Reef

right

Level 7/10

Soup Bowl

Bathsheba, Barbados

🪸Sharp reef🦔Urchins🌀Strong rips

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Soup Bowl is widely considered the Caribbean's best wave—a powerful right-hand reef break on Barbados' rugged east coast. When NE groundswells hit this exposed section of coastline, Soup Bowl produces thick, barreling waves, and Kelly Slater has called it one of his favourite waves in the world. The setting is stunning: dramatic rock formations, palm trees, and the Bathsheba area's natural beauty. The reef is sharp and unforgiving, but the wave quality attracts top surfers from around the world. Caribbean surfing's crown jewel.

Soup Bowl surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today4

Poor

1.0mESE@7s

14km/h

1.0m@7s

14km/h

Thu5

Poor

0.7mENE@9s

13km/h

0.7m@9s

13km/h

Fri6

Poor

0.5mENE@9s

15km/h

0.5m@9s

15km/h

Sat7

Poor

0.5mNE@10s

16km/h

0.5m@10s

16km/h

Sun8

Poor

1.3mSE@8s

13km/h

1.3m@8s

13km/h

Mon9

Poor

1.0mSE@7s

13km/h

1.0m@7s

13km/h

Tue10

Poor

0.7mE@12s

16km/h

0.7m@12s

16km/h

Wed11

Poor

0.8mESE@13s

18km/h

0.8m@13s

18km/h

Thu12

Poor

0.9mESE@11s

18km/h

0.9m@11s

18km/h

Fri13

Poor

0.4mNE@10s

18km/h

0.4m@10s

18km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's ConditionsToday's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: AfternoonAM 15 km/h · PM 12 km/h · Tide at 12pm (0.7m)

Swell

1.0m

ESE(102°)

Score: 11/25

Period

Short period

Score: 2/25

Wind

14km/h

E(97°)

Score: 2/25

Weather

30°C

0.0mm35%

First light 5:22amSunrise 5:52amSunset 5:30pmLast light 6:00pm

Windswell

0.2m@2s

Secondary

0.3m

Confidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.0m @7s ESE outside window

Wind14 km/h E onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 8:27am–3:54pm · through highIdeal tide: 0.4–1.2m

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

27°

30°

31°

30°

28°

26°

30°

31°

28°

27°

30°

31°

28°

27°

30°

32°

31°

29°

28°

31°

32°

31°

28°

27°

30°

32°

31°

29°

30°

31°

29°

28°

29°

30°

31°

29°

28°

29°

30°

28°

29°

28°

2m1.0

sec

10s

12s

13s

11s

10s

swell

windkm/h

13g26

17g38

15g37

14g35

10g25

10g18

15g35

15g38

13g36

10g25

7g13

14g34

17g41

18g40

14g35

13g24

17g39

18g44

15g43

10g35

10g21

12g30

15g37

15g39

9g32

10g19

13g32

13g34

15g37

13g38

15g32

16g36

16g39

16g40

16g39

17g36

18g39

18g44

18g45

18g44

16g37

18g40

18g46

18g48

18g44

18g38

19g41

18g45

18g49

18g54

tidem

5:42am0.2m

12:10pm0.7m

6:10pm0.3m

6:30am0.3m

12:42pm0.7m

7:06pm0.2m

1:20am0.7m

7:15am0.3m

1:18pm0.7m

7:47pm0.1m

2:04am0.7m

7:47am0.3m

1:45pm0.8m

8:21pm0.1m

2:42am0.7m

8:10am0.3m

2:12pm0.8m

8:55pm0.0m

3:12am0.6m

8:30am0.3m

2:38pm0.7m

9:30pm0.0m

3:54am0.6m

9:00am0.3m

3:10pm0.7m

10:04pm0.0m

4:30am0.6m

9:30am0.3m

3:40pm0.7m

5:06am0.5m

10:00am0.3m

4:18pm0.7m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

5:42 am

Low · 0.23m

12:10 pm

High · 0.68m

6:10 pm

Low · 0.27m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction1/25

Swell Size11/25

Swell Period2/25

Wind2/25

Raw Score16/100

Adjustments

🤢 Wind History-6

🌊 Tide+3

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-10

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

🤢 Morning Sickness🌊 Mostly in the tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to BGI, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell1.0m @7s ESE outside window

Wind14 km/h E onshore

SwellWind: Offshore Cross Onshore

Showing forecast for today · all day

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: NE (45°)
Direction range: 20° - 90°
Size range: 1m - 3.5m
Ideal size: 2.1m - 2.9m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: W (270°)
Offshore range: 225° - 315°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: mid
Optimal range: 0.4m - 1.2m

Water temp

27°C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts / Rashguard

Difficulty

7/10

Crowd level

5/10

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of wave is Soup Bowl?

Soup Bowl is a reef break in Bathsheba, Barbados, that mostly breaks right. It's on our list of the world's 100 best waves.

What's the story behind Soup Bowl?

The story goes that early surfers named it after the huge boils on the reef, which look like soup bubbling on a stove. Kelly Slater put a photo of it on the cover of his book and called it 'one of my favourite waves in the world'.

What swell works best at Soup Bowl?

Soup Bowl picks up swell from the NNE round to the E, and it's best when it's coming straight out of the NE. It starts working at around 1m and handles up to about 3.5m, with the sweet spot around 2.1 to 2.9m. Period matters too: aim for 14s or longer, as anything under 10s tends to be weak. These are the numbers our scoring uses, so treat them as a guide rather than a promise.

What wind is offshore at Soup Bowl?

A W wind is dead offshore at Soup Bowl, and anything from the SW round to the NW keeps it clean. The morning is typically the best window, roughly 6am to 10am. Light winds from other directions can still be fine; strong offshores can make it hard to get into waves.

What tide is best at Soup Bowl?

Soup Bowl is at its best around mid tide, roughly 0.4m to 1.2m on the local chart.

When is the best time of year to surf Soup Bowl?

The most reliable run of swell at Soup Bowl comes Nov to Apr. There's a second window in Sep to Oct too. NE groundswells in winter. Hurricane swells in autumn.

How cold is the water at Soup Bowl?

The water at Soup Bowl averages around 27°C, so boardshorts or a rashguard will do. It shifts a few degrees through the year, so check the season before you pack.

Is Soup Bowl good for beginners?

Not really. It's rated 7/10 for difficulty and suits experienced surfers. Expect a moderate crowd (5/10) when it's on. Sharp reef with urchins. Strong currents.