Barbados Surfing Vacation
"Barrels, Cutbacks, Sun and Fun!"

My home island offers some excellent opportunities for a Barbados surfing vacation. Being situated in the Atlantic Ocean allows waves to travel for thousands of miles, building up their strength and power ready to crash onto the coral reefs which surround this island. 

The location of Barbados has therefore blessed us with the most consistent surf conditions in the Caribbean.  

Whilst surfing in Barbados can be enjoyed all around the island, the east coast offers the very best surfing conditions throughout the year followed by the the south coast of the island.

• I'd like to try surfing in Barbados but I've never surfed before..

• Surfing the south coast of the island
• Taking a beginner surf lesson in Barbados
• Can I rent a surfboard in Barbados?

• I'm an experienced surfer...where can I surf on the island?

• Surfing The East Coast of Barbados
• Surfing The North Coast of Barbados
• Surfing Kelly Slater's favourite Barbados surf spot, Soup Bowl

• I don't want to surf while I'm in Barbados, I just want to watch! 
• Wondering what the current Barbados surf reports are predicting? 

A Barbados Surfing Vacation For Beginners

Beginner surfers can enjoy a whole holiday dedicated to surfing in Barbados. There are a range of hotels and guesthouses situated in the towns of the top surfing beaches with surfing equipment hire and lessons readily available nearby. There are even some surfing companies and tour operators which offer accommodation, board hire and lessons as part of a surf package. 

The surfing spots in Barbados are to be found on the south, east and northern coasts of the island and they have different challenges to offer, depending on your experience level.   

Surfing The South Coast of The Island

The south coast beaches offer some excellent beginner and intermediate surfing opportunities. Freights Bay, near to Oistins fishing village, is safe and sheltered, with waves that are just right for beginner surfers. I highly recommend it if you are now starting out. 

Just around the corner is South Point which has hosted numerous surfing competitions and is great for the intermediate to advanced surfer. Surf Barbados is a Barbados surf operator offering surf accommodations located both right at or near to South Point and Freights Bay that  are great for a beginner Barbados surfing vacation.

Surfer’s Point is right at the point where the Caribbean meets the Atlantic and is a great place to learn how to surf.  Surfer's point is also home to Zed Surf Adventures offering surf lessons and surf bungalows at this beginner Barbados surf spot. 

Brandons, is third south coast surf break, is located near Bridgetown and across from the Garrison Savannah Thoroughbred Race Track.  This surf spot is good not only for beginners but all levels of surfers.  It is steps away from Dread or Dead, a Barbados surf shop, where you can rent a surfboard, take a surf lesson or just purchase surf gear.

Taking a Beginner Surf Lesson in Barbados

There are plenty of surf schools in Barbados who can teach you from scratch or help you improve on your existing skills. 

Some even offer a surf course broken down into chunks over a number of days allowing you to surf numerous times during your Barbados vacation. 

Surf lessons are also available for individuals or groups and for adults or children, so the whole family can learn to surf!

Renting a Surfboard in Barbados

With surfing being such a popular activity on the island, there are plenty of places that you can rent a surfboard for your Barbados surfing vacation. No matter what your surfing skill level is, there will be a board you can rent, whether you are a complete beginner or have been surfing for years. 

Long boards, short boards, fun boards - you name it, you can rent it! 

Surfboards can be rented from all of the surf schools and tour operators in Barbados, as well as most Barbados surf shops.

A Barbados Surfing Vacation For The Experienced Surfer

For those who already have surfing experience, there are several surf spots that offer some great challenges, and there are hotels right next to these beaches to cater for your every need.

Surfing The East Coast of The Island

The east coast faces the Atlantic Ocean directly and is where experienced surfers will find more challenging waves. The beaches in this part of the island are not generally safe for general swimming and sea bathing. Bathsheba is the main surf town in this part of the island, with little in the way of facilities although its beach is quite spectacular. 

A couple of the recommended accommodation options in this area are The Edgewater Hotel and Sea-U Guest House Hotel.  Since its refurbishment Edgewater has become one of the largest hotels on the east coast while Sea-U is a small, friendly option situated at Tent Bay. Both of these accommodations cater towards surfers.

Surfing the Infamous Soup Bowl Barbados

This Barbados surf spot is not recommended for beginners as the waves can get really big, and the shallow reef is covered with sea urchins. There is also a strong rip current. Experienced surfers only!

Surfing The North Coast of The Island

The northern coast is home to some of the other best known Bajan surfing spots. Duppies is very well known requiring a paddle out that is quite long and there is a strong current but the waves get quite big with a long wall to ride.

North Point is a small exposed beach, it has fairly consistent surf apart from in the summer, and it rarely gets crowded.  Maycock's Bay is another north coast beach for experienced surfers, it is quite remote, but gets large waves for parts of the year.

A Barbados Surfing Vacation For The Spectators

A Barbados surfing vacation isn't for all of us and if you don't have the urge to try surfing for yourself, then you can always sample the atmosphere by coming down to watch at one of the Barbados surf spots.  

The best surf spot to watch surfers in Barbados while lying on the beach getting a tan is Brandons surf break. This surf sport is right next to The Hilton Barbados Hotel so if you choose to stay at this hotel during your trip take a stroll down the beach and come watch.  

Freights Bay is also a great spectator surf break to visit in the evening.  This is due to its cliff top view where you can taking in our beautiful  the sunset .

Barbados is host to international surfing competitions that take place every year. The biggest and best of these competitions for spectators is the Independence Day Reef Classic in November. It normally takes place over three days, during the first weekend of November, and attracts great surfers from around the world, so come watch and enjoy! (Kelly Slater is a regular invitee)  

The Barbados Surfing Association also hosts local surf contests throughout the year where local Barbados surfers compete to gain points and secure a spot on the island's international surf team.  You are more than welcome to come watch one of these surf contest during your Barbados surfing vacation.