui se sont installés sur place. Les surf camps se chargent de remplir les spots. On peut donc surfer seul ou a 25 selon les arrivages de bateaux ...

La religion est très présente, on croise de nombreuses églises, il y a deux messes le Dimanche qui est un jour ou l on ne travaille pas et ne pratique pas de loisirs. Les proches sont enterrés dans les jardins, presque sur le seuil de la maison.
Les villages vivent en communautés , quelques régles différent de l un a l autre il faut les respecter. Par exemple les touristes sont interdits le dimanche dans certains villages, et surfer les vagues devant encore plus, une entorse peut entrainner des jets de pierres ou des voitures brulées.

Il est mal vu de rouler vite car la route est remplie de piétons, enfants, chiens , cochons... et assez étroite. Les enfants aiment se cacher pour admirer les touristes s envoler sur les passages surélevés pas indiqués. Les lagons sont vivants et magnifiques , on croise tortues raies dauphins etc... c est la fête aux moustiques en fin d après midi...

Il y a beaucoup de rivalité entre surf camps. Nous avons été chassé de Salani parceque nous dormions au surf camp de Maninoa. C est triste que des étrangers s approprient des vagues a coup de beaux billets, cette histoire n est pas terminée et vivement le localisme des Samoans...

A la fin d une session, a la tombée de la nuit, la poignée du moteur lache... 1km a ramer a contre courant dans une coque en aluminium sous un gros orage, les éclairs ne passaient pas loin,le flip..

 

SAMOA BY TIM SOUTHALL
Samoa lies North-East of Fiji in the South Pacific Ocean, and consists of two main islands, Upolu and Savaii, both less than 80km in length, plus a few smaller islands. The volcanic origin of the islands makes for very fertile soil, and that, coupled with the bountiful rainfall and tropical weather year round makes for a very ‘green’ country. The landscape rises in altitude quite rapidly from the sea, with the mountains rising high enough to be significantly cooler in temperature than at sea level. This also makes for some spectacular scenery when looking from the sea up to the mountains. The rain forest reaches the beach in many places and waterfalls can often be seen cascading down from the vantage point of where you are surfing.
 
It is 28’ degrees centigrade every single day, yet the weather man still insists on stating this every night on the news. Humidity is high and rainfall is plentiful. The South coast gets almost 300 inches of rain a year while the north side gets roughly half that amount. The grass grows enormously high, and the plantations yield their produce quickly. There seems to be quite a connection between weeks of high rainfall and weeks of pumping swell, making a surf photographers job a real nightmare.
 
The waves are generally heavy and powerful. No beach breaks means no options for beginner surfers, but when conditions are clean, the abundance of reefs makes for a tube riding frenzy for those who know how. The islands of Samoa are surrounded by a barrier reef which prevents swell reaching the beach; great for regular beach goers. For surfers though it means long paddles or boat trips out to the barrier reef. Paddle times generally vary from 5 minutes to 35 minutes with 18 minutes being about average. Getting back to the beach against an outgoing tide with only half a surfboard is an experience that leaves most people taking the boat trip option. Two wave sets are standard which means a lot of waiting around if there are more than a dozen surfers in the water. The surf is comparatively un-crowded but needs to be that way as the waves are generally short in length.
 
Samoa was pioneered as a surf destination around 15 years ago and has been growing in popularity since. The waves can be difficult to spot from the beach which means a lot of hard work was required by those who discovered the better waves. Currently there are three established surf camps on Upolu and one on Savaii, with boats and guides.
 
There are only a handful of competent local surfers. The ultra social mentality of Samoans is a contrast to the individualistic nature of surfing. The accessibility of the waves and lack of surf industry promotion here are other factors also. Samoa is no easy place to begin ones surfing. The shallow reef is unforgiving; the locals who learned to surf here deserve respect.
 
The swell is never truly flat, but can remain small for extended periods of time. Most days though are at least shoulder height. The main breaks reach triple over head and clean perhaps only a dozen times a year, meaning the average surfer does not need to pack any really long surfboards. I ride a 6’0 for a short-board and I have never needed anything longer than a 6’6, even for the biggest of days here. The warping, hollow nature of solid ground swells here ensures that if it’s too big for the 6’6, you will need a jet-ski, or perhaps drive to a less swell exposed spot. The South coasts of the islands typically get their biggest and most consistent swells in the winter months for the Southern Hemisphere. The north side of the Islands gets its best swells from the same storm systems that pound the Hawaiian North shore from November to March.
 
