Surfing
The beginner lesson starts off with 10 minute beach instructional talk, on the fundamental of standing up. The next 50 minutes is in the water, riding the waves. The first hour lesson focuses on getting up and experiencing surfing.
The two hour package called Riding, teaches you how to select a wave, catch the wave and ride waves by yourself.
The six hour package called Surfer, teaches you how to select a wave, catch the waves and turn on the wave by yourself.
The rental boards: A range of Naish boards from 6'0" to 9'4"; Jimmy Lewis boards mini tankers 8'0" and long boards 10'0" nose riders and also 10'0" soft top for beginners.
Old Days....Surfing; South Point, Freights, Whole island,
It was a period of wildness and freedom. We were an outcast clan made up of a pepper pot of colors and classes. United in one cause, surfing was the great equaliser, and our lone likeness in appearance was our heavily sun-blenched hair. We moved with the feeling of the day and lived for the moment. We were a cast of gangly characters with nicknames like Heads, Cou Cou, Salty Dog, Cow (my brother), Killer Millar, Big Jah, Bird and many from the St. John clan.
Behind us lay a green sea of pasture, broken only by small trees and shrubs that provided shade for cows grazed sleepily in the sun. We would cut through the pasture to reach the small South Point beach where the surf broke with an unbridled fury. The entire area was untamed and rustic, with more cows than houses. It was a great, enormous playground for young boys growing up.
South Point was a popular lime and there was always somebody holding post on the beach to talk shite and surf with. The point provided clean, predominately left surf break that was consistent throughout the winter months. Nearby was another break called "freights". This break was in a protected bay where it's small launching beach was nestled in a steep cliff alcove.
The reefs were vibrant and teeming with life and when we weren't surfing we spear fished and fished the outer reefs.
For us everything revolved around the sea. We were the outcast of the South Coast society, mainly because of our sun bleached hair and our love for the sea at a time when anything associated with the ocean was seen as bad and dangerous. Society wasn't ready for us yet, so we became the surf rebels during an era when the only road to success was through a 9 to 5 job in an office.
But that was almost 30 years ago. And the passing of time proved us visionaries, for today the sea and these water sports are the foundation of the island's image base and massive tourism product. The surfing community has exploded with many people now realizing the economical benefit of these sports. It's now cool.
Bathsheba on the east coast is the undisputed top surf hub. Bathsheba was important back then, too, but since our main transportation was skateboard, making trips to surf spot beyond our home ground was difficult. South Point was our world.
Back then travelling to the West or east of the Island was an adventure in itself and was soon tackled new horizons around the island. We first ventured up the South Coast to Brandon's outside Bridgetown, where we always looked for rides.
Travelling up the West Coast we found glassy waters with breaks all along the coast line that were consistent and packed a lot of action. My favourite places to surf were Tropicana and Sandy Lane and Gibbs. The waves normally broke when low pressure systems moved through the area and during these times they all had glassy water with raging breaks and perfect waves.
Tropicana is a gnarly reef break that jacks up once it hits the reef into a perfect barrelling wave. But it was treacherous at low tide because of the sharp-edged coral often jutted from the water.
Today , like most of the island, the South Coast is built up and more tourist oriented. Though that close knit community spirit of the small crowd of young surfers is gone, it's replace by a mainstream society and large presents of surfing schools and their students. I've continued my path as a Waterman and have added other action water sports such as windsurfing, kiteboarding and SUPing to my world. I always maintained a strong commitment to the sea and allowed it to provide for me.
