If you think about it, Barbados has all the data to be the perfect place for a surf trip. This is a small island with waves from all sides, where the swells come all year round. It has its own world-class spot, the water is warm enough to surf in shorts or a swimsuit. And, of course, we must not forget about the beautiful beaches, decorated with palm trees.
Despite the fact that Barbados is located in the east of the Caribbean, technically it is, nevertheless, an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Being in the ocean, Barbados is open to easterly trade winds. These trade winds not only provide permanent swells ranging in size from 2 to 5 feet, but also refresh the island climate. Temperatures throughout the year here range from 21 to 31 degrees Celsius. In addition, the island is far from the path of hurricanes, which are another source of swells for the west coast, where offshore winds constantly blow.
Barbados remained a British colony until 1966 (today it is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations). This makes the island a popular destination for British surfers during the winter months. Also, residents of the southern states of America like to visit Barbados. Most of these surfers fly here for one reason. That reason is the Soup Bowls surf spot.
Soup Bowls is located approximately in the middle of the east coast near the town of Bassheba. This is a powerful right reef break with a trumpet (pictured above). During the big northern swells, it is often compared to another right one – Backdoor Pipeline. For quite a long time, this wave was out of the attention of the world surf community until, at the beginning of the 2000s, it got into several sections of surf videos. Kelly Slater skated in one of these videos. He later said that he had one of the best gurneys of his life at the Soup Bowls. Since then, surfers from all over the world have flocked here. This spot is open for more than 300 days a year, and despite the frequent onshore winds, you can have a very cool sunset here.
If Soup Bowls is a bit crowded, then you can go to Parlors, a less crowded spot with excellent right and left. A few more good spots can be found further up the east coast, including a powerful left Tent Bay and a very rare but super cool right hand called Conset Point.
On the west coast, the waves are not as stable as on the east coast, however, here the east trade winds are offshore, which helps to even out the waves. In the northwest of the island you will find two spots next to each other: Duppies and Maycocks. Duppies is a pretty creepy spot with powerful right wingers that close quite far from the coast. There are often strong currents here that can pull stones towards the side. This is a difficult spot, so here you need to be very confident in your abilities.
A little further south is the much friendlier and nicer Maycocks spot. And further south – two cool left waves – Tropicana and Sandy Lane, which, unfortunately, work only during big swells. Sea urchins and a very sharp reef on the Tropicana will be a good reason not to make mistakes on the waves
Well, in conclusion of the story about the spots of Barbados, one cannot but tell about the spots of the southern coast, which need a good windy southern swell or a bottom swell from a nearby hurricane. Among these waves, Freights Bay, South Point and Silver Sands are ideal for beginners. The first two are left, the third is right.
One of the beauties of Barbados is its size – it is only 34 kilometers long and 23 kilometers at its widest point. Thanks to this, as well as an extensive network of roads, you can quickly get from one spot to another.
If you want to take a break from surfing, you can dilute your trip with excellent diving and snorkeling, a walk through the historical center of the capital Bridgetown, visiting architectural sights or just chill on one of the magical beaches with a bottle of great local rum by your side!
