Surf’s Up

With a beer in his hand and three mates beside him, Wooly explained that he had traveled from Western Australia to Pohnpei as part of a 12-day surf holiday with the Pohnpei Surf Club, a newly established tourist organization that coordinates all-inclusive surf vacations in Pohnpei. This trip Wooly and his friends were joined by three professional American surfers and several photographers from Surf Magazine who had come to film them.

Australian surfer Rique Smith catches a wave in Pohnpei Photo: Allois Malfitani

As the story is told, staff from the famous Australian surf company Billabong came to Pohnpei three months earlier to photograph their team of elite professionals, and got such quality surf footage that they collected a year's worth of material.

When asked how he and his friends decided on Pohnpei for their surf vacation, Wooly says simply, "the videos don't lie." Having been featured in Australia's Tracks Magazine, Australian Surfing Life, and visited by professionals from Billabong to Rip Curl, Pohnpei is quickly developing a reputation as a world-class surf destination. Pohnpei for years has been trying to promote a niche market that would attract eco-tourism, only to find out that world-class waves break on the reef beyond Palikir. Chris Groark and Allois Malfitani started Pohnpei Surf Club in October of 2004, and have maintained a steady flow of tourists since then.

While their current capacity is nine guests, PSC provides full-time entertainment, from days spent on the water, to restaurants and nightlife in the evenings. "The surfers that come to Pohnpei are not the typical surfers you'd find in Hawaii or Bali," Groark explained. "Our clients usually have disposable incomes, can afford the airfare to come visit, and have the experience to surf these waves." Breaking on the barrier reef, Groark describes the Pohnpei surf as "waves of consequence."

Photo: Allois Malfitani

Malfitani noted that the quality of surfing is always dependent on the weather. "But when the water cooperates, the waves you catch are among the best anywhere in the world." "I'm six foot five," Groark added, "and I've been inside waves with my arms fully extended, without touching the top of the wave, right here in Pohnpei." And if the quality of Pohnpei's surf is its primary attraction, its remoteness ranks a close second. Popular surf spots in Hawaii and Bali may offer a higher frequency of waves to surf, but those waves are shared with hundreds of other surfers. Surfers in Pohnpei get world-class surfing, without the crowd.

Pohnpei's primary surf season runs with the trade winds, from October to May. If visitors to PSC aren't able to surf, their days are spent game fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, or exploring waterfalls.

"Most of us surfers have developed other hobbies," Wooly explained. "I do a lot of fishing when the water doesn't cooperate."

Allois Malfitani and Chris Groark, owners of the Pohnpei Surf Club Photo: Allois Malfitani

While Wooly and his friends were in Pohnpei, the water wasn't cooperating. A steady wind had come in from the north, making it impossible to surf. Wooly had been spending his days free-diving, fishing, and hiking to waterfalls.

"This happens everywhere," he said, "dealing with the weather is just a part of being a surfer. We've had a great vacation; the diving and fishing have been amazing."

Besides, the weather wasn't a complete disappointment for Wooly. "I did catch one wave while I was here, on my second day. It was the best wave I've surfed in the past six months." And Wooly surfs every weekend.

Visit: www.pohnpeisurfclub.com/ or email: jcgroark@yahoo.com