Yvon Chouinard told me about it. We were chatting about travel, eating sashimi and drinking beer astern a yacht in the Tuamotus. Founder of Patagonia, Chouinard had seen much of the tropics – surfing, sailing, exploring, bonefishing – but he hadn’t surfed the wave we discussed. “Somewhere I’ve always wanted to see,” he said. “Untouched nature, lots of reef passes, no surfers, good surf. All you need is a local fisherman to take you out.”
“Why haven’t you been there?”
“Probably because there aren’t any bonefish.”
Chuck Corbett of Tabuaeran, to where Chouinard once sailed, later confirmed the claim to me through email. A longtime merchantman and an expatriated American on his own atoll of idyll, Corbett had seen and surfed more Pacific obscurity than anyone.
“Would you like an…
