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Surfing Makes a Splash in Post-War Angola
May 24, 2005
By Zoe Eisenstein
CABO LEDO, Angola (Reuters) - Oil worker Francois cuts through the waves, admiring the pristine white beaches and dramatic cliffs in the distance.
Glancing down from his speeding surfboard, he sees a dolphin swimming alongside him and his exhilaration soars.
This avid surfer is not at Hawaii's Waimea Bay or Cape Town's Koeelbay Caves. He is in Angola -- better known for its three decades of civil war, land mines, oil and poverty.
The war killed around a million people, destroyed the country's infrastructure and made travel outside the capital Luanda difficult and dangerous.
Tourism came to a standstill as most Angolans were forced to focus solely on survival and the country dropped off the map for even the most adventurous traveler.
But three years of peace mean that Angolans and foreigners are starting to rediscover areas which for years were off limits.
A lively beach scene is again emerging along Angola's 1,000 miles of windswept Atlantic coastline and surfing -- first practiced in Angola in the 1960s -- is a big part of the revival.
From the cold waters of Namibe province in the South to the warm summer waters of Cabo Ledo close to Luanda, the swell may not always match South Africa's famous waves, but spectacular, deserted beaches mean Angola has the potential to become a popular surfing destination.
"Cabo Ledo is the most beautiful spot -- it's perfect for surfing," said Francois, who spends his weekdays working for one of the big four foreign oil companies operating here.
WEEKEND ESCAPE
Come the weekend, he and his friends are up at the crack of dawn, loading their boards onto cars and leaving the headaches of city life behind them.
"Living in Luanda is really stressful. It can get you down -- the traffic, the rubbish, problems trying to get regular supplies of water and electricity," said one of his surfing friends.
"I know most Angolans have it even worse than the foreigners here, but it's great to be able to escape. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have surfing to look forward to every weekend," he added.
Cabo Ledo, easily accessible and only an hour's drive south of the capital, is just one of around a dozen locations growing increasingly popular among surfers.
During the war, it was one of the few places where a small but loyal band of surfers dared to venture, with multiple police and army roadblocks the norm until relatively recently.
"During the '70s, '80s and '90s, you only had occasional surfers in Angola. Traveling around was always a problem because of the war," said Richard Norris, widely regarded as the authority on surfing in Angola.
"We never traveled alone and we could spend up to an hour getting a convoy of vehicles over the heavily guarded Kwanza river bridge (south of Luanda). At the beach, some of the expats had guards who would keep a look out," he added.
A former oil worker now based in Paris, Norris spent more than four years until 2000 living, working and surfing in the southwest African country.
SURFING THE WEB
Pictures e-mailed to friends back home formed the basis of what is now one of the largest surfing Web sites in the world (www.wannasurf.com).
"I took some photographs of the surf in Angola which nobody back in Europe had seen before and I wanted to show them to my friends. They put them on the Internet and the site just grew from there," he said.
The conflict also made surfing here a pastime prized for its rarity.
"That's what's always been nice about surfing in Angola. It is unique," said Norris.
Even now the "surf queues" which dog more fashionable international locations are still a long way off. But the sport is becoming increasingly popular, with the thrill of the waves starting to attract locals as well as expatriates.
Every weekend, children from the tiny fishing village of Cabo Ledo flock to the beach in the hope of borrowing a board to test the waters for themselves.
"We've given the kids some of our old boards and they're coming to surf with us now. They're getting really good. Surfing is starting to get more popular among the locals," said Francois.
"At the moment it's an imported sport but it could be promoted in Angola because it's very cheap. You just need a simple board which could easily be made here," he added.
With only a handful of bungalows and hotel rooms available there, facilities are basic to say the least. But for many of Angola's surfers, that is part of the attraction.
"It's the whole beach bounty experience -- the night-time fires, barbecues and being lulled to sleep under the stars by the crashing waves," said one.
Heavy bureaucracy, sky-high prices and Angola's war-scarred reputation are still a turn-off for many potential surfing tourists.
Those in the know will be happy to keep it that way.
