Big news out of Papua New Guinea this week.

No, not the Pope rocking up in Vanimo, or the imminent (and welcome) inclusion of PNG in the National Rugby League - it's bigger than both of those matters. Andy Abel, the godfather of surfing in Papua New Guinea, has been awarded an Order of the British Empire by King Charles.

For those who don't keep up with aristocratic titles, that's one level below a Knight and makes Andy an Ordinary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order.

Obviously the news warrants further enquiry, not just to explain how this happened, but also because those north swells are approaching and select Aussie surfers are once again thinking of PNG's verdant coastline.

Swellnet: Congratulations on the King's Birthday Honour, Andy. When did you find out about it?
Andy Abel: I heard about it from my son Cheyenne who was reading The National newspaper. It also was on EMTV National News, and family and friends messaged me on Whatsapp.

I subsequently received notice from the London Gazette confirming it was real.

I will be travelling to London in November to receive the CBE from his Majesty King Charles at Buckingham Palace with a number of other Papua New Guineans, both civilian and military, also receiving awards.

Andy behind the lectern preaching the gospel of surf (EMTV Online)

And what specifically is it for? 
I was awarded by His Majesty for 35 years of voluntary service. That being the establishment of the PNG surf tourism industry underpinned by my Abel Reverse Spiral Model.* 

The award was also for the new Pink Nose Revolution** policy created in response to the documentary 'Splinters' that was shot in Vanimo, West Sepik Province and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

The letters after your name are stacking up.
Yes, in 2007 I was awarded the Member of the Logohu award [ML] for twenty years of voluntary service, and in 2023 I was awarded the Companion of the Star of Melanesia award [CSM].

So how do we address you now? Commander Abel..?
Just call me Andy....nothing has changed.

North of Ulingan Bay (World Surfaris)

You created the Surfing Association of Papua New Guinea (SAPNG) decades ago. Has the association remained true to your original vision of sustainable tourism and returning money to locals?
I founded the SAPNG 35 years ago with a group of local and expat surfers. We wrote the constitution with help of our then-secretary Mr Michael Wright who is now a barrister in Sydney - we have remained surf friends since. The association has remained true to the objectives of the Constitution and more significantly remained true to the directives of the Preamble of the PNG National Constitution that my late father, Sir Cecel Abel, KBE,OBE, a member of the famous 'Bully Beef Club', had a hand in writing.

The Preamble has been my guide and it has enabled me to create and implement policies that are not only consistent with PNG law, but also resonate with our key stakeholders in the surf tourism industry. In particular, our traditional resource custodian host communities, who are the gate-keepers of our surfing resource. Keep in mind 97% of Papua New Guinea's land mass and out to three nautical miles of fringing reefs is traditionally-owned.

When you include the custodians in every facet of the development of the surfing resource you eliminate any problems. I learned a lot from the 1989 Bougainville crisis where the Bougainville Revolutionary Army shut down the Bougainville Copper mine which cost PNG 40% of its GDP and 20,000 lives were lost on both sides. The mine has remained closed since.

At the time I was on the Sunshine Coast doing my senior high school and learning how to surf. Yet the events on Bougainville were a major wake up call for me. It was the catalyst to come back and implement the policies I created, that now 35 years on underpin the surf management plans ensuring equitable and sustainable benefits for the traditional custodians.

Importantly, the policies are not subject to political or bureaucratic interference as they were created by me, a Papua New Guinean, for our people, and not a foreign-based policy or law imposed on us.

(PNG Explorer)

As surfing becomes more popular, has the board looked at raising the number of surfers allowed into Papua New Guinea?
Very good question...the association and our commercial operators on the ground have carried out surveys with inbound surfers, plus consultated with our host communities, and the outcome was simple: maintain the Surf Management Plan (SMP) quota numbers but increase the levies which stand now at AUD $15 per surfer per day.

This was the overwhelming feedback. Visiting surfers have come to appreciate that PNG is not set up for mass tourism like Bali, for example, and it gives them a quality surf experience without all the drop-in issues with crowded line-ups.

By regulating the surfers within the defined SMP areas - there are now seven - we ensure an uncrowded surf experience for all inbound surfers, and in exchange surfers know their money will empower the host communities to develop their respective communities the way they feel is best.

How are the levies distributed to custodians?
At the end of each season, a portion of the accumulated levies are paid out in direct cash payment to respective clans who own the surf breaks, and a mandatory 20% of funds are set aside in a community trust fund for designated community projects which SAPNG administers. We ensure transparency and accountability to the community we have engaged with - it's a win-win for all!

For surfers who’ve never been to PNG, are they required to stay at associated surf camps? Can surfers, say, hire a car or van and travel around by themselves?
Another good question...PNG is a free country and inbound surfers are at liberty to travel around on a tourist visa at their own risk. The last 35 years I have spent travelling around PNG, surfing new breaks, engaging with our traditional custodians, and setting up the designated SMP areas with the collective permission of the host communities. This is to ensure that any inbound surfer wishing to surf these known SMP areas can stay in an established SAPNG-registered surf lodge and they can surf knowing all the protocols for access to the breaks are approved.

Should a visiting surfer wish to venture outside these defined SMP areas, and should any trouble come about from traditional resource custodians, then it is the sole responsibiliy of that surfer or group.

The important thing to remember is respect.

If you are going into someone's yard, you must ask permission first. Traditional land in PNG is communally owned and thus it needs consent of the family or clan or community to give permission to access a surf break. This is why it has taken me 35 years and lot of patience to achieve to implement SMP's around around PNG and Bougainville.

(PNG Explorer)

Have you done much traveling to PNG’s outer islands? Is there a chance that camps may open further afield?
Five years ago I was invited by the Speaker of the Bougainville Parliament to visit Bougainville. I gave a three-hour PowerPoint presentation to the full house of the Bougainville parliament. After receiving the parliament's blessing, I then proceeded to conduct five comprehensive consultation meetings with the traditional resource custodians of Central Bougainville and Pok Pok island.

In 2023, the SAPNG ratified the first SAPNG Pirung SMP area in Central Bougainville on Pokpok Island. Uruna Bay Retreat, which is owned and run by Ms Laurelle Pentanu and family, are now the hosts of the new SAPNG surf accomodation site and are open for this 2024/25 surf season. You can contact World Surfaris for bookings.

I am now looking at potential new sites on other outer islands subject to invitation from the traditional resource custodians.

Thanks Andy and congratulations on the new title.
Thank you for the support.

//STU NETTLE

*The Abel Reverse Spiral Model is a method of sustainable tourism shaped by traditional PNG culture. It's name comes from the principle that influence must ‘spiral up’ from host communities, rather than ‘spiral down’ from external stakeholders such as business and government agencies.
**The Pink Nose Revolution is Andy's most recent initiative, the plans being to, in Andy's words, "educate the young and reform the old in combatting Gender Based Violence through sports." It was launched at the inaugural 2017 PNG Kumul World Longboard Championship which SAPNG staged with the WSL at Tupira Surf Club. It's now the focus of academic research and a second documentary being shot called 'The Pink Nose Revolution'.