 Barbados?
I've been to Barbados last winter. Here are my impressions as a wave
novice.
All in all, I had a wonderful time. I was there 10 days and had wind on
7 days. 3 days were great: 5.3 conditions. (I'm 82kg).
I mostly sailed at SilverSands (the wave spot at the southern tip of
Barbados) but also joined my wife at the Oistins spot 2-3 afternoons.
SilverSands:
Incredibly beautiful beach. Sizeable shore break, but after a tip from
the station manager, I never had any problems getting out. Wind was
always side-shore with port-tack jumping. About 300 meters out is a
reef that creates wonderful breaking waves, typically in sets of 5 or
so. The wave face can be steep but is not hollow and the waves break
softly. The reef is about 6ft deep so it is quite safe. While I was
there, the waves at the reef where 5-7ft. Obviously, I took a tumble
between the waves a few times, but the wave isn't too powerful, so I
felt quite safe. Outside the reef, there is very nice ocean swell also
around 5-7ft (while I was there). The swell moves at a slightly
different angle (more downwind) than the waves at the reef. I was told
that when the swell comes in parallel to the reef, the waves can get
really big (1 1/2 mast high). There is a slight downwind current that
was never really a problem. It was never crowded while I was there and
the crowd was VERY friendly.
Kiters and windsurfers seem to get a long quite well there. Most kiters
launched from the next beach upwind around the corner. Kitesurfing
instructions are also offered by Club-Mistral and a another
kite-surfing school located close by.
Accommodations: The most convenient place to stay is probably the
SilverSands hotel. It is literally right on the beach. Folks who
brought their equipment just left it under a wooden boardwalk that runs
on top of the dune. The boardwalk is also protected by shade from Palm
trees the whole day.
Renting: These days, only Club Mistral. Equipment was very new and very
well maintained. Since the wind at SilverSands starts to blow
early, the station opens at 8am and on really good days even earlier.
Very nice!
Oistins:
About a 10min drive (or via mini-van taxi) from Silver Sands. Flat
water, a bit light on the inside, but once you clear the windline, it's
quite reliable. The Oistins beaches are not as spectacular as
SilverSands, but still nice and much safer for kids as they have very
little shore break. Renting equipment also through Club-Mistral. BTW:
renting with them works as follows. You rent a fixed board at your
favorite spot (SilverSands or Oistins) but can sail at the other
respective location assuming they have equipment available, which is
usually the case
Dining:
There are some very nice restaurants on the island. They are also
quite pricey... What we enjoyed most was to have dinner at the Oistins
fish market: cheap, yummy and highly enjoyable (as long as you are not
into formal dining)
Other than that, the island is beautiful. We rented a car and drove
around quite a bit and also visited the famous SoupBowl spot on the
east coast. Mostly frequented by surfers and supposedly very
challenging. (Big rocks under the surface, powerful waves and strong
currents). Supposedly accessible to EXPERT windsurfers if the wind is
right (trade winds typically create dead on-shore winds there).
Hope this was of help
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