http://koheisansurf.com/surftravel_micronesia2010.htm
Blog Blocked!
I have been getting around 50 junk blog entries a day trying to sell Viagra or other drugs from Russia so I have put a block to any entry on the blog.
I just got tiered of deleting all the entries everyday. If you would like to comment or post any thing please e-mail it to pscsurfclub@yahoo.com and I will post it.
Thank you and sorry! Allois.
Our Office.
Pohnpei from the sky.
My good friend and guest Ken Grieves gave me this picture. It looks like just a Google Earth picture but he did put a lot of work on it. Ken is a geophysicist. His job is to make maps. Here he did put a lot of Pohnpei pictures together in order to get the most clear image of Pohnpei.
He also printed me a 5 X 5 ft printed version that now hangs on the Halls of Fame at the Pohnpei Surf Club.
Thank’s Ken.
The Tsunami Day. February 28, 2010.
The lucky few. Tsunami Gang.
Tsunami Day. Pictures by Allois, Ken, Keola and the San Diego crew.
We had a ful house. All off them booked way in advance and their timming could not had been better.
.Australia, Hawaii, Brazil, Japan and the crew from San Diego. Waves for everyone.
The last week of February was clean and perfect. They not only got some of that but also a very fast developing storm that came out of no where.
It his smaller then predicted. This one came up saturday late in the evening. A few were surfing Main Pass and got smashed as the first sets marched in with 8 ft. PAlikir did start to show up with some 4 ft sets that evening.
On sunday I woke up at around 4:00am with wifes and friend of guests calling. The Tsunami Warning was on. As a business owner and responsible for all my guests safety I could not put everyone out there until things cleared. Once nothing serious happened in Hawaii it was on. Here are some pictures of the Tsunami day.
PS. These waves were not generated by the Tsunami but by a usual, regular north pacific low preassure system.
No Tsunami has hit Pohnpei in recent history or at all as we know. Last big natural disaster was a typhoon over 100 years ago.
Keola, Sol, Mike, Travis, Makoto, Bruce, Ken, Devin, Deon, Greg, Joe, Robert, Ryan, Franchesco. Thank you all for coming.
I am sure you have enjoyed your trip to Pohnpei. It wans’t like we stoped for a second without things to do. No time for fishing this time.
TSUNAMI WARNING FOR POHNPEI
Everything is OK here. If you have a friend or relative here do not worry.
All is good.
Incredible Week
Keola from Kauai. Tsunami day.
Steve. Tsunami day. All Tsunami day Pictures by Ken Grieves.
- Kembo. Saturday the 28th. More wind, more size. The Tsunami day.
- The swell forecast was showing a 12 seconds, 3 to 4 ft swell on monday. It held almost all week with moments like this. Guest Mark Boyle surfed a morning like this all by him self on his birthday. Could not ask for more. Others went surf the Main Pass most week which was twice as big and only two guys out.
On the 22nd, monday the winds went from 25 mph to this. The waves were fun all week and no one complained. Late saturday the surf came up. Here is steve on another one.
No pictures yet here but I will try to up load them later…if I have time. Too much surf. Since monday the winds died to almost nothing and the surf has been head high here and there everyday on the bigger sets. Half of our crew surfed a lot of Main Pass with bigger sets. Saturday the surf should build to around 10 ft and last all the way to tuesday. The Pacific is active and there are back to back lows sending us more swells. Looks like another nice one around THursday next week one or two days after this one dies out.
PMZ173-280500-
POHNPEI-
300 AM CHST SUN FEB 28 2010
…A HIGH SURF ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH SHORES…
SURF ALONG NORTH SHORES WILL REMAIN HAZARDOUS AT 8 TO 10 FEET FOR
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.
AVOID VENTURING NEAR EXPOSED REEFS AND BEACHES…ESPECIALLY ALONG
NORTH SHORES…AS RIP CURRENTS WILL BE LIFE THREATENING.
It is going to PUMP.
This one could be crazy. Winds forecasted as south to light and variables.
A low preassure system developing really fast thursday will be sending us a nice 6 ft NNE swell. The same system is pulling winds from the south which means…straight off shores.
Today the surf is head high. Our only guest out this morning, Mark came is calling it one of the best sessions of his life. Head high sets, light off shores and absolutley NO ONE BUT HIM in the water. Swell is supposed to hit around Saturday, 27 or 28 of November. Surf this week will be around 2 to 5 ft and nice winds. Flights leaving Hawaii and Australia on friday will make it here just in time.
