When you land at the airport in Barbados (there is only one airfield here, given the size of the island), the first question you may be asking could be “where to kitesurf in Barbados?”. The good news is: there are options here! let’s have a look at them together.
The North-East coastline
Barbados is the East-most island in the Caribbean archipelago, so, when you look at the map it’s the one that is the furthest to your right and there is nothing past it going East, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean until you hit Africa. And since trade winds are coming from the East here,
Barbados is being hit the first by the waves from the Atlantic, which is very cool for the classic surfers, this is why the annual international Surf Contest takes place every November at the Soup Bowl, Bathsheba, located on the east coast of the island. By the way, if you go there, remember to check out Round House, a nice view from up there! As to the kitesurfers, wave-riders on surfboards love this spot! But lookout, as there are plenty of rocks, boulders, and coral formations all over this stretch of sand. Cattlewash is a bit up north and has pretty strong swell on a windy day, so, bring a partner, just in case.
Walkers Beach and Morgan Lewis Beach are the next ones up North and have fewer trees and appear to be more flat, and this makes it easier to self-launch and land your kite (BTW, we teach this technique is in our PROGRAM).
The road is going along the shoreline, so, you can park anywhere here. We went here after some small storm and the entire stretch of water was loaded with seaweed, and, as you may know, seaweed is not a friend for the bridal system of your kite, however compact it is, so, do not drop your kite and clean your fins every now and then, and save your foil-board for another day. All this area does not have any reef barrier and waves are crashing straight on-sore. As to the wind, since the dominant direction here is from the East, it’s mostly straight-on-shore or slightly cross-on-shore and you will need to know how to ride upwind to enjoy this North-East coast of the island.
The South-East
Let’s go south from the Round House. This part of Barbados has some coral formations. Some beaches have denser reefs than others. What difference does it make, you may ask? Well, reefs serve as a barrier, keeping oceanic waves away from the shore, making waters calmer by the shore and easier for beginner kitesurfers. Most of the beaches here are private, small, or not easy to access, and are not suitable for kitesurfing. The next kiteable stretch of sand is Foul Bay.
It’s slightly protected by the reef, the bottom is friendly, with no boulders, and very few people visit it, so, you can have it all to yourself. Long Beach is the next one south. This beach is much bigger, no rocks, partially protected by the coral, but it seems that there is always seaweed floating in the water, so, lookout, and find the section that has fewer waves and no seaweed.
Long Beach
We ended up on this Long Beach by accident while looking for the Silver Rock. This beach is really long yet it is empty mainly because of the limited access to it. A swamp creates an inconvenient barrier. And there are no residential houses nearby, so, if you find your way here you may as well have it all to yourself. We came from the South end and parked on a private lot under the trees as it seems that there is no public access here. The central part of this beach is sheltered from crashing waves by the reef, this is why the midsection may look calmer than the ends of this beach.
THE Spot!
The next beach down is the mecca. Kitesurfing mecca that is – Silver Rock Beach. Do not confuse it with Silver Sand Beach, that one is next door. Silver Rock Beach is where kiteboarders congregate and chances are that there always someone available to help you launch your kite.
Locals come over on a weekend and it may get crowded a bit. I counted 48 kites up in the air on Sunday, December 15, this was right before the holiday season. Given the popularity of this spot, you can always count on some support if you lose your board in the middle of the bay.
The village is near this beach and many kiters rent out rooms here to be a walking distance from the launching spot. You won’t even need a car to get to the beach here. Everything is a quick walk away. We drove here, as we were staying on the other side of the island and we needed to park. There is an official recreation area with a parking lot for about twenty cars, but we parked on the side of the road right by the entrance to the beach with no problem. Silver Rock is not that long, so if you still working on your upwind ride be mindful of the downwind drift. There is Silver Sands beach right next door to the rescue if needed, and you can walk back up, but there are rocks from this point downwind and the current here will not be in your favor, so stay close to the shore. Silver Rock is protected by the reef, which is over 1,000 feet offshore but there are some gaps in it and waves do make it to the shore, and often times we witnessed waves crisscrossing and coming onshore at different angles, which may create an element of surprise.
