SOUTH POINT
The very first rays of sunshine creeping gently through the windows disturb us from our jet-lagged sleep. It’s only 6.00am: we take a few minutes to stuff some breakfast in, then get our gear packed in the hire van and head off towards South Point, a very promising spot not too far away that comes highly recommended by Jason. Already up and busy at his SUP school, he won’t be joining us today, so we follow his directions to the letter until we see the famous ‘point’, underneath a pretty impressive lighthouse. It’s every bit as good as Jason said: clean water with long lefts unrolling themselves to infinity and beyond on the reef that runs parallel to the coast. Alexis spends some time carefully checking out the handful of early-bird surfers already out. “It’s perfect. Head high sets and solid waves the whole way through, we’ve got to get out there straight away before the wind blows in…” he says, barely able to hide his impatience.
SUP tucked under his arm, face covered with some hastily slapped on sun cream, he scurries along the little beach and is in the water, taking care to avoid the urchins.
The waves are even better to surf than they looked from the beach, and once he’s got himself in the right place in the line-up, Alexis sets off on a seemingly effortless and endless left run, with plenty of solid wall for him to exploit in his full-on style. Re-entry, floater, top-turn… the man from Perros Guirec indulges himself to the limit, digging out every move from his extensive repertoire, wringing everything from every millimetre until the wave finally gives out as it reaches the deep water.
The days pass, split between amazing sessions at South Point or Freights, as our fancy and the tides take us. It’s an insistent rhythm, blown along by the ever-present trade-winds, ever south-east, and we’re very quickly initiated into the relaxed island routine. We get to know our way round the island and hugely appreciate every instant of the super-chilled lifestyle. Surf days morph into happy evenings spent in the fishing village of Oistins next door, eating an unforgettable platter of fresh, grilled fish washed down with the local Banks beer as chilled as the locals, in a little hut on the main square. It couldn’t be more friendly or fun, the Barbadians are extremely welcoming, as are all the tourists like us who get right into the island spirit. “Dance Hall” and “Ragga” beats spill out of the local sound systems and, with the buskers all along the main drag, are a hypnotic back-drop for the tourists enjoying a drink in one of the many cafes and bars. Life seems so perfect and easy here in Barbados that you can’t imagine anyone wanting to live anywhere else.
