surfing

Dietmar Pabe: Caravela Beach, Guinea-Bissau; 2007

Excellent southerly facing coastline this far north of the Antartic regions can be a mixed blessing. S-SW swell is the only energy that will reach this coastline and with all your surfing eggs in the one swell direction basket you need to wait a long time for the energy to travel the 11000 kilometres from down south. Hence it never gets huge in Guinea-Bissau but whatever does get here is typically off superior shape and period.

Mar to September are the best, the same as it is for southern hemisphere spots that need the southerly swell to feed them. Morning offshores are the most common from March to May making this your best chance to catch some perfection. Make sure you pop your anti malarial tabs between sessions in the rainy season which goes right through the rest of the swell season until September.  A kiss from a female mosquito in these parts is one ladybug you really don’t want to catch.

what to pack

Rich Niewiroski Jr.: 62 mm ultra-violet, fluorescent, and polarizing lens filters. Camera used was a Canon 400D; April 9, 2007

Definitely take along some bug repellent spray, good sunscreen and sunglasses!

Clothing - It shouldn’t be a question for anybody – of course something against rain and cold even if you go in summer. If you’re taking a tent, check whether its waterproof first and same applies to almost all the gear you’re taking with you (eg. water-resistant bag pack and boots). Nothing special required as pretty much everything you can by there.
Remember to take a voltage adapter that has the different plugs with it.

…Nearly forgot! Waterproof camera bag! You don’t want to lose all your pictures, do you?..