All activities / Surfing / Robertsport
Surfing in Robertsport
A fishing town on a headland in Grand Cape Mount County, about 70 kilometres north of Monrovia near the Sierra Leone border, with a run of long right-hand point breaks that make it the best-known and most consistent surf destination in West Africa.
Why here
Robertsport is one of West Africa's great surf discoveries, a sleepy fishing town wrapped around a headland where a series of right-hand point breaks peel for long, clean rides over sand and cobble. The main spots, Fisherman's Point, Cassava, Shibar and Inner Cotton Tree, break in front of the town under old cotton trees, and because they face the swell squarely they hold shape at a range of sizes, from mellow walls for improvers to long, powerful lines for experienced surfers. The setting is raw and beautiful, palm-backed beaches, pirogues drawn up on the sand, and a town that carries the marks of Liberia's civil war and its recovery. Surfing here grew out of the community itself, and two homegrown operations, the Robertsport Surf Club and Kwepunha Retreat, now teach visitors, rent boards and tie the sport to local youth development. The waves are uncrowded in a way that has vanished from most of the surfing world, and the water is warm year-round. For a surfer chasing empty points off the map, Robertsport is the reason to come to Liberia.
Best months
The prime surf season runs roughly April to October, when the Atlantic swell is most consistent and the point breaks are working, with the biggest, cleanest waves often around June to August; the drier months from November to March bring smaller, lighter surf better for beginners. The breaks are right-hand points over sand and cobble, so they favour surfers who can already stand up, though the smaller days and local instructors make it workable for improvers. Water is warm all year, a rash vest is enough. Bring your own board if you are fussy, as rental stock is limited.
Getting there & around
Robertsport is about 70 kilometres north of Monrovia, a three to four hour drive on a road that is paved for much of the way but rough near the coast, so hire a sturdy vehicle or arrange a transfer through one of the surf camps. Accommodation is simple: the Kwepunha Retreat and Robertsport Surf Club both offer rooms, meals and board hire, and there are basic guesthouses. Bring cash, as there are no reliable card facilities. Liberia is at a general Level 2 advisory for petty crime, so keep valuables secure and avoid road travel after dark.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Kwepunha Retreat
OutfitterKwepunha Retreat is a sustainable surf camp in Robertsport, opened by Americans Sean Brody and Daniel Hopkins as the first surf-tourism operation in Liberia. It offers rooms, dining, board hire and local surf guides to the town's point breaks, and reinvests in the community through health, sanitation and education projects. Sitting about 70 kilometres north of Monrovia, it has hosted travelling surfers for over a decade.
Robertsport Surf Club
ClubThe Robertsport Surf Club is a community surf club in Robertsport, born out of the local scene that grew with the Universal Outreach Foundation's surf tourism work. It runs a surf house on the beach by Fisherman's Point, rents boards for about ten US dollars and gives lessons, and puts surfing to social use through a youth surf-therapy programme built around community, safety and beach clean-ups.