Outer Banks: Bahamas Strike

It’s funny how quickly a decent swell report in the right location can get a bunch of frothers (who are already on another trip!) packing up their gear and heading to the nearest airport. Such is the power of knowing, and trusting, the right people in the right places…

Words: Brian Grubb
Photos: Bryan Soderlind & Joe Penovich

We had been going nonstop all day since 6:30am when we got the text, but now we were almost there. A three-hour drive home to get our passports, then an hour and a half over to Melbourne, Florida, to catch the plane for a two-hour flight. We knew the reports were showing possibly the best waves the Bahamas had ever seen and we were about to get eyes on it. As we approached the island we flew to the north point and started to see the lines. Perfect, glassy, 10-foot bombs cascaded down the whole west side of the island below us. We were all freaking out and couldn’t wait to get in the water…

Eros, Bryan (the Golden Bear) and I were on a trip exploring the west coast of Florida. We had brought the Lift eFoils and the Sea-Doos over there to ride for the day in the grassy flats where the Waccasassa River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. After that we cruised up to Cedar Key for the night to see our friends at Low Key Hideaway, and planned on adventuring around there the next day. 

I woke up at 6:20am, before my alarm went off. I grabbed my phone and had a message from our good friend Joe Penovich. With sleepy eyes I read what it said. “Are you in town? Sorry to ping so early but might be worth it.” I immediately knew exactly what he was talking about. Joe has been taking us over to his secret spot in the Bahamas the last couple years, and he is one of the most generous guys we have ever met and loves to foil and get the boys on waves. The next message said, “It’s too perfect not to try. Currently 11ft x 14 second north swell. 7 knot east wind. Whole west side of the island will be bombing and straight offshore!”. Joe has told us stories about this island going off, but the conditions haven’t lined up in years.

I woke up the boys and told them the situation. Everyone jumped out of bed and started packing up. We were on the road home by 7am to get our passports and get to Joe’s plane in Melbourne.

“Perfect waves with the boys and the sunset just lighting up the sky behind us. It was one of those moments you’ll never forget.”

We loaded up Joe’s Aerostar and took off at 2pm, destination MYSM. We couldn’t get on the ground fast enough after seeing the waves on the final approach. Everyone knows Joe on the island. He even brings the customs guys their Amazon packages from the mainland. The one gas station on the island was already closed when we got there, and we needed gas for the skis. Joe makes a call and the owner meets us out-of-hours to fuel up. We launch the skis at 6pm and ripped down to Garner’s Reef as the sunset was starting to paint the sky.

There’s so much swell in the water it feels like Hawaii. We get to the spot right as a huge set is hitting the reef. Our jaws dropped… we couldn’t believe what we were seeing! Perfect 10ft slabby rights just detonating on the reef. Eros and I were on the ski together and he went first. We were both riding the new Lift 4’4 / 32” M2 mast / 60 Surf and 20 Carve, the perfect setup for these conditions. I whip Eros in and try to race around the outside so I can watch his rides. He was ripping, going deeper and deeper every wave knowing no-one has ever foiled this wave at this size. We were all fired up. Joe and Bear hooting from the channel watching Eros stylishly draw lines on the waves. The vibes were high!

I got in the water next and Eros dropped me into an absolute bomb on my first wave. I’m flying down the face just maxing out the 60 trying to get to the bottom to bleed off some speed so I can fade back up into the pocket. What a feeling! Eros and I chased big waves all winter and now we were in it and loving every moment. Joe got on the rope next and got a few good ones too. Perfect waves with the boys and the sunset just lighting up the sky behind us. It was one of those moments you’ll never forget. We were the only people on the whole island getting waves. No-one surfs there, it’s wild.

The next morning we were up early to the sounds of the waves breaking on the beach behind the house. The plan was to go up to the north point and ride the waves we saw flying in. We took one ski and Joe’s center console boat to shoot from. As we left the marina we were immediately back in big swell lines, rolling and hitting the reef. We started towing at a wave called Rabbit Rights. It was so perfect and we just couldn’t believe we were scoring these waves in the Bahamas… A huge, glassy, right hand point break. My second wave was the best wave I’ve ever got on the foil. It felt like it was all happening in slow motion but so smooth and fast. Perfect conditions. After a handful of waves we switched it up and got Eros in the water. We towed up to the point and waited for a set. We kept waiting… and waited some more. The waves were still there but not hitting the reef right. Something had changed. Most likely the swell direction went more east. We couldn’t believe that just like that it was pretty much over.

We got back to the marina to put up the boat on the lift before we flew out. The power to the entire island had gone off so we had some time to kill waiting for power to lift the boat. There’s a fun little wave right outside the marina to surf, so Eros and Bear went out there to get some shots in the crystal-clear water. They were getting some good ones until Eros had a reef shark make a run at his foot and chase them both out of the water… Gotta watch out for those Bahamas sharks!

And just like that we were back on the tarmac loading the plane for the flight home to Florida. 24 hours round trip and some unforgettable moments together. I still can’t believe how it all came together, all thanks to Joe. We are so grateful that he shares this paradise with us and all his friends. Big thanks to Bear too for capturing the whole trip. Hope everyone enjoys the photos as much as we do. Hopefully we score these waves again but we know it’s a rare occurrence. Everything aligned for us. Right place at the right time with the right crew and it turned into the ultimate Bahamas strike mission!