About

If I were still surfing, I'd pack my bags and get out there every December and January.

Atmosphere:
Kragur is in an almost unbelievably picturesque setting, with the volcanic mountain/island rising behind it and the oceasn just below. As I say, I haven't surfed there, but I've been out fishing in outrigger canoes and had the pleasure of dwelling on the view of the village with the mountainlooming behind and the groves of coconuts surrounding it.

Charlie and the other surfers use wooden boards hand carved from timbers they cut themselves in the rain forest. When I was there last year I was able to watch master carver Stephen Umari carve a short board with integral twin fins from a raw hand-hewn plank in just a few hours with only an ase, a chisel, and a pocket knife.
With some advance notice (via Charlie) I think Mr. Umari could easily be persuaded to custom-carve a board for a visitor. A vistor with enough time could even help cut the tree for it.

I'm biased, but I think I can say without fear that Kragur people are incredibly hospitable. there are no commercial accomodationsin Kragur, but Charlie can arrange food and lodging with a local family for a very modest price. It's hot there, as in most of coastal PNG, but it cools off at night for good sleeping and there are very,very few mosquitoes. I sleep without a net, which may be a little daring, but I always wake up without any bites. The village gets its water from a rushing moutain stream that I've been drinking from for decades without mishap. There are also great places to bathe in the stream,some of them beneath small waterfalls.

if you want soemthing a little more polished than a family stay, there is a well-run local guest house in Shagur Village, just down the path from Kragur. It's called the Polen Guest House and here is its address:

Wolfy Kalem
c/o Polen Guest House
PO Box 817
Wewak, ESP
Papua New Guinea

Wewak, the jumping of place for Kairiru, can be a little gritty and it ain't romantic. But once you're on your way to Kairiru it's a whole different world.

Additional Info:
I've beencisting Kragur since the 1970s as a cultural anthropologist, and although I surfed regularly in Southern California many moons ago, I've never surfed in Kragur. I do know, from observation and from Charlie Numbos, that the waves break best in December and January just offshore from the village. Once you're in the village the waves are just down a trail to the beach (the village sites o a bluff above the beach)and tehn a short paddle. Chalie and the other surfers there will be very, very happy to show any visitors where to find the best waves and how to ride them.

Location

Access

You can get to Kragur Village, on the seaward side of Kairiru Island from Wewak by local boat in an hour or two, depending on how many horses the engine has. The only feasible access to Kragur is by boat - coming over this high volcanic mountain from the landward side of Kairiru isn't feasible with a surfboard.

You need to make advance arrangements for Kragur boat to pick you up. To do that, write to the president of the Kragur Surf Club:

Charlie Numbos
c/o Fr. Darius Wozniak
St. Martin's Parish
Kairiru Island
P.O. Box 107
Wewak, ESP
Papua New Guinea




Charlie Numbos

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