(Editing by Rosalind Russell, Johannesburg newsroom, +27 11 775 3156))
Surfing Makes a Splash in Post-War Angola
May 24, 2005
By Zoe Eisenstein
CABO LEDO, Angola (Reuters) - Oil worker Francois cuts through the waves, admiring the pristine white beaches and dramatic cliffs in the distance.
Glancing down from his speeding surfboard, he sees a dolphin swimming alongside him and his exhilaration soars.
This avid surfer is not at Hawaii's Waimea Bay or Cape Town's Koeelbay Caves. He is in Angola -- better known for its three decades of civil war, land mines, oil and poverty.
The war killed around a million people, destroyed the country's infrastructure and made travel outside the capital Luanda difficult and dangerous.
Tourism came to a standstill as most Angolans were forced to focus solely on survival and the country dropped off the map for even the most adventurous traveler.
But three years of peace mean that Angolans and foreigners are starting to rediscover areas which for years were off limits.
A lively beach scene is again emerging along Angola's 1,000 miles of windswept Atlantic coastline and surfing -- first practiced in Angola in the 1960s -- is a big part of the revival.
From the cold waters of Namibe province in the South to the warm summer waters of Cabo Ledo close to Luanda, the swell may not always match South Africa's famous waves, but spectacular, deserted beaches mean Angola has the potential to become a popular surfing destination.
"Cabo Ledo is the most beautiful spot -- it's perfect for surfing," said Francois, who spends his weekdays working for one of the big four foreign oil companies operating here.
WEEKEND ESCAPE
Come the weekend, he and his friends are up at the crack of dawn, loading their boards onto cars and leaving the headaches of city life behind them.
"Living in Luanda is really stressful. It can get you down -- the traffic, the rubbish, problems trying to get regular supplies of water and electricity," said one of his surfing friends.
"I know most Angolans have it even worse than the foreigners here, but it's great to be able to escape. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have surfing to look forward to every weekend," he added.
Cabo Ledo, easily accessible and only an hour's drive south of the capital, is just one of around a dozen locations growing increasingly popular among surfers.
During the war, it was one of the few places where a small but loyal band of surfers dared to venture, with multiple police and army roadblocks the norm until relatively recently.
"During the '70s, '80s and '90s, you only had occasional surfers in Angola. Traveling around was always a problem because of the war," said Richard Norris, widely regarded as the authority on surfing in Angola.
"We never traveled alone and we could spend up to an hour getting a convoy of vehicles over the heavily guarded Kwanza river bridge (south of Luanda). At the beach, some of the expats had guards who would keep a look out," he added.
A former oil worker now based in Paris, Norris spent more than four years until 2000 living, working and surfing in the southwest African country.
SURFING THE WEB
Pictures e-mailed to friends back home formed the basis of what is now one of the largest surfing Web sites in the world (www.wannasurf.com).
"I took some photographs of the surf in Angola which nobody back in Europe had seen before and I wanted to show them to my friends. They put them on the Internet and the site just grew from there," he said.
The conflict also made surfing here a pastime prized for its rarity.
"That's what's always been nice about surfing in Angola. It is unique," said Norris.
Even now the "surf queues" which dog more fashionable international locations are still a long way off. But the sport is becoming increasingly popular, with the thrill of the waves starting to attract locals as well as expatriates.
Every weekend, children from the tiny fishing village of Cabo Ledo flock to the beach in the hope of borrowing a board to test the waters for themselves.
"We've given the kids some of our old boards and they're coming to surf with us now. They're getting really good. Surfing is starting to get more popular among the locals," said Francois.
"At the moment it's an imported sport but it could be promoted in Angola because it's very cheap. You just need a simple board which could easily be made here," he added.
With only a handful of bungalows and hotel rooms available there, facilities are basic to say the least. But for many of Angola's surfers, that is part of the attraction.
"It's the whole beach bounty experience -- the night-time fires, barbecues and being lulled to sleep under the stars by the crashing waves," said one.
Heavy bureaucracy, sky-high prices and Angola's war-scarred reputation are still a turn-off for many potential surfing tourists.
Those in the know will be happy to keep it that way.
(Editing by Rosalind Russell, Johannesburg newsroom, +27 11 775 3156))
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© 2009 Surfer's Quest. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Surfer's Quest. All rights reserved.