Old-timers groan that there are no frontiers left in surfing, reminiscing about days when the pursuit’s hot spots — California, Bali, France, etc. — once had empty lineups. While it’s certainly more of a challenge to find those perfect, empty sessions, those experiences still exist for those who know where to look.
A crew of European shredders, including Natxo Gonzalez, Miguel Blanco, and Kepa Acero, recently embarked on such an adventure to an unnamed location in Africa, stumbling upon empty lineup after empty lineup — lefts, rights, tubes, slabs. Between sessions, they soak in the local culture and share some waves with young local women who have taken up the sport. They just released a mini-movie of their experience, Surfing the Red Island, on Oxbow’s YouTube channel.
For those dying to know where they went, there are bread crumbs in the video. The comments on their social media accounts provide some hints, too. When I was embarking on an African surf tour of my own several years back, I also found myself surfing those same empty lineups. Due to the remote location, long travel, and rustic living conditions, I’d say these spots aren’t in danger of turning into the next Bali or Sri Lanka anytime soon.
Those empty lineups are waiting for those who can find them — and don’t mind showering with water bottles and flushing toilets with buckets of ocean water. Any minor inconveniences are well worth the waves.
