Tuesday Spot Check: Cape Verde Islands
The African Caribbean as seen through its only pro surfer Robertney Barros.
“It’s tough for me to be who I am, and where I am,” Robertney Barros told me last year. “Nothing’s been easy, and there have always been big stones in my way. But I'm so lucky where I live. For a surfer, this place is magical.”
Barros is from Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean, located 400 miles off the coast of Northwest Africa. For a surfer, it’s a location that has everything. In the Northern Hemisphere winter north swells wrap into the reefs, points, and beachbreaks, especially on the island of Sal, where Barros grew up.
Windsurfers, attracted by the warm water and year-round winds, were the first to set up camp here, but surfers soon also discovered the incredible set ups. Increasingly Cape Verde has become a chic European winter retreat, with rich Euros drawn by the sun, cocktails and cuisine. For surfers, it remains an underrated and unexplored destination unlike any other.
The waves of Ponta Preta, a long righthand point that holds serious size, and Spoutnik, a spinning left, are just two of the world-class breaks five- to-15 minute drive of the centre of the stunning bay of Santa Maria. Monte Leao, is another quality right sheltered by the wind, and the hollow left at Palmeira picks up all the swell in small conditions.
In the summer, south swells light up remote and empty breaks on the nearby islands. Barros, who has surfed Skeleton Bay, claims there is a righthander in the islands that is heavier and longer than the Namibian left. Mick Fanning is just one surfer who keeps in touch with Barros, as he eyes off a lightning strike to a surf region yet to be fully explored.
“The water is warm, green, and clean, the sun shines all year round, and there are little crowds,” beams Barros. “Everyone is welcome, obviously people need to show respect, but we want people to share our waves.”
Barros grew up on the island with very little in terms of material comforts, under the care of his single mother. In his teens, he had plans to be a professional soccer player until a series of serious injuries shut down his plans. He then turned to the ocean. Barros first tried skim boarding, then bodyboarding, before falling in love with both surfing and kitesurfing.
He was good at both; his natural athleticism and powerful build lend itself to an explosive style. His kite surfing background has also led to a crazy air game. Yet if being a surfer in Cape Verde is one of the easiest pastimes on the planet, being a professional surfer is another issue entirely.
With no local manufacturing, all the surf equipment has to be imported and so is expensive. Barros always brings extra boards and wetsuits back from his trips overseas and asks visiting surfers to do the same. Travel too is difficult; Barros needs to apply for an expensive visa each year just to leave and airfares aren’t cheap from an isolated chunk of volcanic rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite the stones in his path though, Barros isn’t crying poor, or in any way feeling sorry for himself. It was a visit by Italo Ferreira, back in 2018 that also gave further inspiration.
“I see Italo as my idol. He visited me, and he slept and ate in my house,” said Barros. The pair share much in common, including their physical appearance, aggressive goofyfoot approach, and even a tattoo.
“Robert grew up without much, just the ocean, and the waves and people who loved him, just like me. Just with much, much better waves,” Ferreira told me in between benchpresses and six expressos. “It’s a simple life and a good one, but he’s had to fight for everything he has. For me that trip to Cape Verde was extra special because of that.”
“I just want to show the world what we have, and show what is possible for our next generation of surfers,” concludes Barros. “I don’t need money, just opportunity. I just need to live a simple life and show the world what I can do.”
When To Go
The islands receive both southerly and northerly swells. The main island of Sal however works best on the large northwest swells generated by lows formed in the North Atlantic in the winter from November to March. In summer, from June to September, you can get quality south swells, generated by low pressure systems which spin around the African coast, but they are rarer and tend to come with stronger winds.
Where to stay
Most surfers and tourists head to the picturesque village of Santa Maria on Sal, a short drive from the airport and capital. Here powdery sand beaches meet turquoise water and the local morna music pours from beachside bars. This is a sun-and-saltwater resort scene with good food and fun nightlife, all with easy access to the island’s best waves.
The African Caribbean
With Portuguese, African, Moorish and South American influences, it’s no wonder the Cape Verde is labeled the African Caribbean. That’s reflected in the island’s vibrant music, fashion and food. While the 300 days of sun and blue waters attract surfers and sea goers, there’s loads of history to absorb, festivals, mirages to see, incredible diving, world class windsurfing and an abundance of birdlife and marine life to check out.
Getting There
Cape Verde has four international airports: Santiago, Sal, Boa Vista and Sao Vicente, with most international flights involving a stopover in either Lisbon or Casablanca, Morocco. The UK is good fro for direct flights from London Gatwick (LGW), Manchester (MAN) and Birmingham (BHX).
Ferries between Islands are available, but unreliable, and planes are recommended.