Surfing Guadeloupe in March / April

Lines of waves marching into Port Louis from a NNE swell

Guadeloupe is France's version of Hawaii. After a day of chasing waves at tropical reef breaks, you can sip a Bordeaux with a bite of camembert and rillettes du marlin smeared on a baguette that's so long, it gets caught in the car door. C'est la belle vie, indeed. Blessed with waves, waterfalls, and wind, there's something for everyone on this little island in the Carribbean, whether you're a surfer, kitesurfer, sailor, hiker, dancer, or potato. 

I came here for the surf - heeding the advice of my nicaraguan surf coach - and to learn French at the Centre Caribéen de Langues*. I found the waves and crowd levels to be quite pleasant. There are several breaks around the island to spread out all the surfers and I sometimes had a break all to myself, even on weekends! 

Tropical paradise on tap

When to Surf

The prime surf season here runs from October to April. I was there towards the end of the season. In March, waves tended to be head high, sometimes overhead. In April, wave heights decreased to shoulder to head high. Swells petered out towards the end of April, just as the sargassum seaweed choked the beaches with smelly, brown flotillas that look like diarrhea stains from the air. That's the sign for surfers to leave the island.

Sargassum seaweed arrives at the end of April

Tides didn't make much of a difference here because of Guadeloupe's shallow bathymetry, but high tides generally made the waves mushier while low tides exposed dry reef at some spots like Anse Bertrand.

Parking near Caravelle

Surf Spots

Most spots here are on Grand Terre (the right wing of the butterfly-shaped island of Guadeloupe) and are reef breaks. There are 2 beach breaks on Basse Terre (the left wing of Guadeloupe) but they seldom work. The reefs have sea urchins  (though not as infested as Senegal), so exercise due caution. You won't find XXL or triple overhead waves here, at least nothing too big or steep for intermediate surfers. Advanced surfers can find barrels during bigger swells, but there weren't many of those this season. The local surfers were all pretty friendly despite mon très mauvais français.

The windy northeast side of the island

Most breaks on most days were choppy or blownout due to the constant 15-20 knot tradewinds blowing in from the east. Your best bet for glassy waves or offshore winds are the breaks in the northwestern corner of the island - Port Louis or Anse Bertrand. They require a northern swell though, which seldom occurred during my stay. The northern swells we prayed for came only 3 times in 2 months, lingering for about 3 days at a time. 

Rain keeps the crowds away at Anse Bertrand

My local friend lamented it was the worst season she had seen. It was windier and less wave-rich than usual. I was unlucky to arrive at such a time. Nonetheless, what waves I did get were fun and just the right level for my recovery from a SLAP tear in my right shoulder.

Port Louis

The crown jewel of Gwada surfing. Think long and slopey walls of turquoise water set against undeveloped mangroves and white sand beaches on the quiet northwestern side of the island. This is the only spot where winds are always offshore. Unfortunately, it doesn't break often because it requires a northern swell. 

There are multiple breaks; Rights and Lefts is the most popular. The sweet spot is a 12-15 second 2+ meter NNE swell at low to mid-tide. It's a special day if you can get it. Enter from the rocky spit jutting out into the water a 5 minute walk from the parking lot, just after the bridge. Winds are offshore and, when they're strong, they can push my lazy ass back to the lineup without paddling. Beware the current that pushes surfers northwards into a set of more advanced waves that break over very shallow reef.

Port Louis, northwest Grand-Terre, Gaudeloupe

Anse Bertrand

The "overflow parking lot" to Port Louis. My favorite spot on the island. When Port Lous is too crowded, head 10 minutes north to ye little town of Anse Bertrand and enter through the channels on either side of the clifftop parking lot at Plage de la Chapelle. Winds swing between offshore to cross-shore. Surf checks are easy here because you can park on the cliff and watch the waves from your car. The main peak tends to fill up at high tide with a regular crew of longboarders but shortboarders can head over to the left on the other side of the channel to wait out the crowd. If you stick to the main peak, the left deposits you near some sharp rocks under the cliff, while the right lays you down gently in a channel like a baby in a cradle.

