general information

Jamestown Harbour on the remote South Atlantic Island of St Helena is one of the most remote surfing destinations in the world. Islands in the South Atlantic are rare, thankfully surfers are rarer still so anything you catch here is likely to be done in splendid isolation. The islands here are volcanic in origin and so most waves occur in favourable conditions whereby a basalt slab has slipped below the surface not so deep as to prevent wave action further from the beach and not so shallow as to be unrideable. It's a tricky combo though there are several spots around the island where it does come together. Several other uninhabited islands in the region offer waves that have not even been named let alone ridden. Ascension and Tristan da Cunha are the only other inhabited islands in the region and again offer significant potential for unridden surf.

Jamestown Harbour is the most popular break and being right in front of the only main settlement on the island will mean if there are any other surfers in port, you will meet them here. This is a good thing in St Helena as travel around the islands can be difficult and a little expensive, the potential of having someone to split the bill with you can ease this pain somewhat.

The Harbour needs a largish swell to work otherwise the break will be far to close to the seawall for comfort. A strong NW swell produces a long gliding left hander, take the wave in as far as you dare but beware the seawall laddie - she is a harsh mistress.

One wonders how many perfect days Napoleon saw breaking against the white sand beaches here as he drifted into oblivion whilst in captivity