Black Star Blog

It’s been a bit more than a year since I returned to the US from my one year stay as a volunteer with Black Star in Busua. Before going to Ghana I’d traveled all over: North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia. Travel everywhere had been easy. Everything was pretty much the same. When it wasn’t the same, it was just a tweak different. There is a popular saying in Thailand: “same same, but different”. Not exactly sure what that means, but it’s right! Japan was the most different: it is like the Bizarro Jerry episode of Seinfeld. It was like a long lost brother that grew up someplace far away, but it was still clearly a brother; I could still understand their way of doing things, it was just a different (and to me, unique) way to do them. But the end result was the same. That was as different as things got, but it was still easy. Australia, Spain, England, Brazil, even China: same story. Some places were more unique than others, some places were more intriguing than others, and certainly some places were more inspiring than others. But in the end, they all seemed to have the same underlying culture. Mine. I headed for Ghana with no real reason to expect something different; we are all kinda the same.

Then, s-l-a-m! Ghana was a life-changer. Life in Ghana and most of Africa is really completely different than life anywhere else. You feel it as soon as you say “hello” to the place and to the people. How do I describe the difference? It’s impossible to describe. It’s kind of like trying to explain to someone what it’s like to take a drug: the only way you can understand what a drug does to you is to take the drug. Otherwise, it’s indescribable. The only way to know what Africa is like is to go there and see it. It’s in the people and the places. It sounds cliche as I re-read this because this is what people say about everyplace, but it couldn’t be more true of Ghana.

It’s been awhile since we have posted something some waves shots, so here are some waves to help you get you psyched up to surf in Ghana! We will also give you info about surfing in Ghana and what kind of waves to expect and when. We really can have some great waves and most people have no idea. There are also numerous unexplored surf spots to be discovered, which makes Ghana a great surfing adventure!

Black Mamba in April

As you can see, this post has some pictures from three different surf spots. The first two pictures are of Black Mamba Point. Black Mamba is a reef/rock right point break that is paddling distance from our surf shop. It is best on a mid to high tide. The first of these pics was taken in April 2010 when we consistently had waist t chest high sets. This one is of me surfing Black Mamba in waist/shoulder high waves.

Black Mamba- slightly overhead!

When it gets bigger it holds its shape and gets better, as you can see from this second picture! You can check out this video link to see what Black Mamba looked like in April 2009.watch?v=Hz0YenzGZDo

The swell in Ghana builds in May and is chest to 1 ½ overhead from May until sometime in early September. But remember, it starts getting good in April and stays good through the end of October; it is only just a little less consistent and a smaller. Late July thru early September seems to be the months when everything lines up perfectly with a combination of the biggest swells and no wind.

LP's Left in July

This picture is taken from a spot called LP’s or Ketakor in July 2008. This spot is good on a low to mid tide, any swell direction. This spot is actually more of a right but there is a short left that you can take to get your front side fix if your goofy foot. The pics on the home page of Black Star’s website is of LP’s but going right.

The water is a little chilly between Julyand September so bring a spring suit or at least a neoprene top. I surf it bare but, hey, my hometown surf spot is San Francisco!

There is another surf video that features Busua’s beach break, Cape Three Points, and Black Mamba Point. You need a Facebook account to open it and we hope to have it on our Black Star Surf Shop Facebook site soon. This is a really well put together video by Sean McKernan and shows the quality of waves we get in Ghana during prime time so check it out if you can! http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=363912923348&subj=676780135

There are a lot of other quality waves in and around Busua, it just that not many of them have been photographed. There is Dixcove Point, with its long, slow rolling heavy wave that is perfect for beginners and intermediates to practice their turns, Cape Three Points, with both a quality left and right break, Princess Town with two quality beach breaks, and Mutrakni Points which is a small peninsula and has both a right and left point break. There is probably great surfing all up and down the coast of Ghana since we get big organized swells all the way from Antarctica, but we know that the Western Region has the jagged coastline giving us the point breaks to choose from and explore.

View from our Restaurant!

We will leave you with this last picture which was taken in July of 2008 in front of the surf shop. We have a restaurant with a deck looking out at this wave so you can either be out in the water surfing or checking it out with a plate of good food in front of you and a Pina Colada or cold beer in your hand!

Yes, that’s right, there is a Ghana surf team and they are sponsored by Black Star! The Ghana surf team consisting of Charles, Clement and Peter have already competed in numerous surfing competition: several in Ghana and one in the Ivory Coast.

Two of the three Ghana surf team work at Black Star and the other will join us once his English improves. The surf team is also sponsored by Culprit Surf (see picture) of which Black Star co-owner, Peter Nardini, is one of the founders. You can check out Culprit’s stuff at www.culpritsurf.com and buy our products in the US on Ebay. We also sell a lot in surf shops in Portugal, Bali and New Zealand if you happen to live or be visiting one of these countries.

