10 Best Surfing Countries In Africa
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Loading... - Joe Bosire
- 29 Sep 2022
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Enveloped with two oceans (Atlantic and Indian), and one sea (Mediterranean), you can see everything from winter snow in South Africa and the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, to dripping wet rainforest in Gabon and the arid deserts of southern Algeria.
So which country out of the 54 is your best bet in landing some decent waves away from the crowds? Here’s 10 of the best.
SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE
Emerging from obscurity is the island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, located on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea. The former Portuguese colony, which gained independence in 1975 after 500 years is a tropical paradise with warm water, a variety of point, beach and reefbreaks along with consistent swell from the south Atlantic Ocean.
With good waves on the main island of São Tomé and the small island of Rolas off the southern tip along with an increasing number of visiting, talented local surfers, São Tomé and Príncipe is one of the new nations of African surfing. With better air connections to Europe and mainland Africa, we are certain to see more accomplished local surfers coming out of São Tomé and the islands will see more visiting surfers.
SENEGAL
Senegal is a powerhouse of African surfing and has been for decades, with the great African city of Dakar having numerous quality waves as showcased in the classic surf film The Endless Summer in 1965.
While Robert August and Mike Hynson did not surf the best waves Dakar has to offer, some of the many surfers who have travelled to Dakar since have surfed great waves at Ngor Island and the many quality waves on the Dakar peninsula including Ouakam, one of the best reefbreaks in Africa with the famous mosque on the beach.
While surfing in Senegal has been a sport and lifestyle for local surfers and visitors for decades, it has very much been a Dakar phenomenon, with the southern portion of Senegal, including the restive Casamance region largely unexplored for surfing.
With more surfers from Senegal travelling outside the Dakar area and entering competitive events in Europe, we are sure to see the profile of surfing in Senegal rise further in the coming decades. Read More…
