Bureh Beach

Sierra Leone's surf beach, with consistent waves and a community surf club

The peninsula's surf beach. Bureh has the most consistent break on the coast — long left-handers when the swell is up, and gentler whitewater for beginners — and the community surf club hires boards by the hour. Lessons are cheap, the instructors are patient, and the breaks rarely get busy.

The village itself is small and the beach is undeveloped beyond the surf shacks and a couple of palm-thatched restaurants. Bring cash, expect to spend a long lazy lunch sitting in the sand, and let the rhythm of the day dictate itself.

things to do beach swimming
A story
The Bureh Beach Surf Club was founded in 2012 by local fishermen who had grown up surfing on hand-shaped wooden boards. It is now one of the few community-owned surf schools in West Africa, with a handful of donated foam boards and a dozen instructors who learnt to ride waves before they learnt to read.

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