The Pomene experience

The Pomene experience has to be the most ‘out there’ experience we have on our roster, and maybe more so on this particular visit than any other. With Africa being as vast as it is, we headed into an area of Mozambique with pretty much no infrastructure outside of what your accommodation provides. So we’re talking no electricity, no fresh water supply, no food markets, no signal and no roads.. We were really in the sticks on this one.

You’re probably thinking “why would you go there?” To which I say “Well why wouldn’t you?’ When we called it a Surfari we weren’t kidding and what makes surf travel different to conventional travel is what Rip Curl so aptly phrased as ‘The Search‘, that desire to find something more that may or may not be there, the dream that is finding a perfect wave in unchartered territory, a sense of self and geographic discovery that can leave you fulfilled and inspired, setting in place a hunger and lust for life outside of everything you’ve ever known, connecting and binding you irrevocably to this planet we call home.. or maybe thats just the way I feel about it?

The ruins of a colonial past amidst natures perfection

The reason I said our trip here this time was more ‘out there’ to any past experience there was because there were a few more elements at play that left all we did know about the location in uncertainty. Things like the very limited accommodation available, the concern about the damage and ruin the cyclone that had passed through only a few weeks prior may have left, the quality of the swell and the sand banks. We spoke to our sources and gathered enough information to take a calculated risk and head there. So we packed the 4×4’s and hit the road. Now Pomene isn’t too far from Tofo, only a couple of hours actually, but it is the last 50km of bush road that really sets the tone for where you’re headed, I remember my first time down that road wondering what awaited me at the end.

So we arrived at Pomene Lodge, the only venue able to host our numbers. Upon enquiry prior to our arrival we were lead to believe that all was well after the cyclone and that it was well suited to host us, we had stayed there on many occasions before and had no reason to doubt it, a little fib that left us in a bit of bother ( I guess they really wanted the business given recent events). The pool was green and unusable, the roofs on our chalets leaked into the rooms during days worth of rain and we had to make a few missions in the area to gather some extra food and water supplies. It wasn’t the end of the world, basically the comforts we had become accustomed to were compromised and writing it now I feel a bit silly, I mean look at where we were.. In the middle of nowhere, a nowhere more beautiful than most nowhere’s and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Waves wise we had the most fun 2ft glassy offshore for our whole stay, there was a big swell predicted in which we expected to see the point firing on all cylinders but unfortunately the direction was too south and we had to watch it go by on the horizon instead. This in many ways was a blessing as a swell that size would have meant only a handful of us could have surfed as the intensity would have been too much for most (if not all).

A fun angle of Galen on a left

The point offered incredibly long rides especially for those on the bigger boards, the shortboarders had to be more refined in their technique with less margin for error to really maximise their length of ride and to build speed to sink their rail into a few carves. The person who scored the most had to be Jenny who is a longboarder but knows her way around on a shorter craft too. Filming from the beach I watched her on countless rides that seemed to go on forever, watching her work on her cross-stepping and progressing with every attempt, eventually, she figured it out, grinning whilst riding I’m3 sure.

The safety and comfort in a line-up like this with perfect weather, miles of space, warm crystal clear water and fun playful waves made it enjoyable for everybody, some even showing some late progression to end off the trip on a high note.

Evenings in Pomene are a special time, especially at Pomene Lodge where the sunsets over the water and you can watch it from the comfort of your chalet. Overall it was an awesome experience in Pomene, things didn’t go exactly to plan but that’s all part of the adventure, I’m sure our time here will be amongst some of the fondest memories for everybody. We were a great bunch of people and after all, it’s who you’re with that really matters, cheers guys!