An artist’s rendering of Vunabaka. Art: Vunabaka.com
A lot of surfers go to the Mentawai Islands. And once they return from their trip, they dream about going again someday. Anthony Marcotti made the dream a reality when he founded Kandui Resort back in 2004. Since then, he’s helped send happy surfers on trips of a lifetime. So how did he do it? “It was created through a lot of risk, a lot of stupidity, and a lot of sacrifice,” he said. And now he’s on the road to his next venture: Vunabaka, a “waterman’s paradise” based in Fiji.
Vunabaka is more than just a resort. It’s an entire community, including residential areas and a hotel. There are 100 acres of land from the hilltops down to the beach front, all centered around the Island Grace, a 5-star boutique hotel. There will be everything you can think of: restaurants, shops, bars, gyms, tennis courts, spas, and a full service marina.
Following your passion, though rewarding, it seems is not always easy, especially if your passion lies somewhere along an unconventional path. “I’ve ruined two relationships,” Anthony told me. “This pursuit of good waves… it’s a lonely pursuit; it’s a selfish pursuit and it pisses off my family, but I think more and more they understand. It’s tough to miss birthday parties because you’re going to Indo last second to catch a swell.” But when it comes to making a dream a reality, connections and timing help. Anthony met Martin Daly and chartered his boats while simultaneously starting Kandui. How does a kid from California get in with someone as infamous in the Mentawai Islands as Martin Daly?
“The first time I talked with Martin,” Anthony remembered, “he sent me a really scathing email about exposing the spots in the Mentawai Islands and how uncool it was. I was pretty stoked, actually. I really looked up to him. On the one hand I was upset he was mad at me, but on the other hand I was happy he was taking the time to respond to me.”
In their case, their partnership may have come from a self-preserving place. “Martin and I started working together because I set up so many trips on the local boats and with my other company,” Anthony said with a laugh. “I kind of think he thought it was better to join them than to compete with them.”
One would think your own private surf resort would be enough, but the spirit of adventure is what started it all in the first place, so Anthony is continuing his ride with Vunabaka, his newest venture.
Vunabaka will be based in Fiji, and is a result of the simple meeting of two like-minded people. While retrieving a broken board after a surf at 10-foot plus E-bay in Indonesia, Anthony met Andrew Griffith in 2001. Andrew was a former investment banker who, like Anthony, left a stable job for an opportunity in Indonesia, helping with Surf Aid’s mission in the Mentawai Islands. They had a lot in common and quickly became good friends. Anthony and Kandui Resort also did a few events called the “Wave of Compassion” to help Surf Aid.
It was Andrew Griffith’s friend Mike Lukas that Andrew also met on a surf trip, but this time in Mexico, who discovered Vunabaka. Mike called Andrew and Andrew called Anthony and a partnership was formed to create “the ultimate waterman’s paradise.”
As with many things in life, it required total commitment. “We took a giant leap of faith and went all in,” said Anthony. Sounds familiar, right?
The second time around is a little different, though. They’ve had the opportunity to learn from their previous mistakes – but the pressure is on. “I think the main difference is the stakes have gone up,” Anthony said. “When we started Kandui, we wanted to create the best surf resort in the world in the best location in the world but our resources were limited. With Vunabaka, it feels like a repeat of my experience at Kandui… except this time, it’s on an entirely different level of passion, commitment and financial obligations.”
Vunabaka isn’t strictly a surf business. Far from it, in fact. Although it’s just a short boat ride away from world class waves, it’s on a different level than Kandui. “We have built a state of the art marina on Malolo Island in Fiji,” Anthony explained. “We are building a small community of private homes and a boutique resort called the Island Grace which will manage and oversee the entire Vunabaka development. It is not a surf-oriented endeavor, but it is located only fifteen minutes by boat from the best waves in Fiji like Cloudbreak and Restaurants.”
Between Kandui and Vunabaka, Anthony has managed to spread his passions out in some of the most beautiful locations on the planet. It’s a fact he’s well aware of – and one that he feels incredibly fortunate for. “It is a pretty amazing location. I’d like to think that between Kandui Resort and Vunabaka, I’ve covered the two best zones in the world for waves. Pretty lucky and fortunate.”
