It was a ripper trip.
I enjoyed the trip very much, that wave is really something else! It wasn’t like the WS trips I’m used to though. It had a very disjointed feel, no proper induction on arrival which would be nice. There is a disconnect between the Mangrove Bay Hotel and PSC. I was woken one night early in the trip by reception asking what our departure date was, and on the last night I was asked to pay for the room and it took them a while to find out that PSC was paying. As for how WS markets it, there were definitely no photos available even on a peak season trip and P-Pass is definitely the only wave available to peak season PSC guests. On the positives the room was really nice, the fresh cold coconuts and banana bread on the boat trips were outstanding, all of the drivers were super and Dylan the surf guide was on a whole other level. He really knows his way around heavy water, was very personable, very courteous in the water, he never took a set wave that a guest was looking at, wasn’t a party animal but would have a beer or two with the guests if invited. He was clearly the best guide I’ve ever encountered. By the way he’d love to land a stretch at Matanivusi and I couldn’t recommend him more highly to Brian and Donna. The only other comment I have is that people fear that wave for good reason, it was a real eye opener for me and I would beware sending anyone but advanced surfers through peak season, the injury list for the last few weeks was pretty horrendous. Cheers team, all up a great adventure for Finn and I.
Troy S