Skip to main content

Surfers in Nigeria - a trip to Tarkwa Bay Beach



Like Fela says “Water you no get enemy”.  Whenever my friends asked to go to a lake or on a beach holiday, I would roll my eyes thinking I can’t swim, and I don’t want to work on my tan cos I got one for free.

All my memories of going to the beach in Nigeria start like this, kids running around, sounds of laughter and music in the air, the smell of barbecue, the rushing sounds of the ocean, of waves breaking, people dipping their feet or standing in the water but nobody really swimming.
 
I couldn’t really swim until 2010 when I finally decided to go to a swim school in Munich. It’s not uncommon that’s a higher percentage of people born in Nigeria not living close to a natural body of water never learnt to swim. And there is of course the tales of the water Gods and Goddesses that prevent people from venturing into natural bodies of water.


So yes, I was shocked and surprised to learn that there were Nigerian children surfing at Tarkwa Bay Beach. For me it meant that they had gone beyond the tales of our past and reached out for something new, something different so I had to see this myself.

What’s the gist about Tarkwa Bay? It’s an artificial Island from the 1960’s that was created as the Lagos Harbor was being established. It’s a couple of kilometers away from Lagos island and is only accessible via boat. Tarkwa Bay is home to the only Surf School I know in Nigeria. I think it’s cool that this way people can learn other ways to interact with water. 


Traffic on the beaches in Lagos are at their busiest on the weekends starting from Friday evenings and on Public holidays. I had to choose a day that allowed me observe my surrounding with reduced human activity. To get there we took a jetty service from Merkwe Jetty close to Bonny Camp. The boat can take up to 10 people, we had to wait for other passengers before we could depart. I didn’t find a schedule, but I was told that the last transfer from Tarkwa bay back is at 6 pm.

We shared our boat ride with 3 surfers and a couple so it meant there would be some surf action going on. The transfer cost 2000 naira return per person, on arrival we had to pay a 200-naira entry fee person. I almost started dancing when I saw the tent like bamboo shade sitting area, I knew I was home cos we get it; you need shade in the scotching sun!  I can see this place being a party location but for the time of day we arrived it was perfect for chilling and doing nothing but listen to music and go for a swim. So, I chilled, watched the local surfers and I went for a swim. 

I somehow connected to the story of the kids learning how to surf. Picture this, you are in Mexico on the pacific coast watching dolphins and whales. The tour guide stops the boat and says you can go for a swim. I see my fellow travelers jump in the ocean and surface back up, the move looks beautiful and graceful, but I am paralyzed with fear. And I say to myself not today but make a promise to myself I will one day jump into Ocean and swim like a fish but it’s not today 😊


I have made progress I don’t jump into water from a boat I carefully step into it, when I swim in open waters, I try to keep mind that’s okay if my feet don’t touch the ground. Watching the locals at Tarkwa bay surf, seeing the kids so comfortable being water just reminded how times have changed and how change can sometimes be something positive.


Cheers to the Nigerian surfers at Tarkwa Bay


Labels:
Location: Tarkwa Bay, Lagos, Nigeria

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 culturally or spiritually significant sites you can visit across Nigeria.

As the days of my trip progressed, I realized that many of the natural sites that had survived or were being preserved had strong spiritual or cultural ties. Whether I believed the stories behind them or not was irrelevant. What mattered was that, thanks to those beliefs, these incredible places were being protected and were still accessible to visitors. Here are my favorite sites from the ones I visited. Awhum Waterfall  is attached to a monastery, and the water is believed to be sacred. So much so that women are traditionally not allowed to visit the falls while wearing trousers. The waterfall is about an hour to an hour and a half's drive from Enugu City, depending on where you depart from. The entire hike covers 6.77 km and took us 2 hours and 27 minutes to complete, including photo stops and breaks. It is absolutely beautiful. The trail begins on an open stretch before gradually descending until you reach the stream that flows from the waterfall. At this poi...
Post a Comment
Read more

is this seat free?

So, after you think you have seen it all, I checked in and thought I was running late. Couldn't find somewhere to seat at the D34 KLM departure lounge. I walked towards a free-standing space next to a wall to lean on it. When I suddenly heard two ladies, or should I just say two female adults talking rather loudly. whilst I was still trying to get my head around what the conversation was about, I just saw lady number two reach over and slap lady number one hard across the face "yelling am I your mate?!?" A typical Nigerian expression you hear during fights. Omg it turns out that lady number one was trying to save the seat next to her for an elderly woman who got up to go buy water. An important fact to note about this, is that none of these women are related to the elderly woman. So lady number two ignores lady number ones initial comments which must have made her say something rude which resulted in an early morning cat fight entertainment. In a normal worl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Before you start jumping around, come and fetch water….

So its 7.00 am Saturday morning and NEPA graciously welcomed me back by taking the light and not bringing it back. So the coal city had been draped in total darkness for the last 10 hours till daylight allowed us appreciate our surroundings again. I can see that it’s a bit too late for Okpara square, it has now turned into the bootcamp workout area for all Enugu people and visitors alike. My mum thinks however that it is where people go to hook up .  She says if they ate less they wouldn’t have to go jumping around outside looking for someone to chase them around. Anyways I am still mentally sorting my dvds to decide what workout I wanted to do when I realized that the water drum in the hallway was almost empty. Like the good daughter I am trying to be, I asked my mum if I should fill up the drum for her and she said no because the young woman that comes to fetch water for her would be there on Monday. So I walked off to go put on my gym clothes. On second thought being t...
4 comments
Read more