All areas of Samoa are generally considered very safe. Local village chiefs deal with any disturbances to the peace promptly and sternly. Because of the strong culture, it is recommended to get a quick lesson on edicate from a local to avoid causing any unintended offence. If in doubt, simply ask a local. If lost, simply ask for directions. The simple lifestyle can be somewhat uneventful for many locals, which means a conversation with a tourist who needed some help, can often prove to be the days highlight.
 
The people of Samoa are generally big, brown, and outrageously hospitable. No one goes hungry and the very strong family structure ensures a zero homelessness rate. All social gathering usually involve singing and lots and lots of food. The girls dress rather conservatively while the boys tend to walk around in nothing more than a sarong around their waist and a machete in their hand. Much of the clothing is imported secondhand from an array of different countries which makes for some pretty amusing fashion statements.
 
Samoans are immensely social people and don’t like to do anything by themselves. Menial tasks such as walking to the shop to buy some bread; will inevitably turn out to be a two man job - so there’s someone to talk to. Volleyball and rugby games can involve almost an entire village. The “more the merrier” attitude also carries itself to the public transport system. The thirty three hard wooden seats on every bus can often be found carrying up to eighty passengers. This works remarkably well though with priority of seats being determined primarily by age. Sitting on someone’s lap is always the more comfy option and entertainment is supplied by a whopping sound system pumping out the local reggae beats.
 
The mountainous nature of Samoa combined with the very high rainfall makes for an abundance of spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes. The cooler fresh water of the rivers can make for a refreshing change after the salty hot 28’ degree water in the sea. Wetsuits of any description are completely unnecessary but maximum sun protection is paramount. Most surfers find that regular full strength sunscreen just isn’t good enough for the middle of the day. Zinc is the go, and a long sleeve rash vest, along with a hat when the surfs small. Reef booties are recommended for those who cherish their feet but are not essential once one has a spot properly wired. Fishing, kayaking, diving and snorkeling are alternative activities on offer, but relaxing and doing absolutely nothing often proves the favorite option for tourists and locals alike.
 
A holiday to Samoa can be done in luxury or quite cheaply, depending on your budget. Around 50 Euro’s a night should see you in waterproof accommodation, well fed and looked after with a surf guide and boat. By sacrificing comforts and conveniences, it is possible to stay and surf for less than half that amount. 5 star resorts are available for those who like their luxury.
 
Samoa has no major communicable diseases to unease the ‘would be’ traveler, such as malaria. Great care must be taken of all cuts and injuries though to avoid infection.
 
All in all, Samoa is a great destination in the South Pacific. Politically stable, safe, and tropically warm year round. Consistent swell with plenty of alternative activities also. Ten days to two weeks is my recommended holiday time here. Cheapest flights are from New Zealand which makes Samoa a great tropical escape for those looking to escape the cold for a week while seeing New Zealand. There are regular flights from Sydney, Australia, and Los Angeles also.
 
Tofa Soifua
 

AFTER THE TSUNAMI on the 1 october 2009

Dear Family and friends.

I know it’s a bit impersonal but Ill just write one pretty big letter that will hopefully be decent. Everyone from Maninoa is OK. All the staff and family and guests are fine. Just one broken toe and a few scratches for a few of the boys surfing with me at the time. Current death toll for the country is 110 last time I heard but there are still heaps of people missing.

The surf camp is gone. We find pieces of our fales everywhere except where they used to be. Ive found things from my room a kilometer out to sea, washed up on the beach, in trees, in the forest, 300 meters to the west and 80 meters to the east. One of our boats is parked in Sinalies presidential suite (was $1500 USD a night) and their boat is parked in a tree that used to give shade to my room. All sinalies fales near the water are gone. The water made it to almost lap at their upper resteraunt. Coconuts resort is gone. Crap everywhere. Our neibors fale is right in the middle of coconuts resort, as is an 11 meter dive boat. Coconuts will need to be bulldozed flat and started again from scratch, this goes for basically everywhere on the south coast. Our office, just up the hill slightly, is still standing. There are fish in the office and we found a turtle in the forest (successfully rescued). Maninoa surf is a write off. The boat I took surfing survived – much to my amazement as I watched helplessly from a hundred meters away. Our other boats are cactus though. The new place my boss has just built behind coconuts had water flood through the lower story but the structure is fine and the upper story is dry. One guest from coconuts died. This dear 80 year old lady had broken her leg two days prior so couldn’t run. She was here for her daughters wedding. Two samoan lads tried to carry her but the wave got them and they lost contact. The samoan lads survived. The owner of sinalie lost his wife. She was the inaugural winner of the “miss Samoa” competition and a very prominent lady. That’s all the deaths from our village. Most people in our village live uphill a bit and work in the resorts.

