Its isolated waves and lack of crowds had them hanging around a little longer and their fascination with whales turned into a business – Whale Discoveries. Initially it was entirely yacht based with clients living aboard, but a couple of years ago they decided to set up a land base. And what they found would be pretty close to their Eden or Shangri La, or some other mythical place deemed perfection.
As guests we got to enjoy the fruits of their labour, but in only two years you can see just how much work has gone into setting up the camp. From clearing the land of its dense vegetation (which is continuously fighting back trying to re-cover the ground that it lost), to building dwellings like the beach barn, their own personal little Swiss family Robinson huts and guest glamping suites. Everything has to be brought in from the main island or Australia as their island has no hardware stores, or any stores at all for that matter. Generators, solar systems, wood, tools cooking equipment, couches, pool tables, ping pong tables…the list is endless and it’s testament to their resourcefulness and ingenuity what they’ve managed to pull off.
On our first morning there I woke at dawn hunting a coffee to get out their asap. I asked for Dave and was told ‘he’s already out there’; it became more evident throughout the trip that he still froths like a grommet.
When we joined him he explained the nuances of the wave, giving helpful tips on which ones were the good ones and what to be careful of. You could see how intimately he knew the wave when he surfed.
