All activities / Surfing / Bathsheba
Surfing in Bathsheba
Bathsheba is a fishing village on Barbados's rugged Atlantic east coast in Saint Joseph parish, known for giant sea-worn boulders scattered across the sand and the Soup Bowl, the island's most famous surf break. The wild, wind-driven coast here is the opposite of the calm west, drawing surfers, hikers and Sunday-lunch crowds to the Round House and the tidal rock pools.
Why here
The Soup Bowl at Bathsheba is the best-known wave in the Caribbean and the reason surfers fly to Barbados. It is a fast, powerful reef break that peels over a shallow coral shelf on the Atlantic east coast, throwing a hollow right-hander that holds size right through the winter swell season. Kelly Slater has called it one of his favourite waves anywhere, and the pros who pass through rate it for its consistency and the barrel section on the inside. This is an advanced wave over sharp reef, so most schools start beginners on the gentler south-coast breaks at Freights Bay and Surfer's Point, then guide stronger surfers out to the Soup Bowl when the conditions line up. The swell runs cleanest from November to March, when North Atlantic storms push groundswell onto the reef, and the boulder-strewn beach and the clifftop Round House make it as good to watch as to ride. Riding a clean one here is a rite of passage for any travelling surfer.
Best months
The Soup Bowl works best from November to March, when North Atlantic groundswell reaches the east coast and the trade winds hold it up, though it can break year round. It is a reef break over sharp coral that suits intermediate and advanced surfers, with a shallow inside section, so reef booties and local knowledge matter. Beginners are far better served by the sheltered, sandy-bottomed south-coast breaks, where the surf schools run their lessons before taking stronger surfers east. Water is warm year round and a rash vest is enough.
Getting there & around
Bathsheba is about a 40-minute drive from the south-coast hotels where most surfers stay, and the schools there run guided tours to the Soup Bowl when the swell is right rather than teaching beginners on the reef. The break is straight off the beach with parking, the Round House and small cafes nearby, and no facilities on the water itself. Bring or hire a board suited to a punchy reef wave, watch the tide and the inside section, and go with someone who knows the spot on your first sessions.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Dread or Dead Surf School
OutfitterDread or Dead Surf School was established in 1995 on Hastings Main Road on the south coast, one of the oldest surf schools on the island. It teaches beginners on the mellow south-coast beach breaks and takes experienced surfers on guided tours to the Soup Bowl at Bathsheba, Brandons or the west coast depending on the swell. Alongside a surf shop and board hire, it runs surf lessons, stand-up paddle lessons and tow-in surfing with experienced local instructors.
Zed's Surfing Adventures
OutfitterZed's Surfing Adventures sits right on the break at Surfer's Point, Inch Marlow, on the south coast, run by Bajan surfer Zed Layson. It teaches first-timers in the gentle south-coast waves and guides stronger surfers on tours to the Soup Bowl at Bathsheba when the swell lines up. National Geographic Adventure ranked it among the world's best surf schools in 2012. It offers lessons, guided surf tours, board rental and surfer accommodation, with a cafe and facilities at the point.