Rising tides are destroying Vanimo’s surfing future

As 2025 comes to an end, the legendary coastline of Vanimo Village is being swallowed by the Pacific Ocean.

President of Sunset Surf Club, Steven Tekwie, is sounding a desperate alarm as rising sea levels destroy homes and the world-famous surfing heritage of West Sepik.

Tekwie has experienced the disaster firsthand.

"Global warming has been causing the rise in sea levels over the years. My own house was washed away by the waves,

"I had to demolish what was left and build a new house only 20 meters from the shore, just to survive." Tekwie shared

The destruction is not stopping at homes.

Tekwie reports that King Tides are tearing away the shoreline, leaving a critical Surf Judging tower on the brink of collapse. He warns that a solid wave breaker must be built immediately to save the structure.

He has also noticed a worrying change in the ocean itself as the waves are no longer forming the long, perfect walls they were once famous for. Instead, they are becoming shorter and unpredictable, making it nearly impossible to run professional surfing competitions.

The club president is now demanding a proper scientific study to understand the different currents hitting the shore.

"We need this study to build the best seawall based on real evidence,"

"Despite many appeals to the District and Provincial Governments, as well as responsible agencies, nothing has been done." He said.

The Sunset Surf Club is calling on the government to stop ignoring the crisis before the "Surfing Capital" of Papua New Guinea is lost to the sea forever.