PNG Explorer

Fly into Kavieng, in the north eastern archipelago of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, and transfer straight onto the air-conditioned comfort of the Surf Charter ‘PNG Explorer’. This live-aboard boat is a 23m steel-hulled vessel, kitted out with all mod cons and safety gear. Cruising along at a comfortable 8-10 knots, the PNG Explorer and her crew will ensure you have the surf charter experience of a lifetime. Leaving Kavieng behind, your destination will be much further afield to the many islands and reefs still being explored for surf. There are many known breaks that you will visit but there are many more just waiting to be discovered.

Built to survey, the super seaworthy PNG Explorer provides air-conditioned comfort, a ‘must have’ in the tropical climate of Papua New Guinea. The large shaded deck space allows ample room for outdoor relaxing, dining and board storage. Not forgetting the amazing cuisine, ranging from locally caught shellfish and fish to locally reared beef, accompanied by a selection of Aussie beers and wines and the local favourite – SP!

Skippered by one of the best in the business, Andrew ‘undies’ Rigby will guide you around this beautiful part of the world he has called home since 2007. All his experience and knowledge of the region will be on show for 10 days.

Remote Surf Destinations
Expert Surf Guide
Exceptional Food
Great Fishing

Surfing

Written by Captain Andrew Rigby of PNG Surfaris
The surf season for our area of operation in Papua New Guinea is from late October to April.  This is taking advantage of the Northern Hemisphere swells coming from the northwest to northeast directions.  During this period the wind is predominately from the N/NW.  The surf generally ranges from 3-4ft; bigger swells see it at 5-6ft.  Here is a run down of just a few of the hidden gems up here… Jump aboard and we’ll take you there.

Senta Pass:  Extremely fast and hollow left. Goofy footers only, unless you really rip. One tube recorded at 11 seconds, followed by a trip to the Haus Sik (hospital). Get the picture?!!!

Malili:  A long and playful workable wall. It’s a mellower option on the larger days, and good for all abilities.

Vala Vala:  A right-hand reef pass close to shore, with a flat weed-covered reef, and a double bowl section.  Very consistent break – swell magnet for the area and a popular choice for all ability levels.

Korongai (The Slab):  A reef located in the entrance to a bay, which breaks best to the right. Extremely hollow in both directions, but only for 25 metres.  Paddle, pull in, grab the rail, then get spat out.  A 4 second ride that is a guaranteed cover-up and once you have it dialled, many ‘best barrel of my life’ moments will go down!

Naikasau (also known as Outer Kiddies):  A fast playful right, breaking off a beautiful point on an island.  Short and shallow, but not too fast, just a lot of fun.

Lovongai Right:  A peeling right-hander, up to a 100-yard ride, with a nice consistent wall, that just keeps pulling up in front of you… a very beautiful location.

Anselim’s Reef:  Not frequently surfed, but sheltered in an easterly wind.  Needs quite a bit of swell before it kicks in.  Outer island location.

Drain Pipe:  Needs solid swell, very hollow crazy right.  Excellent cover-up potential.

Two Trees:  It’s a very reliable, barreling right-hander with a few sections. Good for all abilities.

**There are many other waves not listed here. We are still discovering surf breaks all over PNG and nine times out of 10 we will find a wave surfable for the conditions we are presented. Be prepared to do a lot of surfing!

Non Surf Activities

Snorkelling:  Explore the reefy shallows and appreciate the diverse coral reef and colourful variety of tropical fish, crustaceans and anemones.

Fishing: Whether trawling as we steam in “PNG Explorer” or from the dory, there are plenty of fishing opportunities.  Our local crew will ensure you are taken to the best spots with a good chance of nailing that night’s dinner!

Culture:  Visit the islands, meet the locals, see where they live, worship and learn.  Be guided around their island, appreciate the tropical vegetation and enjoy a refreshing swim in the natural spring water holes.  Visit a secluded beach, home to many turtles.  Also see amazing cultural dances lit by fire torches.

Accommodation Details

The PNG Explorer has six spacious cabins set up as four twin berths and two single doubles, all maintained at a perfect temperature with a well thought out ventilation and air conditioning system.  Enjoy a hot shower in one of two separate shower rooms.  Spread out in the ‘house’ sized lounge hosting a large flat screen with DVD player and cranking sound system. Alternatively relax and read from a library of popular books and magazines.

The huge upper deck on the Explorer is a great spot for lounging on one of the many day beds.  It’s also the main dining area onboard, which is a perfect location for relaxing or watching the waves firing while you down a quick fix of carbs and protein.  Grab a drink from the well stocked icy cold beer fridges to help you chill.  The lower “surf” deck is perfectly designed and set up for a tropical surfer, consisting of well thought out surfboard racks capable of stocking up to 45 surf boards, an area to store your wax, sunscreen and zinc and an esky to keep your water bottle cool.  The large duckboard at water level is accompanied with aluminium dive ladder which boasts an underwater platform so you can easily access the mighty explorer even from the water.

To ensure fast and safe transfers to the breaks the PNG Explorer runs two high speed tenders (130HP). Both tenders have all the necessary safety equipment, alloy board racks and dive ladders for easy water to tender access. In what seems like overkill, the Explorer also operate two jet skis making it even easier to get between surf break, tender and the mothership. The jet skis are extremely useful and come in handy if you break a leash, need more sunscreen or you are simply too lazy to paddle back out after catching the wave of your life.

Dining

The Explorer have ties back to ‘Harvest restaurant’ in Byron Bay, who are known for their amazing food prepared by some of Australia’s best young chefs. Each dish is freshly made, inspired by local cuisine and suitable for Western tastes.  Any special dietary requests/allergies can be catered for… just let us know well in advance of departure.  The catering onboard comes from a modern galley with the lot!  Enjoy a latte along with your poached eggs for breakfast and later watch the sunset as you prepare to feast on fresh lobster or tender roast lamb.  The delicacies onboard will dazzle the tastebuds of the most discerning gourmet traveller.

Breakfast:  Experience PNG’s finest Gorokan coffee or choose from a variety of teas.  Fresh fruit smoothies or fresh fruit.  Toast and/or pancakes and a cooked breakfast of eggs and bacon will be provided on request and during more leisurely mornings.

Lunch:  A range of sandwiches and toasties, salads and omelettes will be available dependent on timings and your preferences.

Dinner:  Catch of the day – fish, lobster or mud crab or a selection of meat and vegetarian dishes.

Snacks:  Fresh fruit – sugar bananas, pineapples and paw paw in abundance. Sweet baked coconut and banana cupcakes and other popular local delicacies. “Sundowner” snacks of chips, peanuts, fresh sashimi, the skipper’s favourite fish bites … and many more.

Drinks:  Whether in the tender watching the final waves of the day or onboard “PNG Explorer” PNG’s local brew ‘SP’ will be flowing! In an attempt to minimise plastic in our oceans, the team from Explorer  will provide you with an aluminimum drink bottle to use throughout your stay. You can refill your bottle from the refill station located in the galley. Soft drinks are also readily available, stored in the eskies. Any other drinks for things like mixers can be requested prior to your trip and usually catered for.