Anse Bertrand, northwest Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Plage du Souffleur

Beginner spot with mixed sand and rock bottom. A 5-minute drive from the main Port Louis reef break (a.k.a. Lefts and Rights). There are schools and board rentals right on the beach. Wave height tends to be 1/3 to 1/2 the size of Lefts and Rights. Enter from sandy beach. Near food and shops.

Plage du Souffleur, northwest Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Damencourt

Hollow A-frame at Le Moule on the north side. Suffers from heavy onshore wind and agro crowds. I didn't bother surfing this one. Every time I checked, the waves looked spoiled by wind. I usually drove on to Anse Salabouelle nearby.

Damencourt, Le Moule, northeast Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Anse Salabouelle

Where everyone hoping to surf Damencourt actually ends up. The hills around Anse Salabouelle give the waves some shelter from the onshore wind, making it the best spot on the northeast side on windy days (which is most days). Tricky entry/exit. There are only 2 places where you can exit as the rest of the shore is made of sharp rocks laiden with sea urchins. There are 2 peaks. The one on the left has a tight takeoff point and steeper waves. The one on the right has a wider takeoff zone and shiftier peaks.

Anse Salabouelle, northeast Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Caravelle

Right in front of the Club Med is Digue, a shallow but surprisingly uncrowded break (1-5 surfers) with punchy but short rides. It's on the south side of the island though, which means wind is onshore. Enter from the sandy beach in front of the jetski dock and paddle right to the buoys by the big catamaran. Watch out for the submerged bommie in front of the takeoff zone and the shin-scrapers on the inside (aptly named "Surgeon's Table"). Alternatively, you can try the deeper, more beginner-friendly breaks by paddling left to the rock jetty. Shoutout to Michel and his son who work the fruit stand on the beach who let me eat all the leftover fruit if I help them carry stuff back to their car at the end of the day.

Plage de la Caravelle, southeast Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Petit Havre

Pretty cove on the south side of the island that's the closest thing to a left point break where the waves wrap around a promontory and a reef. It's just a 10 minute drive down the road from Plage de la Caravelle. There can be good lefts here if you can 1) find parking and 2) wait for a less windy day (<10 knots). It's otherwise unsatisfying chop. Current and wind will keep pushing you away from the peak, so prepare to paddle constantly to stay in place. Very shallow on the inside - too shallow to even snorkel.

Petit Havre, southeast Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Le Helleux

Beginner-friendly break on the south side. Exposed to onshore winds during peak surf season. Congestion peaks in mid-morning and late afternoons when the surf schools teach lessons. The cobblestone beach has a steep slope down to a channel through which surfers paddle out then hang left for mushy, blownout waves or hang right for short, point break-ish waves that hug the cliff to the right (when facing the water).

Le Helleux, southeast Grand-Terre, Guadeloupe

Plage de Cluny

Sand bottomed and one of only two breaks on Basse Terre (the left wing of the butterfly-shaped island of Guadeloupe) but it's best left to bodyboarders. It's offshore wind and barrels, breaking right on shore. You need a very strong northern swell (which is rare) for this break to work. 

Plage de Cluny, northwest Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe

Plage de Gadet

Nothing burger. The other break on Basse Terre. Longboarder break but breaks extremely rarely.

Plage de Gadet, northwest Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe

Food

Like on many small islands with agriculture limited to cash crops (sugarcane, here specifically), food is quite expensive - whether you cook at home or eat out. Locally grown fruits, such as watermelons, are affordable but apples and oranges, which are all imported, cost 1 euro each. Just like in Hawaii, most food is imported from mainland France and so the prices reflect the cost of transporting goods across the Atlantic. 

