There’s a small swell, enough to create action on the North West coast. We pull into a dusty dirt area. There are abandoned food stalls and fish pots brimming the beach with a few dinghies pulled up on the sand. I hear a shout and see a man walking toward us. This must be Blackie. He peers around his sea-drenched hat and says, “you all ready?”
The water is glassy with extremely small waves peeling off the point, but I know that once we venture further up north the waves will become significantly bigger. Blackie leads us to a small fishing boat with another fella manning it. The conditions slowly change from glassy, to a more energetic ocean. The hotels and the rest of civilization transform into rocky cliffs, with small sandy coves and lush greenery.
As we push through the sea, the spray splashes off the bow. I’m wiping the salt water out of my eyes and see white lines coming off the far away reef, “there are waves!’ I cry. Blackie directs his fellow fishermen with stern hand directions before taking control of the boat. We pass popular surf break ‘Duppies’ and ‘Hobbler Cove’. This is a heavy windsurfing, but I’ve done it, I want more, I want an adventure – my mission is to find the biggest rideable wave in Barbados.
SPOTTED
A few week ago during the “Last Man Standing” SUP race (I paddled around Barbados in 15 hours 17 minutes – over 70 miles – a full-on adventure), I found this corner of the island intriguing and have since been motivated to venture back to the area to check out the wave action. I know this coast, but let me tell you, Blackie knows the shoreline real good too. We’re navigating between the inner waves and outer reef and divert through a channel to the outside. The boat’s rocking side-to-side, but I still want to push further. During the paddle, three weeks ago, I remember seeing what I believe would be the perfect wave for windsurfing and SUPing.
Tears, the boat is rocking and it’s filling up with water. I check for my photographer Kenny, and “oh shite”, he’s looking a little pale. But I’m focusing on the break ahead, pointing to the far distance. I tell Blackie “that’s it, that’s where I wanna go”.