Tupira exceeds expectations

Hi All,
                 Just got this e-mail from Sean, one of Alinda’s clients, who has recently returned from Tupira Surf Club – PNG. By the sounds of the e-mail Tupira far exceeded his expectations and we couldn’t be happier, if your chasing your own PNG experiences and you don’t mind forgoing a few creature comforts than Tupira is perfect and comes in well under budget.

Hi Alinda,

      Thank you so much for organising my trip to Tupira in PNG. What an amazing experience. The waves were fun, but formed only part of what was an experience that I will never forget. The swell got up to about 4ft, clean mornings and afternoons, however, you can pretty much surf all day, even if it is a bit windy (think NE wind swell in summer, if I could surf onshore Tupira I know which one I would choose). I surfed 3 times a day for about 2hrs a session up until the last day. Tupira has soooooo much potential. A really fun right, with a few shallow sections. I took booties, hated them and took them off after 15 minutes. Artie(local surf guide) showed us a keyhole in the reef to get in and out that was mostly sand. Be advised though, the reef is shallow and very very sharp in parts, so I reckon bring booties and see how you go. I would Love to see this place with a solid overhead swell pouring through it. The numbers in the camp are also capped at 10 so crowds are not an issue. There are a heap of other things to do as well. You can organise fishing (good idea to bring your own gear), a walk in the village (a highlight for me) or just hang out and annoy Jamo (:-)

The camp itself is basic, if you are after the 4 star experience it may not be for you. Having said that, I absolutely loved the place. The camp is clean. The food is good, lots of fresh fruit (go the paw paw in lime) we had a beautiful big tuna one night and the option exists if you want to buy a pig and have it cooked by the locals. I never went hungry once. The local people are what makes this place so special. Friendliest locals I have ever met. Sheer surf stoke and it rubs off. It is a rare place where the local surfers constantly call you into waves and then hoot you all the way down the line (they also crack up when you fall off). The kids are amazing, my favourite part of the day was watching the army of groms come down on bits and pieces of foam and fibreglass. They go nuts, their enthusiasm is such that you can’t help being drawn in. These people have very little compared to us and yet they are so happy and friendly, there are a few lessons to  be learned in PNG.

A quick word on the crew. Jamo is an absolute legend. Helpful, friendly and positive he is in it for the long haul and has really connected with the locals. I also had the privilege of meeting up with Andrew Abel. I went to school with Andrew and have not seen him since. It was great to reconnect, the guy is an inspiration in what he has done for surfing in PNG (he also shreds btw). Artie the surf guide gave us good advice and some wonderful stories of what life in PNG is like. we also met Chief Justice Kirawan who is the patron of the surf club and one of the most down to earth and friendly people you are ever likely to meet. Isadore(who I called Esito for the whole week, sorry buddy) looked after us so well and entertained us with 101 stories of what it is like to be a PNG local. Terrance the biggest smiling barman ever, the kitchen ladies, the cleaning ladies, the local groms, the list goes on. Not one person I met was unfriendly, everone was  sincerely welcoming and stoked seeing us enjoy ourselves. I have been on trips where I have scored better waves, but this was one of the best surf trips I have ever been on. I came back to Oz pretty humbled by what I experienced. I am looking forward to going back, PNG you got me.

I have attached a few pics.

Cheers and thanks,

Sean