Épisodes

  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 8 HAITI Sud-Est
    Dec 7 2025

    This travelogue details an exploration of the surf potential near Jacmel, Haiti, a historic French colonial port and a vital destination known for its annual Carnival festival and distinctive art scene. The area, particularly the seaside district of Kabik, is identified as a consistent surfing location, benefiting from seasonal tradewinds that generate reliable swell on the coral reefs. Although the city of Jacmel suffered significant destruction from the 2010 earthquake, it maintains its appeal with restored architecture and a few operational hotels, though the poverty is evident in the prevalence of plastic rubbish at river mouths. Crucially, Kabik is noted as the sole area in Haiti with a small group of local surfers, relying on visiting surfers to provide them with necessary gear.

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    12 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 7 HAITI Nord-Ouest
    Nov 30 2025

    The surfEXPLORE team embarked on a journey to the least-visited area of Haiti, the far northwest Atlantic coast, during the winter north swell season to seek out unridden waves. Their expedition involved a challenging drive through a sparsely populated and dry region, ultimately leading to the discovery of promising rivermouth setups and a reef break wave that they were likely the first to surf. A significant subplot details the legal battle surrounding the proposed cruise ship port development on Ile de Tortue (Turtle Island), which has halted a major tourism project due to conflicting claims dating back to 1970. The explorers’ return journey was nearly disastrous as they navigated a dangerously deteriorated and muddy mountain track, highlighting the severe infrastructure challenges in this remote part of Haiti.

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    15 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 6, HAITI SUD
    Nov 23 2025

    The account details a surf expedition along the largely unexplored south coast of Haiti, an area receiving consistent swell but lacking any established surf culture or information.

    The surfEXPLORE Group navigated to remote locations like Grosse Caye and Ile á Vache, where they discovered excellent surfing conditions on a left point break but encountered logistical hurdles, notably an engine seizure on their boat due to the operator's negligence and a challenging rescue effort.

    Alongside the pursuit of waves, the narrative highlights the pervasive presence of local folklore and belief in zombies, dramatically illustrated by a harrowing roadside encounter, underscoring the deep-seated presence of Voodoo and its associated cultural fears in these isolated regions.

    Ultimately, the journey confirmed the existence of superb, uncrowded surfing spots while navigating the country's unique and sometimes intimidating local environment.

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    12 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 5 GABON
    Nov 16 2025

    The source recounts the journey of the surfEXPLORE Group to Gabon, Central Africa, with the primary objective of surfing the rarely visited point breaks in the far south at Mayumba.

    Due to the challenging logistics—including a car crash sidelining their initial contact, the need for a long drive through the vast equatorial forest, and the necessity of navigating the French-speaking region known as “Françafrique”—the group hired a long-distance taxi, or taxi-brousse, driven by Auguste.

    After days of travel, enduring encounters like the smell of bushmeat being prepared, they reached Mayumba during the optimal winter swell season and successfully surfed pristine, remote waves, even overcoming bureaucratic hurdles and high fees to access Mayumba National Park. The trip concluded with a memorable return

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    15 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 4 COMOROS
    Nov 10 2025

    This excerpt from "surfEXPLORE Discovering New Surfing Locations Worldwide" chronicles the challenging journey of John Seaton Callahan and The surfEXPLORE Group to find waves in the remote volcanic archipelago of Comoros, near Madagascar.

    The narrative highlights the extreme difficulty of travel and the near-total lack of general tourism, largely attributed to the islands' history of political instability and pervasive government corruption.

    Key themes include the chaos of inter-island ferry travel—where the uncomfortable, often cancelled journeys culminated in passengers violently vomiting into plastic bags—and the extortionate demands of local officials upon arrival.

    Despite these logistical nightmares, the explorers successfully surfed uncrowded breaks, such as the ominously named "Dead Fisherman’s Point"

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    15 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 3, CHINA Hainan Island
    Nov 3 2025

    The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 3, CHINA Hainan Island, surfing in the south China Sea with The surfEXPLORE Group - point waves and beachbreaks, swell generated by the northeast monsoon, source materials from the new book surfEXPLORE: Discovering New Surfing Locations Worldwide from Schiffer Publishing.

    These excerpts recount various surf exploration projects undertaken by the "surfEXPLORE Group" across numerous developing and politically volatile global regions, highlighting the challenges and discoveries involved in finding unridden waves. The narratives consistently detail the seasonal nature of surfing conditions and the logistical complexities of travel, including dealing with poor infrastructure, high costs, bureaucratic hurdles like visas and permits (e.g., in Angola, Indonesia's Papua provinces, and Western Sahara), and even direct political unrest (e.g., in Liberia, Eastern Samar, and the Comoros). Across destinations like Angola, Taiwan, and the Philippines, the texts also show how political and economic history influences local development and interaction with visitors, often revealing waves previously unknown to the surfing community.

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    16 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 2 ANGOLA
    Oct 27 2025

    These texts offer an extensive overview of global surfing exploration undertaken by the surfEXPLORE Group, detailing trips to remote, often politically volatile locations across Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean.

    The excerpts consistently describe the seasonal nature of surfing conditions in each region, emphasising the importance of timing to catch the best swell and wind, from the typhoon season in the Philippines and Taiwan to the groundswell of the Indian Ocean in the Maldives and Madagascar.

    Episode 2 features the southwest African country of Angola with the surfEXPLORE Group in the Cabo Ledo area and further south in search of new waves, source materials from the new book surfEXPLORE: Discovering New Surfing Locations Worldwide from Schiffer Publishing.

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    13 min
  • The surfEXPLORE Podcast, Episode 1, ALGERIA
    Oct 20 2025

    The surfEXPLORE Group's mission to Algeria for unridden Mediterranean waves required clever border negotiation and meticulous scouting. They raced a powerful Mistral storm to a remote left point. Their preparation paid off: they surfed overhead waves in a spectacular scene with a winter rainbow, riding a spot never before touched by a surfer.

    #surfing

    #surf_travel

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    15 min