PNG Surf Report and Forecast: February – March 2024
Papua New Guinea surf trip report and forecast by Chris Buykx
2024 will be remembered as a standout season for the surfing regions of PNG, with a once in a decade swell event just one highlight amongst consistent solid swell trains from both the North and North East.
As discussed in the January Forecast, a very major swell was forecast to peak around 22nd January 2024. Turns out Nathan Florence was also watching that swell and took John John on a strike mission to the Solomon Islands. Check the crazy peak of the swell here:
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At the same time, surfers at Nusa Island Retreat in the North-East of PNG were scoring, and while it’s rare to see surf pics from this region, Dave Lane was on the spot when Nago Rights was on the pump:
Nago Rights doesnt look like this often! Pic Dave Lane
Nago Rights needs a solid swell for waves like this! Pic Dave Lane
The fun continued in to February as a series of North groundswells and solid pulses of NE tradeswells offered non-stop waves. Rubio Retreat was well placed to make the most of the swells as many different breaks facing from north around to ESE ensured that prevailing WNW winds were offshore somewhere.
I was lucky to spend a week surfing a Rubio with a bunch of mates from Sydney’s Northern Beaches and rated it as one of the best surf trips yet.
We surfed 3 times a day every day and every surf was good to great. Ranging from head high to well overhead, we scored many sessions out front at Rubio, the long left walls of Slipperies and bowls at Loggers, hollow A-frames at Kanons and long point style rights at Bulu.
As we were the only surfers and often split up, we all scored many sessions in great waves with only one or two others spread over the lineup. In fact, many sessions were solo as surfers took turns to rest and refuel, leaving our mates in the water to pick off the best set waves on their own.
Chris at Bulu near Rubio Retreat
After non-stop mid-sized NE swell in the first 2 weeks of February, the trade swell muscled up for the 18th – 20th Feb, pulsing at 1.8m – 2.0m @ 12-14 seconds from the NE. This was the result of a tightening of the pressure gradients in the trade wind belt, creating a strong fetch over an active sea state.
Surfers at Nusa Island Retreat on 18th Feb were greeted with consistent double overhead waves groomed with light offshores; Nusa Left was the standout. There were no surf photographers around, so I grabbed a couple of shots between sessions just to show that PNG really pumps!
Loggers Left is named after the old logging wharf. With bowls like this, it’s not a wave for riding ‘Log’ style longboards.
Nusa Left – February 2024
Nusa Left – February 2024
Forecast for March 2024
The El–Nino to La-Nina transition is already happening in the Eastern Pacific, closer to the South American Continent, however, the Western Pacific is still in El Nino. This means strong storms pushing groundswells from the north and an enhanced tradewind belt send ENE – NE swells toward PNG.
The basic pattern of consistent, solid NE tradeswells and background N swells is set for the next few weeks from 8th March through to the end of the month. The NE swells are expected to push in to the solid range from 12th to 16th March; expect well-overhead waves across all the exposed breaks of New Ireland Province.
Papua New Guinea Surf Travel