When it comes to surfing in Africa, countries like Morocco and South Africa are high on the travelling surfers bucket list, but many other territories across the continent are sidelined. Such a vast continent, and an equally vast coastline, is home to so many rideable waves, however infrastructure, security, health concerns and other worries have put off many a surfer from exploring the empty breaks that must be littered across the land mass. One of these places, Liberia, is finally breaking free from its image of a war torn nation and surfers are slowly arriving to ride the waves that for so long were empty. The civil wars that raged for over a decade and ravaged the country are now well and truly over, in fact that have been since 2005, but bad reputations are hard to shake off and still people are sceptical about the safety of the country.
Exploring the Potential of Surfing in Liberia
Californian film-makers Britton Caillouette and Nicholai Lidow visited Liberia back in 2007 to film surfers Dan Malloy, Chris Del Moro and Crystal Thornburg exploring the region and scoring the points firing. Check out the trailer to the film below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0eru45CK5Y
If you give Liberia a chance you’ll be greeted by friendly and enthusiastic locals, warm water, and some of the sickest uncrowded left hand point breaks the entire continent of Africa has to offer. The action is centred around Robertsport, which is about 50 kilometres north of the capital of Monrovia. It is a slow bumpy ride along the dirt road that leads to Robertsport, and can take up to 3 hours conditions dependant, but it is worth it.
The Waves
There are a variety of point breaks and beach breaks in the country, but it is the point breaks around Robertsport that are going to provide the most memorable rides. Cotton Trees is the most consistent, a hollow long left hander that is great for intermediates on smaller days and challenging enough for experts when the swells picks up. There are also a couple other awesome left hand point breaks called Fishermans Point and Shipwrecks to try. The best time of year to go for guaranteed swell is during July and August, but this is also the wettest period. Either side of the summer months, like September and October or May and June is a better choice unless you don’t mind the rain.
Where to Stay
There is a great surf camp up and running in Robertsport now called Kwepunha Surf Retreat, offering accommodation, dining, and surf guides. They provide all the facilities and advice you need for a comfortable stay and awesome time surfing in Liberia. The retreat has been built sustainably and they run many projects aimed to promote tourism and help the local community. Project organisers welcome visitors to volunteer to help with these projects, which range from cleaning up the beaches to helping local kids learn to swim.
Getting Ready to Go
Some preparation is needed before you travel to Liberia. You need to get a visa before you arrive, as no visa on arrival is available here. In addition a vaccination against Yellow Fever is also required as part of the visa application process. You should also take medication to protect yourself against Malaria, and a Typhoid vaccination is recommended. Also bring extras of all your surf equipment, boards, fins, leashes, wax and a ding repair kit as it is very unlikely you will find what you need there. If you’re having trouble deciding where to go on your next surf trip consider heading to Liberia, because this little wave haven won’t stay quiet for long.