Thursday, December 2, 2010

Surfer's Beach

Bored of these Bahamas pictures yet? Just a few more and then I'll get back to regularly scheduled programming. Whatever that is. Oh, yeah, hippopotamus butts and lorikeet poop!

Until then I give you,

"OUR Bahamas (and no one elses), Part 6 (or whatever # I'm on):

Surfer's Beach"


A handful of miles south of our home base on OUR island of Eleuthera, at the end of a very windy, bumpy, and gutted road, lies Surfer's Beach.

It is on the Atlantic side, duh, and boasts some seriously narly waves. Or not.


The surfer's shack speaks of all of the past surfers who have come to ride the waves on this gorgeous and mostly deserted strip of loveliness. We actually did see a few other groups of tourists while on this beach. But on most days, like on most Eleutheran beaches, we had the place to ourselves.

All seven miles.

Jerry, ever the adventurer, hooked up with a surf board from a new aquaintance with the goal of testing these bodacious waves.

Yes. He does look good, doesn't he?


Looking good, honey!!

Just waiting for your perfect wave?


Just looking for any wave?

(Ha ha! Look at our dumb shadows as we click pictures of Jerry doing nothing but holding his board horizontal.)

This is boring. Come on kids, lets do something fun!


At the top of the sand dune is a wooden shelter with benches and cup holders. But it wasn't what was at the top of the hill that interested the kids, it was the hill itself!!


WEEEEEEE!!!! Yep. The kids ran up and down, up and down that hill, eventually giving up using their feet and sliding down on their tummies and backs!

That's Paige in the background, coming down the dune head first on her back. I'm still finding sand in her hair! But who cares! They had so much freaking fun!


Still looking good, honey!


After getting all sandy, and bored watching Jerry not find a single good wave, we headed a bit north on the beach to the "Baby Pools". It's an area protected slightly by a rocky reef so the waves come in slow and gentle and the water stays shallow enough for the babies.


There were sharp, rocky outcroppings next to the Baby Pools that the kids loved to explore and hunt for invertebrates and abandoned shells.

Oh, I haven't mentioned the shells yet! All over the beaches, where the tide line lay, were the most perfectly formed miniature shells you could ever find! We didn't find many large shells, but baby ones of all shapes, sizes, and designs. It was beach combing heaven!


Paige, my collector, would entirely fill up her plastic baggie with shells and other goodies, just to do it again the next day.


Oh, look, kids! Crashing waves two feet away! Look how dark and deep that water is over there!

Na, na, na, boo, boo, you waves can't get us!


Na, na, na, boo.....BOOOM!


Poor Phoebe got a face full!

I learned my lesson. Waves can, and will, get you!


After hours of shell hunting, swimming, exploring, and not-surfing, the walk back to the car can be exhausting.

Surfer's Beach will be on our short list of places to revisit when we go back in 2011. Maybe see you there!