Planning Your Barbados Surf Holiday

Good choice, you have chosen Barbados as the destination for your Caribbean surf trip, the warm waters of the Barbados are every surfers dream, leave your wetsuit at home, all you’ll need to brave these water are your boardshorts and a rashguard… and oh yeah Sunblock.

There are a number of local websites which can help you with everything from accommodation and car rental to hooking you up with a competent surf tour company. Local sites are better because not only do they have first hand knowledge of information you may require, but they are generally more up to date.

One of the things that makes this island and ideal surf destination (apart from the fact that there is always something to surf) is its size, you are never more than 45 minutes away from the surf. Therefore when choosing your accommodation it is best to look for somewhere along the coast that is central in terms of surf breaks, we would advise the south between long beach and Maxwell or Dover. Any good local surf site can give you a list of options for accommodation that welcomes surfers.

You’ve got your tickets, booked your accommodation and you must now decide whether to take your own board or hire one when you get there. Personally I think it is better to hire a board when you get there for several reasons. The first is that you risk damage to your board on the flight (the airlines do not accept responsibility and even if it does you are still without your board for all or at least part of your trip). Secondly you have to pay to transport the board anyway. Third is that there are several breaks on the island and one board may not be the best choice as conditions from break to break vary, when you rent a board from one of the better companies they allow you to change off to a longer or shorter board as conditions change. Much more convenient and it makes for the best out of each break.

The number of breaks in this small island is mind boggling for its size. The Soup Bowl on the east coast is the premier break on the island and is an advanced break with powerful waves that can top 12 ft when it goes off and is frequented by Kelly Slater whenever he is on the island. The soup bowl is like a magnet, if there is any swell around it will catch it. Its sister break “Parlour” which is separated from the soup bowl by just a boulder can be just as enjoyable with a smaller line-up.

The south coast has several breaks and which is the top spot depends on who you ask but it is generally agreed that the three at the top of the list are South Point, Freights and Brandons (Drill Hall). There are many other breaks on the South, some are known breaks and are listed by many surf sites on the net, some of them are secret spots and are known mainly to locals. For this reason we recommend that you contact one of the surf companies that offer surf tours and really experience the best surf on the island.

The west coast of the island only goes off on a north swell, but oh when it does. Perfection. While many of the breaks may seem to be a surfers dream, many may have their own hazards and this is another reason that we highly recommend that you utilize the services of a local surf tour company who can guide you through the do’s and don’ts, another benefit is that transportation and boards are included in their cost.

In the event that you decide to brave the breaks on your own you will seriously need to consider renting a car to get to the different breaks in this case bring your own soft racks as very few, if any, car rental companies carry racks and most companies frown on surfboards being carried on their cars. In most cases they will allow it but they definitely do not encourage it.