Busua Beach

Busua is a wide sandy bay in the Western Region backed by a village of guesthouses, small hotels and beach bars, and it has become the centre of Ghanaian surfing: the break is gentle and consistent enough for beginners, boards are rented on the sand, and a local surf school has trained a generation of Ghanaian surfers. The atmosphere is slow, with fishing canoes working from the eastern end of the beach and a mix of Ghanaian and foreign visitors. Fort Metal Cross at Dixcove is a walk or short drive around the headland to the west, and Butre with its mangrove river lies east. It is the usual base for anyone spending time on this coast.

History

Until the 1960s Busua was a seaside resort for well-off families from Sekondi-Takoradi, and in the 1970s and 1980s some European tourists came too, though until the late 1990s the town had neither mains electricity nor running water, only a small bungalow resort and a weekend generator. In the early 1990s a palm disease killed all the town's coconut trees, leaving the long sandy beach, and in recent years it has gained full electricity, restaurants and holiday homes; Dixcove, with the British Fort Metal Cross, is about 25 minutes' walk west, and the former Dutch Fort Batenstein lies to the east (Wikipedia, Busua).

Highlights

• The bay - the wide crescent of sand and the surf break.
• The surf school - board rental and lessons on the beach.
• Fishing canoes - the boats working from the eastern end.
• The village strip - guesthouses and bars behind the sand.

When to go

November to March is the main dry season and the busiest period. Surf is generally best from around March to September, which overlaps with the rains. Weekends bring visitors from Takoradi and Accra.

Before you go

Rip currents are present and there are no lifeguards. Beach vendors and would-be guides are persistent. Accommodation ranges widely in standard and power cuts are common. Litter on the sand is an ongoing problem.

Nearby

Dixcove and Fort Metal Cross lie west; Butre is east.