On top of the import costs, the government slaps an additional "octroi de mer" (dock dues) that range from 0-60%, depending on the product. Supposedly, this extra tax funds public services but, looking at the state of infrastructure here (non-tourist locals suffer from frequent outages in electricity and water, and the roads are ridden with tire-eating potholes), I believe that tax revenue is going elsewhere. Locals say the money actually goes to the béké, the descendants of slaveowners, such as the Hayot family, who maintain an economic monopoly over Guadeloupe to this day.

Sugarcane plantations cover the interior

Restaurants are pricey (which is why I cooked more than I ate out). Expect to pay more than 20 euros per meal here when dining out. A few gems I found:

- Widy Grego - vegetarian restaurant tucked in the woods behind a house. Open only 3 hours a day. Best to go when they're serving their prix-fixe 3-course meal.

Creole style at Widy Grego

- Chez Tiko - restaurant frequented by locals looking for takeout, opens early at 7am

Generous portion of navarin d'agneau at Chez Tiko

- Any food truck that makes bokit, a fried sandwich. Delicious when stuffed with steak, egg, and cheese.

Bokit, only in Gwada

Transportation & Lodging

You will need to rent a car if you want to explore surf spots around the island. The buses cost 1-3 euros per ride and arrive every hour but don't allow surfboards. Only Caravelle, Helleux, and Plage du Souffleur had board rentals at the beach. Magaloc had the best rates - about half the cost of other car rental companies - but the worst website (try changing the year in the date picker for birth date). 

Lodging varies widely in price from $30/night hostels to $3000/night villas. For extended stays, I recommend a self-catering apartment with kitchen, washer, dryer, etc. where you can negotiate a discount for staying longer (which means less turnover, less marketing, and fewer vacant days for the owner). This  one at Be On the Beach came with beachfront views, modern amenities, Starlink internet, and proximity to shops and restaurants.

Be On the Beach self-catering apartments right on the beach

Medical Care

There are many physical therapists (called kiné, for short) on the island and they only charge $20 per session (a bargain compared to america). My kiné at Aquapole took my post-accident recovery to the next level and I'm now able to surf without pain. I highly recommend Nolan at Aquapole if you need physical therapist who understands the specific needs of a surfer (Nolan surfs himself).

If you're into woo woo stuff, there's a bunch of osteopaths who do energy work, as well as a bevy of reiki healers, shamans, and other tradesmen of commercialized spirituality. There was a Sedona-like Cosmic Yoga Festival here in April. I went for the sound baths and colonic cleanses. I kid, I kid. I can't afford the 100 euro admission for what's largely a snake oil fest.

Flyer for Cosmic Yoga Festival

Lay Day Activities

Chase waterfalls! There are so many great hikes, especially on Basse-Terre, where you can end the day in a hot spring on the beach.

Waterfall in Basse-Terre

Or go windsurfing, kitesurfing, sailing, etc. There's plenty of wind to go around. For nightlife, there are parties at Le Gosier and karaoke at Karazouk chain of swanky karaoke dinner clubs.

Karazouk, Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe

Gym

When it's time to hit the gym, I recommend the french gym chain, Fitness Park. They have free weights, benches, squat racks, machines, stretching rooms, group classes, and AC. The Le Moule branch has a calisthenics area with hot, sweaty, hot men shredded to the nines... Nine-pack abs. Oh, I counted an extra one. I must have been looking too low. Teehee.

Fitness Park, Le Moule, Guadeloupe

Conclusion

Gwada's cool. It's not the best place if you're looking for consistent swell, but it offers a whole lot of other activities and foods to try. Go visit. But get out before the sargassum arrives at the end of April! It stinks and it's toxic to swim in.

Footnotes

* = Warning: this french school does NOT cater to absolute beginners, which they didn't tell me in advance. I was the only student who didn't have prior french language training. I struggled to keep up, but eventually I could speak enough to get a banana thrown at me by a fruit vendor. I even applied my broken french to make sure the doctors treated the correct arm ("La droite, la droite!").