FROM HERE TO VENEZUELA
ONE SURFER'S PERSPECTIVE ON THE CARIBBEAN'S CROWN JEWELS 

By Zander Morton 

From here to Venezuela
Nothing more to see
Than a hundred thousand islands
flung like some jewels upon the sea
For you and me 

­From David Crosby's "The Lee Shore" 

"He must be sniffing glue or something," laughs Asher. "You can't paddle out there."  

We're unpacking our stuff on the porch of our rented oceanfront cabana on Elbow Cay, Bahamas. And despite Asher's words, my friend Matt, who like me is on his virgin surf trip, is already in the water stroking. At this point, it's too late for me to warn him. 

Matt and I are ten, and my cousin Asher Nolan is six years our senior. A rising pro, Asher's already well-traveled, but Matt and I have never surfed anything outside of St. Augustine's Anastasia State Park. To us, this whole "reefbreak" thing is brand-new. In his excitement, Matt takes no time to study what the ocean's doing. The pool-blue water and small Bahamian waves are just too inviting. Halfway out, the urchin-encrusted reef is totally exposed, and the seemingly playful waves we had been drooling over moments earlier are now breaking directly on the sharp coral. We can only watch as Matt learns this firsthand. 

Bleeding and bummed, Matt returns to the beach. His board is a mangled mess beyond repair. His hands aren't faring much better. Urchin spines dot his fingers. "You can't paddle out there," Matt mumbles in defeat. "That reef is really shallow."  

Though that trip we took 12 years ago marked the first and last time I visited the Bahamas, it was the beginning of many great Caribbean journeys to come for me, and I haven't looked back. Though geographically not part of the Caribbean, the Bahamas have more in common, historically and culturally, with these islands than with the rest of North America. And politically, the Bahamas are considered among the rest of the West Indies (all the islands between North and South America). Encompassing 7000-plus islands, the diversity of waves and culture in the West Indies is second to none. And every year come November, when that first big low pressure system spins off the Carolinas, my expectations of the waves I will catch have me giggling like a 12-year-old schoolgirl. Because at that point, I know when I book my flight and jump on a plane, I'm about to score.  

As a rule of thumb, the Caribbean lights up best from November to March, when big winter storms bring snow and bitter weather to the northeastern United States, then push offshore to churn out big north swells in the Atlantic. Typically speaking, the colder the storm, the bigger the swell, so when New York is underneath three feet of snow and even Florida is getting chilly, more often than not the Caribbean will reap the benefits. For proof, just go to your local beach and stare offshore. The waves may be windswept and two-foot, yet the horizon will look massive. That means the swell is headed south toward the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and will eventually break on more points, reefs, and beaches than the mind can fathom.  

The Bahamas

As noted before, the Bahamas are not officially part of the Caribbean but share many of that region's characteristics. The Bahamas lay claim to over 700 islands, many of them uninhabited but all accessible by either plane or boat within just a couple hours of the Florida coast. With enough time put in, one could quite possibly find the Caribbean's best surf spot here, as so many untouched cays and reefs lay open to every possible combination of wind and swell. Elbow Cay, which along with Eleuthera is among the Bahamas' most popular surfing locales, is a six-mile-long barrier reef that's no more than a quarter-mile-wide at any one spot. Aside from watching my friend Matt wreck himself here, I once stood on the beach in awe as Asher surfed a solid eight-foot session at Rush Reef (which breaks 200 yards from the shore)... alone. In retrospect, he reckons he wouldn't ever do that today. And you can't blame him, because these are known to be the sharkiest lineups in all the Caribbean Sea, where blacktips and tigers run rampant.  

Puerto Rico

The Enchanted Isle is by far the most popular surfing destination in the West Indies. Being a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico requires no passport, and also boasts a large variety of quality waves, a quickly blossoming surf industry, and a plethora of world-class surfers. It's been played-out time and time again as the "East Coast Hawaii," and for good reason. Besides the obvious "town vs. country" connection with Oahu's North Shore, PR's ultra-consistent north coast lays claim to everything from playful reefbreaks to ultra-heavy Backdoor and Sunset-esque setups. The island has also served as a starting point for many careers. One look at the waves PR's professional surfers have had to cut their teeth on, and it's easy to see why they're so versatile in various conditions around the world. In fact, my first-ever writing assignment for ESM came through a trip here. Along with me on that excursion was current ESM Photo Editor Jimmy Wilson, who was shooting for his first-ever magazine trip, as well. As a startup surf photographer, Jimmy was rather starstruck in those days, just freaking out the whole time: "You see Ben Bourgeois over there?"... "Whoa, how was that air that CJ Hobgood just did?"  

The Virgin Islands

The 60-plus islands and islets that make up the Virgin Islands begin just east of Puerto Rico, with every one in the chain (except Anegada) being volcanic and mountainous. These islands offer some of the best, though most fickle, waves in the Caribbean. The most famous, Tortola's Cane Garden Bay, can be a world-class righthander when it's on, though the chances of seeing it at its most majestic are slim at best. Cane Garden requires a large swell, as it's tucked away and blocked by offshore Islands. I've cruised the VI by boat several times and explored the area's many reefs, nooks, and crannies, oftentimes without finding any surf at all. Regardless, in the VI, no surf equals no problem, especially if you happen to be around Apple Bay, Tortola, during a "Bomba Shack" full moon party -- when 'shroom tea is consumed like water and dancing lasts all night. 

