Another week, another edit drops proving that Namibia’s Skeleton Bay is best wave on the planet. This time it was Oliver Kurtz, Brett Barley and Koa Smith’s footage that showed that when Skeleton breaks, there is no longer, heavier or more perfect tube. It’s Kelly’s wave, on steroids that have been injected with steroids. “It makes Desert Point look ordinary,” Anthony Walsh, a regular visitor, once to told surf coach Andy King, who told me. “Skeleton can bend your brain. All other waves become irrelevant.”
It’s remarkable that it is less than ten years since Namibia first revealed herself to the wide world. That was back in 2009, when a single wave ridden by Corey Lopez was beamed over the web and surfing had a real once in a generation kick-up-the-consciousness. That wave, that went on to feature in Lost’s 5′5″ x 19 1/4″: Redux, showed Corey riding a wave for a well over a minute in which he threaded about five different tubes, racing for kilometres at warp speed only metres from a windy sand shore. They called it “The New Cape St Francis”. Unlike in the Endless Summer though, this was no movie trick. This was the real deal.
Ian Walsh who also surfed that session told me not long afterwards, “This is the best wave in the world. End of Story.” He’s been proved right.
Now Corey and Walshy’s waves weren’t the first surfed at Skeleton Bay. South Africa’s pre-eminent surf journalist and editor Paul Jarvis says, “Ten years prior to Corey Lopez's ridiculous wave, they were surfing it, or attempting to surf it. Emails were bandied about often enough between a few hardy Namibian locals and the South African surfing mag editors, telling them about the spot, inviting them up, begging them to have a look. Being the dumb, unbelieving fools that the editor's were at the time (me) they never took the offer.”
One surfer who did take up the offer was Grant “Twiggy” Baker, the South African had been told about a mythical left in the desert over a few beers in a South Africa bar and had made the pilgrimage half a dozen times prior to its “rediscovery”. Surfing magazine’s Evan Slater also surfed it 2006, however the resulting images didn’t quite do it justice. After Corey’s wave though, the word was out and since then multiple clips have shown just how special wave this is. So far so good then. A new wave that offers the longest tubes in the world, breaking over sand and looking like cartoon perfection. So is it too good to be true? In some respects, well, yes. For Skeleton Bay to come alive it needs a pretty specific swell, the tide needs to be just right, the wind needs to be fresh offshore and the swell needs to have a perfect direction. These variables don’t happen that often. The current is so diabolical it is pointless trying to paddle against it. There are plenty of big sharks around, but they're pretty well fed on the huge seals that live here, and it is a bleak, wind-swept beach that you spend your time on. It’s also a 36-hour drive from Cape Town, and you’ll need a 4wd, and probably a guide, or ideally a guide with 4wd.
It’s also deceptively difficult to ride."The drop is all-important at this wave,” says South African Pro Dan Redman. “We've had some of the top surfers from South Africa go there and not make a takeoff for two days. And this can happen regularly.”
Of course if you do manage to handle the drop, a wave of incomparable length, speed and tubetime awaits. By the time you have finished you’ll be about a kilometre down the windswept desert beach, ready for a walk back and aiming to start all over again.
“You start off running and then mid-day you're kind of jogging and by the end of the day you're dragging your weary body to the top of the point,” said Twiggy. “But it's impossible to stop doing it when the waves are good.”
The perfect day: A massive Atlantic low creates a huge long period swell. Short period swells don’t make it into the bay.
Getting there: Fly into Cape Town and then drive a day north up the west coast of South Africa into Namibia, or fly into the near(ish) airport. We can’t give you any more information than that.
Boards: Short, thicker and stronger than normal. This place breaks normal boards like toothpicks.
Essentials: A 5/4, booties and gloves. A local guide, advanced take-off and tuberiding skills, heavy duty fitness, a sense of adventure. A Go-Pro.
Accommodation: There is a local accommodation nearby, used by the kitesurfing crew for years. Once again, you’ll have to find the details on your own
Other waves: Namibia offers some of the least explored and most potential for waves anywhere in the world. There are other Skeleton Bays out there, if you have the guts, determination and sense of adventure.
