Page 68 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES The Soup Bowl

vs Bondi Beach

ABOVE Sun-worshipers crowding the sand – and the sea – at
Bondi Beach, Australia
The Soup Bowl, on the rugged east coast of Barbados, offers year-round warm-water FORGET BONDI
surfing and tube rides that put super-crowded Bondi Beach in the shade
BEACH?

THE BUILD-UP Surfing didn’t start at Bondi
easy enough, thanks to a conveniently situated rip
NEED TO KNOW Beach, but sometimes it feels like it. This beach
that ferries surfers to the optimum wave-catching is steeped in Australian surfing history, and no
LOCATION The Soup Bowl position. But once there, the hard work begins, with
is about 10 miles (16 km) wonder: its a half-mile (1-km) stretch of golden
4QFJHIUTUPXO
northeast of Bridgetown, constant motion required to keep you in position sand often has classic beach-break surf, offering
the capital of Barbados 5)& 4061 #08- "UMBOUJD and prepare you for rogue sets that can appear at fun waves for surfers of all levels. There are year-
0DFBO
VISITORS PER YEAR any moment. That’s tough enough, but it pales into round surfing contests and when the swell is big,
Around 600,000 people Bondi can produce good left- and right-breaking
visit Barbados #"3#"%04 insignificance when compared with the ride: a fast,
DAYTIME .BSDImFME vertical descent, as if from a cliff edge, into shallow waves of up to 8 ft (2.5 m) high – enough to
TEMPERATURES #SJEHFUPXO water where urchins lurk on rocks. Get it wrong and challenge the very best surfers. A shark net keeps
Jan: 82°F (28°C); Apr: 84°F (29°C); 4FBXFMM the ocean’s top predators out.
Jul: 84°F (29°C); Oct: 86°F (30°C) 0JTUJOT you will wish you’d opted to idle in the rock pools.
Get it right, though, and you’ll be racing down
THE LETDOWN Bondi Beach is busy. Tourists
the face, tucked under the lip of a giant wave. The flock to the Sydney suburb in their thousands
The fact that Kelly Slater, who is considered to be Soup Bowl’s tubes are the stuff of legend, and, every year, many to try their hand at surfing. This
the world’s greatest surfer, counts the Soup Bowl unlike those at Bondi Beach, can be surfed on all means that there are near-constant crowds on
as one of his favorite breaks is a fair indication of but a few days of the year. Depending on the size and around the beach, especially on weekends.
the oceanic riches awaiting its visitors. There are and direction of the swell, they can be elegant, There are also some severe rip currents here, with
crystalline barrels galore as perfect waves reel smooth walls suitable for carves, slashes, and the infamous “Backpackers’ Express” ensuring
over a limestone reef, the palm-fringed village of aerials, as much as they are a barrel-rider’s dream. that the lifeguards are always on their toes.
Bathsheba providing an old-world backdrop. In Back on the beach, sipping coconut juice with
GOING ANYWAY? If surfing at Bondi Beach is
contrast to most people’s experience of riding the the laid-back Bajan locals after a day in the water,
your thing, then plan to arrive at sunrise to beat
waves at Australia’s over-hyped Bondi Beach, the the chances are that you’ll agree with Kelly Slater
the crowds. Check the tide times beforehand,
Soup Bowl only exceeds expectations. This is a and count this as one of the best waves in the
either at local surf shops or with the lifeguards,
surfing paradise to set the heart racing, and better world. And despite its upsides, that isn’t something because this will affect the swell.
still, it has a fraction of the Bondi crowds. many people could say about Bondi Beach.
But make no mistake – surfing the Soup Bowl
will test your mettle. With Bathsheba, which is
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
adored by non-surfers for its warm-water rock pool
bathing, facing northeast, the Soup Bowl picks up Getting There and Around Where to Stay
any swell the Atlantic throws at it. Even on calm Flights arrive at Sir Grantley Zed’s Surfing Adventures (www.
days, waves can rear up at the last minute, as if from Adams International Airport in surferspointbarbados.com), run
nowhere, and when the swell gets bigger, this is a Seawell, which is 8 miles (13 km) by local surf guru Zed Layson, is
southeast of Bridgetown. Beware: a surf school that boasts a range
place for experts only, as waves reaching up to 15-ft
some airlines will not allow you of comfortable one- and two-
(4.5-m) high detonate on the reef. Paddling out is to take your surfboard. The best bed apartments on the beach at
way to get around the island is Surfers’ Point, which is 30 minutes’
by car. Rental car companies drive south of Bathsheba.
are found all over the island.
When to Go
Where to Eat Barbados has good surf all year,
Bajan cuisine, which features but the Soup Bowl comes alive
seafood and spices, is served at between October and April.
the island’s restaurants and at the
Budget per Day for Two
outdoor stalls of Oistins, a fishing
community on the south coast. Up to US$150, including food
Nearby, overlooking Miami Beach, and accommodations. Car rental
is Café Luna (www.littlearches. is around US$25–35 a day.
com/dining-overview) – the Website
beef tenderloin here is to die for. www.barbados.org/surfing.htm
ABOVE Surfers walking down to the beach at Bathsheba, Barbados

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