I was surfing when the reef that is normally submerged under a meter of water, began to appear. It rose a foot, then two, then three, then I yelled “Everyone off the reef”, and we all paddled hard out to the channel. We knew what was happening. Immediately before the first wave hit the reef was a four meter high cliff protruding out of the sea…..and then it was gone. There were four big waves at a five minute period. There were seven guys including myself surfing from my boat. Four of us watched it all from the channel while three got sucked way in and tried their luck at making it to the beach. They all got smashed but all survived without major injury.

I have found a couple of my clothes and thankfully I took two of my boards on the boat that day. That’s about it though. My motorbike got washed around but is still near where I parked it. I cant find the key though which was in my room. Good chance it’s a write off, hard to confirm though cause all our tools got washed away and other matters are more urgent for the helpers.

I was all packed ready to go back to Australia should news of my sick dad warrant an emergency visit. I had all my years savings in my bible bag along with all my cards and passport. My bible bag has been found but nothing in it. Ive found several wallets but people have gone through them and taken everything. Lots of looting. Very sad. My passport was found in the sea yesterday and is stuffed but you can still tell its me. Im off to the Australian high commission shortly to deal with that. My phone got washed away but I just got a new one and its got the same phone number. (685) 775 7019. Our land number is gone along with everything else that enjoyed the fish and mud in our office.

Last night my friends got together for me and blessed me immensely. I am now only just short of the $1700 or so tala I had saved through the year. I’ve got enough clothes to last me abit too. Im off to get some shoes in a minute.

For those still thinking of coming to Samoa; the new place my boss built should be fully functional within a week and the boat I was on is fine for doing surf trips. We will be the first business in our area to resume operating at a decreased level. Sinalie might open in time to come but Im not sure. The north side of the island is undamaged.

We have no insurance (nor do I personally) and most of the other small businesses are in the same boat. We haven’t heard if any aid will yet be provided except for water, medical supplies and clothing. For those who’ve offered to come over and help, perhaps wait a couple weeks until we have electricity again and he bulk or the carnage is removed. The simple inconveniences are a real hassle at the moment. No electricity, broken glass and garbage everywhere. Stinky rotten fish and stuff that used to be in peoples freezers, leaking gas bottles, no toilets close by, no running water close to the coast. The sea is completely full of junk, the beaches are covered and the lagoon is so full of trees and huge chunks of broken coral. Once the cleanup is largely done and the rebuilding gradually begins, that would be a better time to come and be helpful.

The north side of Samoa is undamaged apart from flooding.

People keep asking me what I need. Its hard to answer properly cause I forget what ive lost till I need it. Wheres my toothbrush? Shoes? Guitar? Pen and paper? Sounds funny but I only remember such things when I go to grab them. Some people have asked for my bosses bank account details. Ill ask him for them tonight and reply when I next get to a computer. If my motorbike is trashed, I might try do a fundraiser to help pay for a replacement. Another big loss is all my books. Oh well.

I better go and get my passport dealt with. Thankyou everyone for your prayers.

Thank God the tsunami didn’t hit at night time!

Love Tim

ON THE 3 october 2009:
We now have a computer up and running here which is fabulous in our make shift office. Hopefully there are a handful of photos attached to this letter for you all to get a bit of a perspective of the carnage. The photos of bare ground are where all the fales used to be. Today we spent the entire day cleaning the beach which is now looking a fair bit better. Lots of volunteers came down to help which was a great asset. Some families and certain churches drove around today dropping off water and biscuits and things. That stuff just really warms the heart. We have been eating bread and tinned beef, or rice and canned mackerel for dinner at night so to get some bonus extra stuff to stimulate the taste buds is a real blessing.  Lot’s of fires today as we started burning all the wood that cannot be recycled and the copious amounts of rubbish lying around.

A detective came down today to ask us if we were missing any guests. He had a three-page printout in his hand of all the dead and missing. 129 officially dead and more missing. A few bodies of tourists have been found but with no identity, hence the detectives visit. All our guests are accounted for though as I saw them all with my very own eyes.

