How to navigate Ghana's epically cool surf scene

Many attribute the beginning of African surf culture to Bruce Brown's 1966 film, The Endless Summer, which featured West African beach communities in Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll realize that Brown's film gets far too much credit for introducing locals to surfing—Black people have been riding waves along African shores with surf canoes since the 1640s.

Today, with more than 300 miles of coastline, Ghana is one of the world's best surfing destinations, but for decades, its waves have been overlooked. Although many travelers head straight to for Busua, the country’s surfing hub, for lessons, locals also recommend areas like Cape Three Points and Kokrobite for everyone from beginners to pros—even if you're just looking to escape Accra for the weekend.

To get specific intel on how to make the most of Ghana's surf scene, we chatted with two Ghanaian surfers—Justices Brothers' co-owner Justice Kwofie and Skate Unity owner Jacob Arthur—both of whom call Busua home. “I’ve been surfing for 10 years now,” Kwofie said. “We were always surfing, but it wasn’t proper surfing boards like we’re now using; we were catching white waves with body boards, having fun, and just seeing how far we could go.”

And just as surfing in its many forms has been a staple of the community for generations, Kwofie and Arthur are working to bring even more people into the fold. “We realized surfing was only for men in Ghana, so we brought female surfers in,” Kwofie said. “My team and I decided to go to our churches and schools to speak to girls interested in surfing—we teach them how to swim and surf for free. We wanted to use this program to teach and show them they can be in the water, surfing and having fun like we do. It’s for everybody.”

Here, their best recs on where to go, no matter your skill level.

Busua is more than a sleepy beach town. “A long time ago, Busua was a fishing and farming village, but now we’re also using the ocean to surf,” Kwofie said.

Despite being a good spot for beginners, beaches in Busua serve different levels of surfers. “If it’s a high tide with white waves, it’s ideal for beginners—the green waves are for professional surfers,” Arthur said. “The best time of the year to come is March because we have a big celebration called the Asa Baako Festival. So many people come around to have fun; there are beach and jungle parties—and surfing, as well.”

Although Busua is considered the surf capital of Ghana by many, more advanced surfers might not find it particularly challenging. For those who don’t need lessons and are ready to catch waves on their own, Arthur and Kwofie recommends heading to Keta, a fishing enclave at the mouth of Lake Volta.

“In Busua, our waves are very short—you just ride one or two and you’re done. But [in Keta], you can have long rides. There is no surf school, so it’s a place for pro surfers because the current is very strong," Kwofie said.

Cape Three Points, a farmer's and fishermen's village between Dixcove and Princes Town on a small peninsula at Ghana's southernmost tip, is another great pick for experience surfers. In addition to a point break—when a swell strikes a point of land, usually a jutting rock, creating primo surf waves—the area is also home to the country's only coastal rainforest reserve.

If you're looking to surf but don't want to drive the five hours from Accra to Busua, Kokrobite, a small fishing village, is about an hour from the capital. “They also have a point break and a nice surfing area,” Arthur said.

Though small, this stretch of sand is bursting with energy and there are a handful of spots surfers should not miss.