RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Slowman wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:17 am

andy2476 wrote:Great posts slow man, those sort of trips are great fun for sure. It's great you can appreciate the locals too,

But it's seems a hell of a lot of hassle to surf a 1/3 of box head.

Obviously all the other stuff adds. He'll blokes do that trip just to catch fish.

Yes you can find local waves just as good if not better but rarely as uncrowded. Like you say though Andy2476 the "other stuff" adds. For me the travel factor adds that extra element of novelty/stoke to any wave I find. For me it makes an average wave a good wave, or put another way a good experience or good surf, surfing an average wave. At home it's just an average experience punctuated with thoughts about all that other stuff like getting home in time to get the kids off to soccer, getting the garage door fixed, mowing lawns and all that other minutae of ordinary life. The getaway factor helps clear the mind (of the problems of the first world) at least while away. Anyway, if we'd got Long Longs working I think that would possibly surpass anything much I've surfed back home 300-400m they say when it works! Imagine Greenmount breaking all the way to Kirra and getting barrelled on the Kirra section. Greenmount itself was a long wave when I surfed it years ago.

The other thing I wanted to say about PNG is the SAPNG surf management plan http://www.sapng.com/surf-management-plan under Niugini customary law the reefs are owned by the local tribe and so access needs to arranged. The plan purports among other things to keep a limit on surf numbers. For the time being I can see this working. At the moment it seems to work in favour of the camp and tour operators providing almost exclusive access, the way Fiji used to work. However as more and more locals take up surfing just like Fiji I can't see it continuing forever. For the moment though there are uncrowded waves. Our boat guides all surfed and some of them are quite good. For the time being their job apparently is to let us have any wave we want even if that means us dropping in on them. I for one couldn't and didn't, not after the way they put us into some of the waves and gave us all the secrets about where to sit and what to look for. Besides to some extent I pride myself and being able to fend for myself in any line up (well those I choose to paddle out in).

One of the guests had a word to one our guides that was getting a bit too excited and taking some good sets, the bugger had also dropped in a couple of times too so it was warranted but the trigger was when he didn't give the guest this one wave and took off inside. The guide was expected to just bail. I find that a hard call to make or exploit, for lots of reasons I guess. While the guide did tone it down I bet he was saying "ipskin" under his breath. I don't want to feel like some kind of over privileged tourist, besides I think for the long term it might create a bit of resentment, but where do you draw the line? It wouldn't matter that the ethnic background of the guide is irrelevant but I don't think that is how it would be perceived up here. We did come across one white guide on our return flight, he had come from Lissenung Island and was going home for a break, but generally the guides from what I have seen are locals. So it could easily be seen in terms of us and them. I suppose regardless of their backgrounds the guides at any surf resort have to share the waves around. You certainly don't want guides that snake and use their local knowledge to take every good wave leaving the guests with none. That won't do the business much good. I guess like all things there is a balance and when it is right it works for everyone. I actually enjoyed them sharing the lineup with us and taking turns just like the rest of us. What has been the experience of others?

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 14, 2017 9:56 am

Watch Splinters on Netflix. It's a really interesting doco about surfing in Papua. Pretty heavy in parts.

JET01 wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:40 am

SP lager is literally the worst i’ve tasted in the world (after 12 years in the navy, i’ve had a few shit beers). Go the export variety and make sure you drink it quick while it’s cold.