Hispaniola

Hispaniola is the Caribbean's second largest island and is divided into two countries: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Many surfers regularly visit the DR, but only a brave few ever choose to visit Haiti. Though sharing the same island, the countries share little else. The landscapes, cultures, and surfbreaks contrast drastically. Though widely surfed since the '70s, the DR still has many spots to discover. Most of the local surfing action revolves around Cabarete, and though many good waves can be found there, the Dominican coast stretches 869 miles and faces three different directions. In fact, I was there recently with Ben Bourgeois and we never surfed with more than two other people. Ben spends a lot of time in the DR, and even owns an inflatable Zodiac for search missions. "There are places you cannot see without my boat," he once told me. "And believe me, I want to keep it that way." 

Meanwhile, Haiti is known as one of the most dangerous countries in the Western Hemisphere, but may offer exceptional rewards to those willing to take the risks. For one, there are no more than a half-dozen surfers living there. In contrast to the DR's lush greenery, most of Haiti is dry and barren, adding a sense of sadness to the already sullen country. But when it comes to waves, trust me -- Haiti is holding. In my 10 days there, I surfed four different spots; two left points, a right point, and one particularly punchy reefbreak, all within a few miles of each other. Best of all, the north coast of Haiti tends to break on any decent tradewind swell, making it more consistent than most Caribbean locales since it doesn't have to rely on wintertime norths to break. Plus, Haiti may be the only place left in the region where you can surf a spot knowing for certain that you were the first to ever grace the lineup. 

Barbados

I've been to Barbados twice, and both times my trips coincided with an enormous swell and favorable offshores that saw the island's most famous wave, Soupbowl, go absolutely mental. Soupbowl is notorious for producing consistently fun surf, but also for being onshore and blown-out much of the year. Fortunately, my visits happened to come exactly during the biggest, cleanest days of each respective season; in particular, the now-infamous 2004 Independence Pro, which saw the typically rippable bowls mutate into Backdoor-esque tubes. Twice during that trip I was sent back to my hotel, bloody and defeated, after a nasty wipeout violently introduced me to the reef. Barbados usually breaks all year around. But it's during those late-fall/ early-winter months, when a front swings low and large north swells filter through, that the island really comes alive. If luck is on your side and the wind gods cooperate, you might see the Caribbean's best wave do its thing. If not, it's but a short journey to the south and west coasts, where perfection possibly awaits at less-popular spots like the aqua-blue lefts of Freight's Bay. 

Jamaica

In recent years, Jamaica has emerged as one of the most popular Caribbean surfing destinations, proving to be extremely consistent. The island's swell season lasts eight months and is even strong during the summer months when the rest of the Caribbean is typically at its smallest. The southeast corner, outside of Kingston, is where the Wilmot family operates their extremely successful Jamnesia Surf Camp, which made its major television debut this year on Fuel TV after hosting famous pros like Pat O'Connell and Donavon Frankenreiter in Drive Thru Caribbean. Jamaica is chock-full of craggy coastline, so there's no shortage of varying spots on all coasts, of both the popular and undiscovered variety. Puerto Rico's Darren Muschett has made the short trek over numerous times, and always comes back singing the island praises. "Some of the most rippable waves I've surfed anywhere," he told me. "And the setups I've stumbled across on the north coast have so much potential. I can't wait to see them turn on with a solid winter swell!"

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago are the most southern islands in the West Indies chain, sitting just north of Venezuela. Coastal roads in Trinidad are hard to come by, so travel to different breaks is difficult. I once visited the area with the island's most famous surfer, Jason Apparicio. While we were there, it poured rain almost every day, so the normally blue-water reefbreaks were turned brackish-brown by the numerous rivermouths. One place we surfed was unlike anything I'd experienced before. Jason stopped the car and pulled over in the rainforest. "We paddle out here," he told me. The ocean was nowhere in sight, but I obeyed. Jason jumped in a rapidly flowing river, and not about to be left behind, I followed. The river whipped us through lush forestry before dumping us out in the ocean. "That is the only access," he carried on, "so this wave is always empty." This place will remain safely tucked away in the trees, and no crowds will ever clog its lineup. It's nice to know surf spots like that still exist in the world. 

These are just a few of the places I've visited in the Caribbean since my first Bahamas trip 12 years ago, and I've only scratched the surface. In my mind, why spend $5000 on an Indo trip when East Coasters have our own island chain close by. The Caribbean may not have the consistency of the Indonesian archipelago, but you would be wrong to think they don't have equal quality. It takes some weather map studying and last-minute flexibility to score in the West Indies, but when you do, nothing is more satisfying. Trust me.

Irie guy, irate turn in Barbados. Ryan Helm. Sequence: Welsh/ SurfNRG.com