SurfBahamas.net

Perfect surfable waves have been breaking on the reefs, shorelines and beaches of the Bahamian archipelago for many millions of years, but it is only in the last few decades that surfers have been riding them here. Early pioneers of the sport in the Bahamas in the late 1960s and early 1970s were visitors from places such as Florida, California and Hawaii who brought their boards to the Bahamas to surf empty perfect waves here. A few curious locals got in on the act, and before long the Bahamas was on the map as a bona fide surfing destination, with the islands of Abaco and Eleuthera being the most popular and easily accessible to traveling surfers.
     Geographically speaking, the Bahamian archipelago stretches over a thousand miles from Walker’s Cay in the north to Inagua in the south, and yes, there’s surf on both those islands and hundreds more in between. Our north and east facing reefs and coastlines can pick up swells from as far away as Europe and Africa - essentially storm systems and wind fetches from almost anywhere in the North Atlantic Ocean can send us waves. There are two main seasons for surf in the Bahamas: the Winter Season from mid October through late April/early May, when we pick up powerful swells from the north and north-east when cold fronts and their associated low pressure centers push off the east coast of the United States; and the Summer Season, from mid July through October, when we can get beautiful clean groundswells from passing tropical storms and hurricanes. With its miles and miles of reefs and coastlines, the Bahamas offers a tremendous diversity of surfable waves that work best on a specific combination of swell direction, tide, and wind direction, giving even the most jaded surfer literally hundreds of options.
     The most well known and consistently surfed waves are located on the islands of Abaco and Eleuthera, including Williwaw and Dudley’s Point on Great Guana Cay, Four Rocks, Indica, Rush Reef, Pools and Garbonzo on Elbow Cay, and Holiday Beach, Surfer’s Beach, Hatchet Bay and James Point on Eleuthera. However there are literally hundreds more surfed and unsurfed waves on the other islands such as Cat Island, Long Island, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Crooked Island, Mayaguana, Inagua, New Providence and even Andros!
     The late 1980’s saw the beginning of the organized surf scene in the Bahamas when our first National Surf Team competed in the Caribbean Cup in Puerto Rico in 1986 under the leadership of surf pioneers Tim Albury and Scott Patterson. After a brief hiatus, the Bahamas Amateur Surfing Association (B.A.S.A, now renamed the Bahamas Surfing Association, B.S.A.) was re-formed in 1994, with the impetus of Elbow Cay resident Christine McCully, to provide support and sponsorship for young up-and-coming surfers. This led to the Bahamian National Surf Team competing in the Pan American Surfing Games held in Venezuela in 2001, and they competed again in the Pan Ams held January 2006 in Lima, Peru, placing 7th overall out of a total of 14 countries.
     The current national team is a mix of veterans and exciting young surfers, including Christian Wilhoyte, Lou Kanitsch, Christine McCully, Tim Albury, Scott Patterson, Jeff Gale, Brandon Sands, Joshua Sands, Joe Thompson, Ashley Knowles and Corey Engle. Another dynamic surfer, Blake Sands, recently left his home break on Guana Cay to pursue his dream of becoming the first Bahamian pro surfer to win an international surfing title. He is currently competing in the Eastern Surfing Association’s contests on the east coast of the United States and is sponsored by Oakley and B.C. Surf and Sport.
     Travelling surfers looking to enjoy our uncrowded, crystal clear waves can choose from three main surf destinations: Guana Cay and Elbow Cay in Abaco, and the island of Eleuthera. There is also a well established surfing community on remote Rum Cay. The wave variety is tremendous, from Indica’s perfect barrelling lefts to the long playful walls at Surfer’s Beach. Whatever your experience or ability, the Bahamas has a surf spot for you! Popular accommodation options are the Surfer’s Haven guesthouse at Surfer’s Beach, Eleuthera, which was featured in Surfer Magazine in 2000 and has only gotten better. Here local company Bahamas Out-Island Adventures rents boards, offers surf lessons and guided surfaris on the island. (www.bahamasadventures.com). Another Eleuthera Island Shores resident, Skip Miller, founded the first Bahamian chapter of Christian Surfers in the same area.
     It won’t be long before more and more young Bahamian surfers start competing on the international surfing circuit, and more people discover the quality surf that blesses the reefs and shores of the Bahamas. But for now, we’ll continue enjoying our uncrowded, perfect lineups and crystal clear Bahamian waves. See you out there!