Please tell me about waves in the Bahamas

[g_3]

Yes, first post, but I've been lurking in here for several posts.

Sorry I don't have a vlog or a blog you can give me money for, so instead, every time I post anything anywhere, please just send $1,000.

Kidding.

If you've been to the Bahamas, and I think a lot of you have - - is it possible to sail to them in the winter months, then use the boat as a surf base?

I don't sail much, I do surf much, and I live on a beach with the ICW just on the other side of our barrier island.

Winter here absolutely sucks. Always has. 40F water temps and NE winds.

But as my kids are de-nesting, I think I could break out 3-4 months down that way, tooling around, looking for waves.

So... (and I've scoured the internet, there are charters, but no one has a good surf report on the islands.)

Not looking for anything big, I know it's not Chopes, but nice longboard waves? What have you seen? Have anyone tried this? Do you have leads/links for me please?

What do you think? Is there enough swell to find a spot, ride it for a few weeks, move on?

It's got all the makings -- open to deep ocean, gets shallow quickly, steady trade winds, variable features on the shorelines.... but there is very little info.

Thanks everyone.

[CSY Man]

Well, sailors tend to stay away from waves, as in looking for smooth anchorages with no wave action.
I usually anchor on the West side of the Exuma chain.
Probably some surf and waves on the Atantic side, especially after storms and perhaps cold fronts, although with a North component.
Sorry I can't help, but don't recal much of any waves or surfers after more than 2 dozen Bahamas cruises.
(Take up diving and snorkeling instead )

[Cormorant]

Okay -- I speak here with complete ignorance, but . . . I was wondering about Eleuthera. I've heard there is good surfing there. I know there are a few good anchorages. And it's a skinny island. So if you anchor on the leeward side, maybe transport to the windward side for surfing wouldn't be hard to arrange. I've known people who spent time there who said you can just start walking along the road and someone will give you a ride. Or a bike is a good way to get around. Maybe even find an inn / house near the surf spots where you can arrange to leave your boards, etc.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[JayH]

I think the only area in the Bahamas really known for surfing is Eleuthera. You may find some random breaks elsewhere, but most of the Bahamas shoreline isn't really conducive to casual surfing IMO. Lots of coral and ironshore, not much beach.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by g_3

...but no one has a good surf report on the islands.

Yeah. There's a reason for that. No one bothers to report what surf conditions are like, because surf conditions are rarely good enough for anyone to care about them.

[g_3]

It's hard not to know if it might be good ... if this was anywhere else, I'd just check out the Surfline cams, but for example, see this Swellinfo report:

Miami Beach, Florida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

And look at their map of Green Turtle Cay and Great Guana Cay:



You've got an east swell hitting a coastline along the Abaco? stretch, but hitting it at an angle, which is good, and the coastline has features, which is great....

Then you put in the offshore SW winds, and by all the indicators it should be going off (if the swell height is right and the tide is right)

But I have no way of knowing without going there.

[g_3]

It's hard not to know if it might be good ... if this was anywhere else, I'd just check out the Surfline cams, but for example, see this Swellinfo report:

Miami Beach, Florida Surf Forecast and Surf Report

And look at their map of Green Turtle Cay and Great Guana Cay:



You've got an east swell hitting a coastline along the Abaco? stretch, but hitting it at an angle, which is good, and the coastline has features, which is great....

Then you put in the offshore SW winds, and by all the indicators it should be going off (if the swell height is right and the tide is right)

But I have no way of knowing without going there.

[g_3]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

because surf conditions are rarely good enough for anyone to care about them.

I'm old though, a clean 3 footer on a longboard is a way better day for me than the young pup's double-overhead day.

Thanks D

[Jacknast]

south abacos good waves but kinda hairy/ rocks and reefs.

Charlie don't surf!!!

[colemj]

Originally Posted by g_3

You've got an east swell hitting a coastline along the Abaco? stretch, but hitting it at an angle, which is good, and the coastline has features, which is great....

Those coastline "features" are ironshore. I don't know if you have ever seen ironshore, but it isn't something I would want to be oceanside to.

Best surfing break I ever saw in the Bahamas was on Lee Stocking at the U-shaped beach where the research station is. The conditions were just so that the waves were coming into the "U" at an angle with a great 5-6' wave going all the way into the beach about 3/4 in. All the water was sluicing back out to sea along the opposite side of the "U". So one could surf that into the nice sandy beach area, drop down and be pulled back out to sea past the wave line to go again - no paddling required.

Nobody was surfing it, and we don't have surf boards. Those conditions might only happen there rarely.

Other than that, I think the Bahamas are highly hit and miss (mostly miss) surf-wise. Lots of big waves on ocean side piling into lots of danger.

Mark

[Bohemian17]

Hopetown abaco..

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[Mood indigo]

Yu might like the check this out Bahamas Surf Spots & Surfing Information | The Surfing Site

[GreenIssue]

Eleuthera has surfers beach but it's a pain to get to if you are not on land. As far as I know all the breaks are quite far apart, so it's not like you can just bounce around checking the surf, it'll take a lot of effort and local knowledge. You'd be better off setting up shop in PR where there are more consistent breaks that hook up from several directions. Also Tortola has Apple bay, CGB and several other fun breaks that are more consistent as well... my 2¢

[Joe Brown]

I know little of surfing (It's been about 48 years since I did some) but Eluthera has a great anchorage on the west side in Rock Sound. If others tell you the surfing is good there, you might have a winning location. The island is pretty flat however and you'd not have much wind protection during hurricane season, despite the enclosed harbor.

[Sdwcheney]

I have anchored on the South/west side of Eleuthera, I see no reason that you could not do that and walk across to the North/east side to surf. Best of both worlds.