P-Pass, or Palikir Pass, is a right-hand reef break that has become the star of the Western Pacific. When the forecast lines up, it can churn out impossibly perfect right-hand pits, and that reputation draws pros and chargers to this remote island. The wave breaks over dead coral out on the barrier reef, serving up late take-offs, fast down-the-line walls, and hollow barrels.
When It Works
P-Pass draws swell from west through north to northeast, with north the direction to hope for. A straight north swell avoids the close-outs you get from the northwest and the reef-missing angle that comes in from the northeast. It works from 0.6 m / 2 ft to 3.7 m / 12 ft. Up to around 4 ft the wave stays user-friendly and fun, but once the surf gets bigger things turn serious in a hurry. Smaller high-tide days give intermediates fun, consistent, head-high sessions, while the rare double-overhead, super-sucky days are strictly expert territory.
Wind and Tide
The rights are best with no wind at all or light northeast to east trades, which blow dead east offshore as the swell lines wrap around the reef. You can surf it at any tide, with a rising tide generally the better call, though it gets very shallow on a full low.
Local Tips
This is an expert-level wave when it stands up, so pick your day. The bigger it gets, the more it demands, but there is fun to be had for intermediates on the smaller, head-high sessions.
Access
Getting out here is boat access only, and it is always shallow on the inside. Plan on about a 20-minute boat ride from Kolonia.
