Coastalsurvey

Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Barbados: have you seen it?
Date: 21 Aug 1997

I have been to Barbados 3 times and have scored excellent surf everytime, although I’ve gone in winter. Watch the weather map and hope for some L’s to form in the n.atlantic, get some of those north swells. If you do get a north, the north and west coasts are the place to be. Hit Duppies, but bring some serious gear, as it can get big. Also when surfing the out of the way places, leave nothing in the car and have the windows rolled down. Windows seem to get broken for a bar of wax.

As for Bathsheba, soup bowls, high rock, palors are all good, usaully better after the evening glass-off. In Bathsheba watch-out for the crack- rastas. Don’t let them try hustle you and watch your gear. Watch-out for a rasta named Frankie and one called Ozzie, they are bad news. If you get into trouble there (sheba) ask for Mr. Bostick, he’s a cool old man and will help you out. He’s usaully hangin’ by the church.

Hit Bridgetown for the nite-life, and drink plenty of Banks beer. Also, if your going to mess around, MAKE SURE you wear a condom. STD’s are rampant there, One of my buddies had to get many shots because of carelessness. Laters,
joe

Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Waves in Barbados?, Yes?, How big?
Date: Fri, 03 Nov 1995

I’m leaving dec.18th. to Barbados, shall I bring my board?

For sure take your board! You should find some super waves – east coast try soup bowls in Bathsheba (picks up almost any swell between Barbados and Africa) the north swells will make Duppies & Maycocks – maybe Tropicana good too and if you are really lucky the south coast can bring Brandons to life …. It’s a great time!!!! Lots of reefs … take two boards – one for juice & one regular. Take some ding repair kits too as resin is expensive and hard to find. — C. Holland

From: AL
Newsgroups: alt.surfing
Subject: Re: Who’s dialed into BARBADOS?????
Date: 19 Oct 1995

I will be in Barbados in the begining of January.  I will be staying in the South Point / Silver Sands area. I will also  have a car.  Has anyone surfed there before who can give me some tips or detail some  spots you have surfed there?

I am posting this story (long) to the group as it seems appropriate to share. It won’t relay much detail on spots but is more of a story of stoke and mahalo.

Went on my honeymoon back in Dec ’89 so the board came with. We stayed on the south east coast (Sam Lord’s Castle) . Limited exploration in the mini-moke (sort of like a stripped VW Thing except 3 out of 4 gears worked) up the east coast with the wife precluded extensive checks but we happened along a local named Steve. He appeared (6’3″, lean, brown hair) walking down the hill in his board shorts with a Hotline 6’6″ under his arm so I thought I had stumbled into another east coaster (VAB). That is until he started talking in an incredibly thick Bajan accent. I invited him in the moke (despite the look of terror on my wife’s face) and we proceded up the road.

He directed me down from the main road going north to Bathsheba to a narrow hairpin turned decent to the coast. When we arrived at the beach he asked if  ” you like hollow o no?”  With a little trepidation I said hollow although I’d never surfed anything but beachbreak and am not exactly an expert surfer. Got the little lady setup sunbathing (on rocks! she wasn’t too stoked.) with a small crowd of onlookers and followed Steve down the dropoff and up the coast a bit to check the right break. It was a mushy but powerful wave so we watched it for a few sets to stumble through some monosyllabic grunts and hand gestures as we compared boards, etc.

He walked up to the rock line where a coconut tree leaned over, took one off and broke it over an old railroad trestle support. So we’re sharing this fresh coconut watching the break and I’m feeling good. We decide to walk back over to the hollow break, a left. There wasn’t a particular ground swell while we were there but the trade winds keep something rideable most of the time. It was not particular the best “swell ” direction for this particular chunk of reef, lots of closeouts but it was still a couple overhead and _very_ hollow (should that read scary hollow?) So we watch it and I’m trying to dial in the take off spot and he says ” hey, I learn you the reef.” OK.

This break is in front of an abrupt 10 ft cliff where the storms have carved away the rock and has a bit of an amphitheater setup. There were some curious locals gathered to see if this guy who is whiter than white can ride or not, not to mention his scantily clad wife stretched out below.

So we paddle through the channel and drift into the break. As I said, all I’ve surfed is beachbreak so gauging where to be when the dark blue lump hits the reef was interesting. Not to mention that at that tide, there was about 3 ft of water in the impact zone. I paddled into a couple and slammed on the brakes as I looked at the schools of fish dart across the reef below me in Kodak clarity. Oh no. I’m going to have a mental block. He who hesitates leaves a permanent memento or worse. I get over to the shoulder and watch as Steve effortlessly slides into a well shaped one only to get pinched at the end. OK. I can do this. So I tentatively scratch into one way behind the peak with Steve yelling me on but straighten out. Wrong. Somehow I missed getting rolled into hamburger ( stories of inside Sunset race through my head) to the cheers from the gallery. I eventually get a sense of where I should line up after getting bounced (thank you vest!) and was able to enjoy some rides with a few cover-ups and crowd approval.

After a few hours, I’d had enough and the tide got the best of the break and the sun had done its damage to my calves and arms. Steve made a last attempt at buying my Prolite bag but we said an awkward goodbye and drove back up to the main road.

Next day we went further up to Bathsheba to the break on the southside of Soupbowls as there were some fairly aggro guys hassling there and I was still floating in the full on island groove of brotherhood and ire. As I surveyed the breaks of the cove an honest to god Rastaman slides up offering some smoke (how stereotypically can this get? )

I say er, no thanks so he starts talking in a mesmerizing rhythmic tone ’bout surfon and Ja and how itall de sem ‘ting and ‘ow e pray ‘ere on de beach ‘ery ‘morn. I’m watching the waves (kinda mushy but long left and bigger mushy short right) and listening to this voice over the surf and have island experience number two. He tells me dat one (the left) be good in a bit. No more had I turned around to set up “camp” and put more Aloe-Gator on then the break lit up. I see him glide out on a long board and pick off a beautiful chest high peeler with pure style. He waves to me come out to share. Yea. Another great day.

I haven’t been back since but those memories of honest “brotherhood” are my barometer to which I compare nearly every experience since. Aside from the birth of a son, not much has come close.

I wish you the same experiences on your visit so that you might take that little chunk of the island back with you and spread it around as I have.

Andy