Kitesoul Magazine #18 English Edition

62
KITESPOT
Pohnpei - Micronesia: a different perspective of a familiar place
Pohnpei’s splendor isn’t breaking news as it has had
strong features for many different aspects in a variety
of magazines around the world. However, its remote
location in the South Pacific leaves it a “not so easy”
destination for most to arrive at. Pohnpei is the second
to last stop on a 4-stop island-hoping itinerary from
Honolulu. It is the home of the famous wave located at
Paliker pass or simply known as “P-pass”.
I first visited this Micronesian island in 2009 for a trip
that I will never forget with an all-star crew made up
of Robby Naish, Mick Fanning, Dave Kalama, Stephane
Gilmore, Beau Young and Ben Wilson. I was surrounded
by my heroes (and more world titles than one can
imagine) leaving me star struck and overwhelmed by
the amount of talent in one place. I still question how I
got lucky enough to be included in that trip. But however
amazing that trip was it was just like almost every
other surf/kite trip I’ve done in the past, it was solely
about the wave and the sport rather than the location
itself.
We as surfers/kite surfers tend to get caught up in
the conditions rather than take the time to step back
to see what the destination itself has to offer. Robby
Naish once spoke of the irony of travelling the world
for 30 years, filling passport after passport but never
actually seeing anything. He spent 30 years competing
but never saw anything other than the beach. With today’s
weather forecast powered by a high pace society,
surfers/kite surfers are too focused on their travels
and finding the best conditions (which is great if that’s
all you value) rather than taking advantage of the full
potential that the destination has to offer.
Last March I was lucky enough to be invited on a trip