Kitesurfing Schools and rentals in Barbados
There are several kitesurfing schools right on the beach and some instructors from other locations come here as well. Several kite shops are a walk away as well, in case you need a spare part, quick repair, or maybe you want to rent some gear – it’s all available here, just ask around and people will point you in the right direction. By the way, locals are very, very friendly on this island.
Food
Got hungry? Food is right on the beach, it’s not on Google Maps yet (as of this writing) but it’s there and with a gorgeous view! Just walk over to the Northern end of the beach where the rocks are. It will to your left if you are facing the water. And do check out the Surfer’s Bay Beach Bar after your kiting session. There is one thing you should not worry about on Silver Rock – it’s the direction of the wind. Whether it’s North-East, East, or South-East – it’s all good here. Something rare and extraordinary has to happen, like a hurricane, to make the direction of the wind unfavorable at this spot.
A bit further West
There is one more secret spot to kitesurf at – Maxwell Beach. There is a hidden driveway between Sandals and Bougainvillea and you can park there under the trees, some 100 feet from the water. The segment of the beach that does not belong to anybody here is rather small and you should talk to the security guards before you launch your kite and let them know what are you after. At the end of your session, you’ll need to be able to maintain your course, when coming onshore, to come back exactly where you started. Also, there are some jetties in the water and the wind should be South-East-ish for a comfortable smooth ride and to have Dover Beach as a backup if you drift downwind. If the wind is from East or North-East, it will be gusty here, as the air will be crossing a long stretch of land, south from the airport.
Worthing Beach is shallow and has flat waters but there are boats anchored here and this could be a challenge. Also, you’ll need a more Southern wind to have a comfortable ride here.
The Wind Calendar
When is a good time to visit Barbados for kitesurfing? The chance of kiteable wind here is always high, but the official hurricane season here is from June to November. Even though Barbados has not been hit directly by a hurricane in a long time, the rains and unpredictable winds make it less fun to ride. From December to June the chance of a good wind is over 80%, so, this is the time to kite here. Winds are almost always from the East with some minor deviations. You can always check the latest stats on WindFinder.com and Silver Rock
Live Webcams
Live streaming is becoming more and more popular. New webcams are popping up and the old ones are being taken down from the web. Here are a couple of links for you to check out to get a LIVE view of the Silver Rock Beach: LINK-ONE, LINK-TWO.
How safe is Barbados?
We felt pretty safe on this island, and we’ve traveled around Caribbeans and have a lot to compare this island with. Local economy heavily depends on tourism and it seems that everybody knows about this, this is why locals are very friendly, yet not “into your face” like on some other islands.
The US Department of State advises its citizens to avoid the following areas: Crab Hill at all times, avoid Nelson and Wellington Streets (located in Bridgetown) at night, use added vigilance while on non-reputable nighttime party cruises.
According to the OSAC 2017 Crime and Safety Report for Barbados and Grenada, in 2016, Barbados had 1,605 drug-related crimes, 1,029 residential burglaries, and 105 vehicle thefts. That is one theft in three days on average (roughly) on the entire island. Looks pretty safe to me, yet be smart about it, stay in the crowded places, lock your car, do not display anything that may attract thieves, have a company with you, the usual stuff.
The Verdict.
I hope that I did shed some light on the question we started with: Where to kitesurf in Barbados? If you are at the point on your kitesurfing path where you are ready to step up from two-dimensional flat waters and go 3D, then Barbados is going to be your playground with a few options to choose from (unlike Aruba). If you are looking for a shallow spot with flat waters you can find plenty of those on the West side of the island, but the wind there is gusty, more turbulent, and off-shore, which is only safe when you have a rescue crew with a boat or a jet-ski because if you drift with the wind away from the island, your next stop could be Grenadines, which is straight west, downwind from Barbados. Oh, and bring a friend or team up with another kiter and have a spotter just in case. It’s safer this way.
Get out there, my friend, have fun and be safe! I’ll see you on the water some day!