Nothing more of my stuff has been found and I am not holding my breath for anything more popping us as we have turned over pretty much everything now. Everyone here is in pretty good spirits which is great. I’m not sure how it is down the other end of the island where the loss of life has been much greater. In my village, the people work by the sea in the resorts but they all live up the hill a bit. So most people working by the sea are young adults with good common sense and fast legs to escape with. At the south east end of the island however the people live right by the sea and the death toll there is much higher; primarily women, young children, and very old people.

People wanting to donate to those suffering from the carnage, non specific donations, would be best to donate straight to the Samoan Red Cross. These guys have been at the center of all the aid work and a huge amount of volunteers have rallied behind them. Truck load upon truck loads of clothes have been donated already along with impressive money donations. This has been a real joy to watch as this financially povo country has given with great generosity. Bigger businesses have given big cash, relatively poor families have donated their spare clothes and tarpaulins, 6 year old girls have smashed open their piggy banks and donated the coins. Brilliant to see. I don’t know the contact details for the Red Cross here but I am sure you could track them down easily enough. Just contact the Red cross in your own country and take it from there.

For those who’ve asked about the damage to our business specifically, hopefully the photos will tell the story but I’ve also tried to put a rough estimate of what our structures were worth before the tsunami. We had seven beach fales that cost $6,000 tala each to build (divide by 2 for Ozzie dollars), three units at $14,000 each. Toilets and showers at $10,000. Washing machine and laundry at $3,000, boats and boating equipment at about $18,000. So that’s about $115,000 tala excluding the kitchen and restaurant (I honestly have no idea as to how much tables, chairs, stoves, plates, cutlery etc costs), lost food stock, sheets, pillows, mattresses etc. Bummer. For those wanting to donate straight to Maninoa surf camp – my boss would be most grateful for any donations, the bank details are:

ENVOYEZ VOS DONS A:

 

Maninoa Beach Surf

Acc no: 3021 201

BSB no: 010979

Swift Code: ANZ BWSWW

 

For those living in Australia who want to make a donation to the surf camp, Wayne, our booking agent in Sydney is setting up a charity account for us. The purpose is to avoid the bank fees of many small transactions and because we’ve heard that there is now free cargo from Oz to Samoa for a short time if its aid related. The plan is to buy a heap of stuff in Oz and then throw it on a palate and ship it all over in one go. If that’s of interest to you, then please give Wayne in Sydney a ring on (02) 997 18624.

For those wanting to donate to me personally, my bank details for those in Oz is (its an Australian account that has minimal fees for overseas transactions) are:

 

Account no: 0035487240

BSB:105 055

 

For those transferring from overseas, the full details are: Swift code: SGBLAU2S (they only need this or the iban code).  The Swift code / iban code is a means of other countries paying into bank accounts held in overseas countries.
The bank address is 26 Murray Street, Nuriootpa  SA 5355  Australia  Phone: 08 8560 9000
 The account name is: Timothy James Southall.  BSB: 105 055  Account number 0035487240

 

That’s probably a lot more than necessary but you never know.

Ive never owned much and I don’t need much but there are a couple things that are a great blessing to my life. One is an acustic guitar, secondly some books and study material, thirdly a motorbike, and fourthly my surfboards. Hopefully I will find out within a couple days if my bike is a write-off as my boss drops my bike off in to town in his truck. The bike was very nearing the end of its life anyway but still got me from A to B. I have a friend in NZ who’s church is the unofficial distributers for “Koinonia house” ministries. If these guys are willing, I will get all my study stuff through them and they can send me a box when I get them some money. I lost four decent surfboards in the Tsunami (I break up to 8 a year), so need to make arrangements there pretty soon. For an acustic guitar I like steel string with no pickup.

 

 For those who would like to come over and help, I recommend waiting a bit until rebuilding begins. We need to get organized here and make sure we can coordinate the arrival of building supplies etc with the arrival of those coming to help build.  Before coming over, a great idea is to buy some cheap tools from the hardware store that can be used while here and then leave behind the tools when you go. That’s a very cheap and practical way to help out. Give me an idea of your planned arrival date, I’ll ask the boss if that looks good and we’ll go from there. There are still waves here also, its still a good holiday destination.

That’s about all I can think of to write at the moment. We here have all been humbled by the amount of calls and emails we have received with people wanting to know that we are OK and asking if we need help at all.