The surf team is also being sponsored by Squalo, the largest surf company in Mexico. Squalo will be teaming up with Black Star to open a new store in Accra, Ghana. Squalo has agreed to sponsor the Ghana surf team and will be providing them with surf boards, clothing, a small salary, and even some travel money. In this picture the guys are wearing Squalo hats and board shorts which were some of their first sponsor items.

Black Star, Culprit Surf, and Squalo will be sponsoring an international surf contest in Ghana in 2011 so keep your eyes open for the dates. We will post the info here on this blog. Maybe the Ghana surf team will shine on their home turf, we will have to see!

The Ghana surf team is improving rapidly and we hope they will continue to improve so they can start holding their own against the Ivorians and Senegalese, and then later on the world stage. So if you see these guys out in the water let them know you support them in their quest to become the competitive surfers that they can be. The natural talent is there that is for sure. Go Ghana surf team !!!!!!!

Local shredder Clement (not even going to try to type his last name) and resident volunteer Tim Lucas hard at play.

The Ahanta Environmental Club (AEC), based in Busua Beach, works for the benefit of the community and with sister clubs all over Ghana. For the past several years, the AEC has collected garbage washed ashore such as toothbrushes, plastic buckets, and bottles to name a few. Kobina Nyarko, an artist and the secretary of AEC, came up with the idea of making art pieces using these wasted materials with the participation of school kids. This idea was realized as Creative Perspectives, which this year was hosted by the Black Star Surf Shop in Busua Beach on Saturday, September 12th. The goal was to bring art to the community and involve them in the creative process of art using discarded materials.

The event featured thirteen artists from Accra and seven artists from Takoradi. Activities started early in the morning with a beach cleanup to gather garbage for the art works. The FCA and AEC provided a total of seven large canvases. The artists worked together with the community to create some unique pieces united by the theme of a cleaner environment. A beach exhibition of all the finished pieces along with other artwork is being planned. The finished works will then remain in the community with the proceeds of any sales going to the AEC.

The project was funded by the European Union Cultural Initiative Support Programme. Additional support was provided by the Foundation for Contemporary Art (FCA), a coalition of artists who have a shared interest in bringing art to the general public so they can see not only the finished art but also the artistic process. Media coverage was provided by Skyy Power FM, SkyyTV, Goodnews FM and Help FM. Additional local support was provided by the African Rainbow Hotel and the Busua Inn. Drinks were donated by Aboyi Olokpo of Schlumberger based in Accra. Brushes were provided by Nick Shardlow of the U.K.

Photos: Nick Pink

On a surprisingly chilly Monday, Black Star surfers Charles and Nick along with a handful of others sampled the liquid gold of Black Mamba point. Surf was slightly overhead in the morning and had increased a few more feet for the evening session. Nick danced around on the beach, his face contorted into a impish grin, and ranted for hours about never leaving Busua, all symptoms of a pitiful condition commonly referred to as Stoke. Doctors speculate that he will recover after a good night’s sleep … unless of course it is still firing in the morning.

Images courtesy Mona Niemeyer

They were six guys that day in April out there in the waves, surfing Balck Mamba Surf Spot. It was exciting because the waves were getting higher and higher and some of them surfed this spot for the first time ever.

While taking the first wave Frankie couldn’t stop jubilating.

We were sitting on the rocks of Black Mamba and could hear him cheering

Also Charles surfed at Black Mamba the first time and handled the situation very well, this time not standing on his head

Hans from Germany had great fun in the waves too.

He could surf for hours, even when lunch was getting cold

Everybody had so much fun and it went on the rest of the day.

In the evening we had great dinner in the Okorye Tree Restaurant. Busua Beach is just an amazing place to be, even when you are not surfing…

Hello everyone!

We haven’t gotten too many shots of Black Mamba, but here is one of me on a mid-June day 2009, just before I moved back to the states (there’s more on Black Star’s Facebook page and I think they will also be on the Black Star web page soon too!)

Here is an old e-mail I just dug up that I wrote to a friend last August, not long after I moved to Busua, about the surf scene in front of the shop:

The island tames the incomming surf, and the sandy-bottom beach is ideal
for smaller waves. Actually, the waves remind me very much of
San Diego beaches. Around the corner to the west, outside of the
little bay, is a wave called Black Mamba. It does not have the buffer
of the island, and it breaks on rocky bottom instead of sand.
It’s a point break that breaks from the west to the east and has a
greater distance that you can cover on the wave. Anyways, my point is
that there is a handfull of people that have ever surfed this wave,
and I surfed it for the first time yesterday, and again this morning.
The wave is phenominal. But it is wearing. The adrenaline rush has
pretty much exhausted me after just a few waves. I’ll spare you the
details of genuine fear.

A bit dramatic? Perhaps. But as July & August are here, and the swells in Ghana are pumping, I am sure that there is some Ghana newbie that is feeling that same way all alone on the coast of Western Ghana. Surfing in Ghana is a rush!

matt