best easy to get to destination?

oops, forgot the dominican republic ..... twice

 

Duppies Barbados, fickle point but epic, Sharky but no one out

 

Puerto Rico is hard to beat if you want tropical. The Bahamas are a forgotten surf destination with some really good waves. Spent a month there on the island of Eleuthera chasing waves many years ago and had an absolute blast. http://www.surfingmagazine.com/monday-photos/bahamas-boat/

Also, don't forget Southern California. I just went a couple weeks ago. Got on a non-stop plane in Philadelphia at 7:30 in the morning got our rental car and had a nice lunch after landing then paddled out at Trestles at 1:00 their time. Remember heading there you are jumping time zones. Stayed at the Comfort Suites next to the Carl's Jr and walked to Trestles every day. Even waist to chest high Upper Trestles blows away anything we have on the East Coast.

 

ive been wanted to do the Bahamas for a long time it gets good swell during the winter but i think you really need a boat. so how was the bhams trip?, and was it cheap.. can you camp it out?

 

No boat is needed.

Bahamas trip was way back in 1991. Spent a month on the island of Eleuthera. Eleuthera is an out island and does not have the creature comforts of the islands people typically think of. Think of it like the West Virginia of the Bahamas. Not much has changed there since I was there. One thing that has changed though is you can easily book a place to stay or rent a home on line. I stayed in the little town of Gregorytown in the center of the island. There is a variety of surf breaks nearby with Surfers Beach and James Point being the most well known. Both spots are great waves. Clearest water I've ever surfed in. The fishing and snorkeling are awesome on this island and there are caves and a Blue Hole near the town of Hatchet Bay to explore.

It is not an inexpensive place to travel even though it is very close and food is very expensive once you get there. I was warned ahead of time to bring as much food along as possible and actually packed a suitcase full of Ramen Noodles and Granola to eat. Cost is the biggest reason I haven't gone back. Flights are expensive. You have to fly to Ft Lauderdale or Nassau and then take a Bahamas Air flight into Governor's Harbor to get there.

Only mistake I made on this trip was not bringing warm enough clothes and a wetsuit for a January trip to the Bahamas. I didn't realize it would get into the 50s at night and the same cold fronts that send the bahamas big flawless winter surf also bring in a cold wind. I went there with boardshorts, tee shirts, flip flops and a single sweatshirt. Did a lot of shivering on that trip.

Couple links to visit:

http://www.fisheleuthera.com/jamesPoint.htm
http://eleuthera.com/surfing.html

Videos:

http://vimeo.com/2162393
http://vimeo.com/2932066

http://youtu.be/Top6WZymHtM

http://youtu.be/F-bvwOU4OOI