My friend had a house on eluthera that his dad bought in '77. He invited me over back in '86 and it was one of the coolest things i’ve ever done! Not buying the whole “overexposing the place thing” as it just not that easy to get to, and no guarantee of good surf. Besides the locals are so freaking cool, that any knuckleheads that show up there will just not be tolerated. I got surfers beach real fun around a couple feet overhead with aqua velva water. The real wave is holiday beach which we got also a foot or 2 overhead. Could care less if anyone thinks it’s bad to name names, I’d love to see more people go try to ride that wave. Not many do. I compare it to small pipe, so if you like air dropping into 6 inch deep water that looks like it’s 2 inches deep with a thick barrel right on your ass, it’s waiting. Don’t make the drop, your on the reef.
I also ran into the sisters (I think) in gregory town. We were wandering around town (the only white people there at the time) and we smelled this incredible smell of fresh bread baking. We followed our noses to a house where it was eminating from, only to encounter these 2 bahamian ladies on the porch asking us if we’d like to come in and try some. Couldn’t believe it! Next thing we know were sitting at this dinner table, and these ladies are giving us all these little treats like tarts and other baked stuff! I was in heaven! The next day we surfed surfers, then went to the leeward side and shot some hog snappers with hawaiin slings. We took them to this little bar on the way to gregory town. Can’t remember the name of it, but I remember all these cool old bahamian men playing checkers out front, and pool tables inside. There was a lady named “Kush” that was so nice, she offered to clean and cook our fish, and prepare a whole meal for us, if we bought her a bottle of gin. Best meal I think i’ve ever had. I don’t think i’ve ever felt more comfortable in a foreign country, than in the bahamas. I would go back in a flash.
We went during Christmans and stayed up and watched the Tomsons party. I remember this little black kid about 10 years old staggering behind the parade with a tall boy of colt45. Classic.
The main thing I remember was the shock of hundreds of chickens waking me up in the moring and the feathers floating through the lineup from the shark feeding at the chicken factory. I rode big waves on a 6’4’’ twin fin and was not having the best time until I took my buddies single from him. No thrusters back then.
So…what would be an ideal wetsuit for Winter on Eleuthera, or would you recommend a couple of styles to cover eventualites? I want to arrive prepared, even tho I’m arriving in Summer.
Just spotted you on this thread. You will really love your mat on eleuthra. There is pretty consistant surf on the atlantic side as has been mentioned but that side faces east into the prevailing trades which can mean bumpy to choppy conditions. Bummer for the surfboard but perfect for the mat. And when it does get good it gets really good.
There is also world class diving too. The west(lee) side of the island butts up against the Tongue of the Ocean. Which means a 10 min. boat ride will get you to the outer reef where at 60 to 80 ft the reef takes a 90 degree turn straight down to 3000+ ft.! Unbelievable wall dives. Plus the area seldom sees divers. A 14 t0 16 ft skiff will take you just about anywhere you want to go. The islands are away from the gulf stream and winter water temps can get into the low 70's so a 3mm full suit would be wise for diving. A spring will suffice for surfing. You should have at least one warm jacket too. I worked on Andros for several years and cold fronts that move thru the US can occasionally make it to the Bahamas. One winter it got down to the mid 40s for a couple of days.
If you get over to Fla let me know and we can go matting. Good luck.
For my wife and I, learning to dive is definitely on our agenda as is buying a small boat that I can trailer around the island. Thinking in a mat vein, I guess that boat should be an inflatable! And I’m sure we’ll get across to Fla sometime so hope we can hook up. As a surfing teen (late 60’s) I was brought up on images in Surfer Mag of locations and surfing personalities from Fla.
does anyone know of any big wave surfers on the east coast.
There’s footage of Will Skudin from New York charging giant Mavericks at age 16 in “Couch Tour” or “North of Nowhere” (can’t remember which one). I think I read somewhere that he charged all the big wave spots in Hawaii and Todos Santos this past winter. He can’t be much more than 20 years old now…how’s that for an East Coaster?
Will definitely charges and is probably the most well known east coast guy, but Peter Mendia and the Hobgoods are from the east coast and those guys charge.
There is a big wave spot up in New England that breaks on occasion and is being towed into when it gets past 15 - 20ft. No need to spill the location, those who know of it, know where it is.
I have been to a few spots in Florida where you can surf waist high waves, but the waves were not strong enough for bodyboarding. I am planning a trip to Surfers beach in Eleuthera, but wondering if you can bodyboard the waves – so is it worth the trouble to bring the boards? Anyone out there, Thanks so much…
