Season-October through April.
Off Season-September and May but it can also produce good surf.
Month of July, August and September can be fun with usually really nice weather and winds.
Reefs-Palikir is the most user friendly reef on the island. Most other waves get shallower then Palikir. Just be careful with the extreme low tides.
Currents-Most waves do not have strong currents. Sometimes during tide changes or extreme tides there might be currents that will last for one hour and then calm down again.
Tides-The biggest tides in the year are around 5 ft. Most tides move around 3 ft.
On an average day Palikir can be surfed at any tide. No waiting like in Indonesia for the wind to kick in or for the tide to fill.
Surf Check-All waves in Pohnpei are located on the barrier reef. You will need a boat.
It is hard and far to check the surf from the main island of Pohnpei.
The only places where you can check Palikir is from the top of mountains and you will be around 5 miles away from the break. I did live on one of those hills looking right into the pass years ago. You could tell if there were waves but it is hard to tell if the surf is 1 to 3, 3 to 5 or 6 to 10 feet. A really nice place to check Palikir is from the top os Sohkes Ridge. One of the most beautiful views you can get in Pohnpei. From up there you can see all the north side, some of the east side and outer atolls of Ant and Pakin.
There are places past Palikir going west where you can check the surf from land, but with very little access if you are willing to take the long dirt road ride.
From the roads or coastline there is no easy place to check Palikir.
You can check the north reefs and the Middle Pass located between Main Pass and Light House from across the street from Cliff Rainbow, South Park or Ocean View Hotel. Most think they are looking at Main Pass but it is actually the Middle Pass.
From Misko Beach near the airport you can see the Middle Pass and Main Pass really well but from around a mile and a half away.
At Nahlap you can look at the wave just by walking around the island. From Nahlap you can also check if there is any white water on the reefs to the SE. Also from the Village you can check the first pass on the east side (NE side). From The Village you can also check the lefts at the Light House, Middle Pass and all the way to the Main Pass.
Again, when you are checking the surf from land in Pohnpei you will always be looking from one to five miles away, mostly trying to see if there is any white water on the reef.
At the Pohnpei Surf Club we know where to go at any given day so there is never a need to go up any mountain or take unnecessary boat ride to where there is no surf.
We do have spotters in different parts of the island and even on other island to compare surf reports, not to mention the Jet Ski.
One thing is for sure. When it is pumping, it is pumping and it’s wake up, breakfast and go.
Boat Rides-Easy! Timed and GPS boat trips to Palikir around 15 to 20 minutes depending on weather. Just the other day I timed our trip during a complete surf check from PSC to the Light House, then to the Middle Pass, then the Main Pass and to Palikir in 33 minutes and then back to where we started (should had stayed there to start with) in 50 minutes.
We are located on the middle of the north side. From where we leave dock we go by a few different waves everyday knowing the conditions of every pass before getting to P-Pass. Being in the middle of the north side makes it easy to access the east and south sides.
Boat Food-There is a good take out menu at PCR, plus breakfast and the usual Chocolate chip cookies, bananas, coconuts, water and what ever we put in the boat as snacks.
Swells-Micronesia gets lots of swells and this year I have surfed more new waves them all the other years I have spend here all together.
We do not get as much swell as Hawaii or Indo and a lot more then the Philippines.
I would say we get as much swell as Fiji or Tahiti.
Winds-For some reason people think Pohnpei is windy. We do get around 2 month a year of gusty trades. Last season we had winds on and off, more off I would say since March until today, September!
We get a lot less winds then Hawaii, Marshall Islands or Fiji.
Swells-Most swells that hit Pohnpei with 3 to 5 ft, I would say a dozen a season from 6+, and a few more on the 8 ft + range.
Six ft here means power.
Every pass in Pohnpei has it’s day. The question is knowing when to be there. We know.

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

Swell Pattern has been small but consistent.
Last week we had around 4 days of overhead surf. This week, Monday and Tuesday (16 and 17 of March)we had two days of 6 ft barrels. The wind was a little side on but the wave still kept the shape and stand up barrels and power it was.
Storm pattern is still holding solid.
One day nothing, next day two lows to develop late this week and into next week. Surf could range from 3 to 5 or bigger.
Let’s keep our eyes open for this one.
In the mean time, the fish has been biting like never.

Pohnpei Surf Club team just won the March Pohnpei Fishing Club Tournament with a 158 lbs marlin, the 5th one hooked up on our boat in two weeks. Plus, there is lot’s of mahi’s, ono’s and tunas in the area.

BBC/DIscovery Channel co-production South Pacific to be released in London May/17/2009.

These are the same people that made that great show Planet Earth. The main difference, this one is all about the tropics on the Pacific Ocean. The opening sequence is of our return guest Dylan Longbottom inside the barrel at P-Pass shot by Bali Strickland with the BBC/Discovery Channel camera shooting 1000 frames per second. You will have to see the footage to understand what we are talking about. INCREDIBLE.

Off all the crew present on the day that footage was shot said it was one of the most amazing barrel shots they had ever seen, and when we are talking about the Dylan’s and Jamie’s you know it must be good.

The Pohnpei Surf Club also scored the Making Off the Pohnpei Section on the DVD called Diaries about how they got all the images after two trips to Pohnpei hosted by PSC.

The Diaries/Making Off the Pohnpei section of the DVD should be up on You Tube soon. We will let you know.
In the mean time, late season and uncrowded conditions….

Allois

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This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.

Allois

This post comes from World Surfaris, the leading adventure surfing holidays company. Want to Surf Maldives or Surf Indonesia then talk to us.