UP DATE 02/24/2010. SWELL UP GRADED TO 13 FT AND 13.5 SECONDS. PERIOD.
Late Season…
The Pacific is taking a break after almost 6 month of non stop surfing action in Pohnpei. That is expected. Based on previous experience late season activity on the north pacific will be back soon. Late season has delevered tons of good waves during the last 5 years. We expect the same for this year March and April.
There is Chris again on a late season gem sometime around late March, early April 2009.
Where the Hell is Pohnpei ?
“Near Guam” I’d reply. “Halfway between Hawaii and the Philippines” was another angle I’d try. Flashe of recognition were mostly imagined. There’s no denying that on the shaft of global significance, Pohnpei is a wayward pube.
Two hundred mile an hour jet-streams off Japan were triggering oversized swells for Hawaii and the West Coast of the U.S. As these storms stalled west of the dateline or drifted south, vigorous lines of swell tracked straight into the many atolls and passes of Micronesia.
Flying into the region your head spins with the potential. Atolls sprout out of the ocean like pimples. Reefs bend and weave around, occasionally cracked by a deep pass.
The first thing that hit me was the humidity. The second thing that hit me was the humidity. Mercifully the afternoon boat trip left as soon as I shoved my fins in my surprisingly intact board. As expected I arrived at the end of a swell, the lads content to cruise for Wahoo and drink beer. A pleasing alternative, I’d yet discover.
With another Aussie as an ally I plunged into the bath like 29 degree water doing little to rejuvenate the senses, watching 2 footers bend majestically across the reef however….
Pohnpei Surf Club sits on the Nanipil River some 20 minute ride from P-pass. With a few days before the next swell it was time to relax in the very comfortable surrounds of P.S.C and eat alarmingly cheap seafood. One dollar beers did little to endorse moderation.
When the swell filled in it was on.
At 4- 6 foot on low tide the inside section is hungry, waiting to introduce you to the reef. At mid tide with plenty of north in the swell and winds under 10 knots, this wave is perfect. Not overly steep drops, the first section often lets you slip under her lip.
After a few sessions to get wired, the pass reveals it’s beauty; a sweet spot on the reef that invites you to slow down and backdoor, whipping you through the inside bowl. I defy any surfer to not fall in love with this wave; the surrender of skin an honour.
Other spots we checked were less favourable in the trade wind conditions than P-Pass but as Allois, the owner of P.S.C knows, there is a wave working on Pohnpei every day of the year.
While initially skeptical of the calibre of the nocturnal activities, it proved somewhat different.
As an emerging economy Pohnpei is host to several volunteer organizations providing assistance from teaching to environmental programs. The majority of these were young people looking for an adventure. Circumstances favourable to merrymaking.
To recoil at the taste and texture of the local brew Sakau, is reasonable; the narcotic effects less explicable.
After a week of waves some island exploring was warranted. The 1200yr old ruins of Nan Madol are as mystifying as they are grand. Little is known about the civilization that lived in the canal city. The chilled waterfalls on the island are a gift to the sun burnt.
An hour’s boat ride from P.S.C is Ant Atoll. Snorkeling here is world class with visibility to 300ft and coral walls and caves to explore. Whatever is caught on the ride over is barbecued on the beach for lunch. Coconut crabs are also found on the island.
A commendable effort by Allois, Captain Steve, Ian, Jerry, Sir Elton and all the staff at P.S.C on a remarkable stay.
All surf shots courtesy of Ian Powell
Words by Paul Johns (that is me, the guy on the blue rashie).
New Wave Number 18. West Pass.
This wave is located on the west side of Pohnpei. It is not a wave you will ride at any swell. It took me a few jet ski rides there on some not so big day to finally score it. Next time a giant swell hit, and some don’t want to deal with the bombs we will head down there again. The wave is a perfect right. The pictures I shot here dont look like much (they were shot with my little pocket camera). Ted Grambeau will send me some later and I will ad them to this post. Trades winds and even strong north winds are straight off shoren here.
JAson Moon was the first one to jump in and catch a wave.
It looked at lot better in person. All pictures shot with my crappy pocket camera...
The inside bowl.
Comment:
Hi Allois and the crew, i am still pumped whenever i look at the photos of this wave. Thanks for giving me the oportunity to surf out there!! I still can’t believe no one beat me into the water. I would come back just to surf this wave it was that good!!
Hanging to see Grambeau’s photos.
Cheers,
Jase Moon