Certification DetailsDate: 03/24/2020Evaluator: Sam SproalView Bio

Tavarua Island Resort

P.O.Box 1419
Nadi, Fiji Islands

Telephone: +679 776 6513

Visit Website
Tavarua Island Resort
Tavarua Island, Fiji
Heart Shaped Island Surrounded by Surf Nirvana

Tavarua is the world’s longest lived and most famous surf resort for very good reasons. Built from the outset to support local communities, respect Fijian culture, protect the environment, and provide elite surf guiding services and safety protocols, Tavarua delivers sustainability along with a surf travel experience that is unique in the world. Since its opening in the early 1980’s, Tavarua has had virtually zero staff turnover, the staff love their jobs and you are invited into their family for a very special experience. The world’s best surfers and Hollywood celebrities have been bringing their families here for years to experience Tavarua’s rustic island charm.

Home to the WSL Championship Tour in June, with the closest access in Fiji to two of the world’s best left handers, an additional three right handers nearby, and perhaps the best learning waves in the south pacific right out front, Tavarua is an iconic destination resort that doesn’t disappoint. With huge rainwater harvesting capacity, a state of the art low-tech wastewater treatment facility, meaningful cultural interpretation, a commitment to ensure all solid waste is avoided, reused, recycled, and the remainder safely disposed of at a properly managed landfill means that you can experience all this knowing that you are having a net positive impact on the local environment and the people who live there.

Tavarua is pending recertification from a site visit in March 2020. Due to COVID-19 complications, the evaluation review process has been delayed and we will keep this page updated asap.

Sustainable Management
Section Performance - 86%
Social and Economic Impacts Management
Section Performance - 98%
Cultural Heritage Impacts Management
Section Performance - 100%
Environmental Impact Management
Section Performance - 70%
Stoked? Check out the surf!

Tavarua is a world renowned surf resort because of our unparalleled access to iconic waves as well as our legacy in surfing’s culture. We are particularly proud of the work we have done over the years with our Fijian partner communities. Relationships with our Fijian family are the most important part of our business. Keeping this as a core principle has been key to our success and to the unique Tavarua guest experience our staff provide.

Moving forward, we will establish ourselves as a sustainability leader in surf tourism in ways that go beyond our work with local communities. In light of our recognition from STOKE Certified and inline with the comprehensive Sustainability Management System they helped us develop, we have a strong desire to improve the following key areas:

  • Develop and implement an interpretive tour that educates our guests about the resort’s sustainability initiatives as well as the island’s history and environment.
  • Invest in renewable energy on site, beginning with solar water heating. In the meantime will continue to purchase carbon offsets until we are able to balance our carbon production/sink equation locally.
  • We are the in the middle of transitioning to four stroke engines which are far more efficient and much less polluting. Our first 4 stroke powered boat will be in service by the end of June 2015.
  • Continue to work with the MES on local water quality monitoring, and support local moves to develop no-take marine protected areas in areas of the Mamanuca Group of Islands.
  • Work on an ongoing basis with STOKE Certified to improve our sustainability performance across the board and ultimately achieve Best Practice designation.

The STOKE Certified program has been super helpful in taking a methodical, structured, and comprehensive view of our sustainability approach and helping us re-work it in the most cost effective yet impactful manner possible. We invite other surf resort operators to take a look at STOKE and see how they can help you overhaul and or implement sustainability initiatives for better outcomes for everyone.

Vinaka vaka levu (thank you very much) and we hope to see you at Tavarua — a certified sustainable surf resort — soon,

Dylan Fish – General Manager