Around The World In 80 Waves

The swell that hits G-Land while I am here is simply monstrous. At times it is at least triple overhead and several times I walked out over the reef at low tide to get a closer look at it, hoping that I might see somewhere where I could surf.

I never did because it was huge and there were surfers with skills far greater than my own deciding to stay dry because it would be no fun at all and there would be every chance of you not coming back in one piece.

I lost count of how many painfully huge wipe-outs I saw, and this picture borrowed from the internet will gives you some idea of how badly hammered some of the people in the water were getting. Remember that the waves are breaking over just a few feet of water once the swell rolls over the edge of the reef.

Once you are inside you cant get back out unless there is a break in the swell (there wasn’t very often) or until the sweep has carried you all the way along the reef and things start easing off a tad at the break known as Chicken’s. However even that end was still too challenging for me while I was there.

One guy went over the falls near Fan Palms and then everybody on the beach watched his board tombstoning about half a kilometre along the edge of the reef. He was OK but practically crawling out of the water at the end of the experience a few minutes later. Nobody can help you and there nearest serious medical assistance is at best hours away. Gnarly is the understatement of the year here.

The people at Bobby’s have set up some shelters with bean bags, and a number of benches from where you can watch the surfers taking their life into their own hands. There was risk and reward though because I saw one guy get three separate five second barrels on one wave which he rode along at speeds I simply couldn’t generate on my board.

They have also rigged up the wheelbarrow fridge contraption you see above to get as many beers down there each night for everybody to enjoy. Westward facing there were awesome sunsets here every night and a great deal of amusement from those on the shore about how late those in the water would leave it before coming in and possibly have to take the huge waves and the reef on in the dark!