Tuesday Spot Check: Soup Bowls
The Crown Jewel of the Caribbean
With the Caribbean currently a hot mess of purple blobs signifying a great run of swell in the eastern Atlantic, it’s a good time to check out one of the world’s premier waves; Soup Bowls in Barbados.
Perhaps better known for its fancy hotels, rum and Rihanna, the easternmost island in the Caribbean’s Lesser Antilles also boasts a great surf culture built on fantastic waves. The jewel in its crown, wave-wise is Soup Bowls, located near the coastal village of Bathsheba on the more wild East Coast.
Rumour has it that the early surfers came out on a huge swell and were blown away by the boils. A ferocious rip races out across the super shallow, (and urchin-infested reef at the best of times, and during sets, the rips hitting shallow sections of the reef give rise to huge boils, the spectacle looking like a soup bubbling on the cooker (remember convection heating, from school science?). The name duly stuck.
You know a wave is good when Kelly Slater uses a photo of it on the cover of his book and calls it, “one of my favourite waves in the world.” More recently, local pro surfers Josh and Jacob Burke have posted some of the best surfing at the incredible wave. Maybe the best evidence can be seen in Josh Kerr’s movie The Keerazy Khronicles, where Kerr, Chris Ward and Mason Ho score some of the most perfect aqua blue tubes ever caught on film.
Of course, it is not always perfect. Soup Bowls is located on the island’s east coast, which unfortunately faces straight into the prevailing north easterly trade winds. However this is a rare wave that handles onshore breezes, surfing’s kryptonite, better than most.
The key to this is the aforementioned rip that runs, like blood through the arteries, through the heart of the line-up. The force of the water running diametrically to the waves, intensifies them, proving an almost standing wave effect, smoothing the faces and letting Snell’s Law of Refraction, where one part of a wave travels more slowly than another making the wave ‘bend’ towards the slower part, do its thing.
However morning glass-offs are fairly regular and freaky, unusual southwest wind offshore days do happen. The Best conditions usually come with large hurricane swells, most common in the winter months from December to March. However, the wave breaks at three foot and can provide fun, rippable walls, before it goes supercharged.
Elsewhere, Barbados offers a huge variety of waves and experiences. Next to Soup Bowls is the more playful Parlours. The island’s west coast is its famous touristy side: powdery beaches, clear water, manicured resorts and even more manicured golf courses. That part of the island is known as the Platinum Coast, so named for the colour of its sparkling coastline and its preferred credit cards.
Surf-wise, it’s worth checking out, especially on a huge swell, where some incredible waves come to life. Those swells will also wrap into the island's West and South coasts. Here the shaped coral reefs, platinum beaches and turquoise waters can provide a hyper-coloured version of perfection. Some, like Freights Bay on the South Coast, are perfect for beginners. Others like Tropicana on the north spin sharply on shallow reefs. And with the island only 22 kilometres wide, everywhere in Barbados is a short drive away.
Perfect day: A hurricane swell and stiff south-westerly see Soup Bowls pushing at six feet through aquamarine waters.
Getting there: Fly into Barbados Airport, and you are within 15 miles of the wave.
Boards: For Soup Bowls you may need something a little longer and stronger than your normal shortboard. For the rest of the island, a fish will come in handy.
Essentials: It's easy living, all you need is a few pairs of boardshorts some sandals and plenty of sunscreen.
Accommodation: From the West Coast's glitzy hotels to the laidback surf camps on the East Coast, and large hotels on the South Side. The historic Round House Hotel overlooking Soup Bowls at Bathsheba has probably housed more stoked surfers than any on the island.
Other waves: Duppies is closest to Soup Bowls, Maycocks offers a mellow right, on the south coast, Freights offers true but rare quality while South Point sucks in all the swell.