Starlight – CURTIS LIGHT

Starlight on

Curtis Light

Pro surfer

June 14, 2025

With a name like that CURTIS LIGHT was destined to shine bright and make waves… although he prefers riding them.

Light is an upcoming star in the surfing world, starting at a young age in his country of birth Fiji and now representing Fiji on the world wide wave.

He made his debut at the International Surfing Association’s World Surfing Games in 2024, at the time saying his aim was to inspire more of his fellow Fijians to embrace surfing.

Something the Fiji Government also wants*.

As Fiji is a major surfing destination with some major comps being held there this year, including the Lexus WSL Finals, Fiji Surfer Curtis Light will be the one to spot.

Photographed by Dusk Devi Vision

1. What’s on a surfer’s playlist? 5 songs that best show current mood.

My surfer music playlist mainly consists of songs that lead me up to high voltage of surf-amps and allows me to visualise the best surfer version of myself.
‘Empathy’ by Crystal Castles / ‘Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggins / ‘Always Then’ by The KVB / ‘A Forest’ by The Cure / ‘Starstruck’ by Santigold

2. What was your favourite toy as a kid?
A rugby ball.

[Ed’s notes – Curtis is from Fiji. Fiji people are naturally good at Rugby.]

3. What’s the longest amount of time you’ve gone without sleeping? Why?

A whole night and 2 days! We were travelling to Puerto Rico from Fiji, 22 hours of flying time, and I couldn’t sleep at all as the seats were too small and I’m 6 ‘3.

4. What do you do when you’re not surfing?

When I’m not surfing (which is barely a day per week) I do small jobs here and there to make money for food and travel expenses.

5. What colour would you use to describe yourself?

I feel like I fit with the colour black as I style my clothing based on pure black attire, haha.

6. What’s the best gift you have received?

The best gift I received in my lifetime was purely based on the emotions I felt as I received the gift.

That crazy feeling of pure bliss and excitement in that moment when my mum and step-father bought me a Playstation 3 in 2010, or when my dad gave me a remote control car…

Times like this were what I lived for as a grommet.

[Ed’s notes – “grommet” – kid surfer; adopted from British naval terminology, the name for the lowest-ranking members of a ship’s crew, who were usually boys.]

7. If you could surf one spot for the rest of your life, where would that be?

Cloudbreak, Fiji. The wave is purely a work of nature and God’s gift to the Fijian people.

Watch Curtis ride Cloudbreak.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by curt_lightt (@curt_lightt)

8. What thing keeps you going on hard days?

Definitely focusing on solving problems that lead toward the goals I’m aiming for. That keeps me motivated and inspired when I’m feeling down.

9. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done (so far)?
Craziest thing I’ve done so far would have been running out of fuel outside the passage of Suva in a 10 foot tinny with my best friend in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. [Thanks for saving us mum -Sydel- and Bruce!]

10. What’s your idea of a perfect holiday?
Perfect holiday for a surfer is staying in a hotel that’s right next to an amazing wave.

11. If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?

My van, my surfboard, my boat, earphones and laptop.

12. Do you have tattoos? Do they mean anything? If you don’t have tattoos, would you ever get one?
I don’t have any tattoos yet and definitely want to get a few that resonate with my personality and have high quality print.

13. What’s your biggest indulgence?

Probably eating way too much sugar.

14. Name 1-3 book/s that had a major impact on you.
Stay Hard by David Goggins; Think Big and Kick Ass by Donald Trump and The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green.

15. Is there a movie you could watch over and over again?

I could watch ‘Superbad’ 1000 times.

16. If you could “plug in”and learn immediately, what subject would you take a super-crash course in?
Investing Strategies.

17. Would you rather fly a plane or be flown?
Definitely be flown – why work when you can “chill” and listen to music haha.

18. What do you want to be remembered for?
If someone just happens to think about me in the future, I hope they think of me as someone who took surfing to another level for Fiji.

19. How would your friends describe you?

Goofy!

20. THREE things you love about yourself…. and ONE thing you would change.

I love everything about myself and wouldn’t change a thing, unless it’s obviously traits that will help improve my well being.

STARLIGHT on CURTIS LIGHT

A proud Fiji flag bearer

@fijisurfer I love this country and the people 🌊 #fijitiktok🇫🇯 ♬ original sound - VT1S

Read more about Cloudbreak, Fiji here, excerpt below:

William Finnegan, the author of “Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life,” was one of the first surfers to witness Tavarua’s potential.

In his award-winning book, he recounts his first trip to the magic island in 1978.
“The fishermen who took us across from Nabila had never seen a surfboard before. They refused to believe that we rode waves on them,” wrote Finnegan.

Editor’s notes – Not quite true. It is a documented fact that surfing in Fiji predates European contact in the 1800s.

Evidence shows that Ancient Pacific Islanders, who became the Polynesians and Melanesians of today, were hanging ten in the 12th century.

*As per our TS28 COVER STORY, Fiji is more than just ‘Rugby, Drugby, Coconuts and Coups’. We covered the “more than” when TS soft-launched in Fiji in 2022 as the Fiji Stylander.

Read surf story here.

~THE STYLANDER~